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Bayern Munich: Why the German superpower will win the Bundesliga

By John Harbeck

(L-R) Munich's defender Mats Hummels, Brazilian forward Douglas Costa, Polish forward Robert Lewandowski and Spanish midfielder Xabi Alonso celebrate after Lewandowski scored during the German first division Bundesliga football match SC Freiburg vs FC Bayern Munich in Freiburg, Germany, on January 20, 2017. / AFP / THOMAS KIENZLE / RESTRICTIONS: DURING MATCH TIME: DFL RULES TO LIMIT THE ONLINE USAGE TO 15 PICTURES PER MATCH AND FORBID IMAGE SEQUENCES TO SIMULATE VIDEO. == RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE == FOR FURTHER QUERIES PLEASE CONTACT DFL DIRECTLY AT 49 69 650050 (Photo credit should read THOMAS KIENZLE/AFP/Getty Images)
(L-R) Munich's defender Mats Hummels, Brazilian forward Douglas Costa, Polish forward Robert Lewandowski and Spanish midfielder Xabi Alonso celebrate after Lewandowski scored during the German first division Bundesliga football match SC Freiburg vs FC Bayern Munich in Freiburg, Germany, on January 20, 2017. / AFP / THOMAS KIENZLE / RESTRICTIONS: DURING MATCH TIME: DFL RULES TO LIMIT THE ONLINE USAGE TO 15 PICTURES PER MATCH AND FORBID IMAGE SEQUENCES TO SIMULATE VIDEO. == RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE == FOR FURTHER QUERIES PLEASE CONTACT DFL DIRECTLY AT 49 69 650050 (Photo credit should read THOMAS KIENZLE/AFP/Getty Images) /
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The choice is clear, Bayern Munich is the only real logical option to win the Bundesliga.

Fans of the NBA will recognize the scenario that the rest of the Bundesliga experience on a regular basis.  What I talk about is how the Golden State Warriors picked the best player on one of their most threatening rivals and picked him up.  Well, that is what Bayern Munich do year in and year out.

Because Bayern Munich can flex their financial muscle to a greater extent than any other in the Bundesliga (only club in the Bundesliga in top ten revenue generators in the world) they routinely pick off the best players from around the league.

When Borussia Dortmund rose up and won the league and very nearly won the Champions League, what did Bayern Munich do?  Well, they went out and brought in nearly a third of the BVB lineup.  Over the last few years, Bayern Munich acquired striker Robert Lewandowski, Mario Gotze, and Mats Hummels all from Borussia Dortmund.   Two summers ago, Bayern Munich identified a young Joshua Kimmich of Stuttgart.  This winter it appears as if they are now poised to pick off upstart Hoffenheim’s best defender in Niklas Sule.

The economic realities of the Bundesliga is that Bayern Munich has more players that are better than any other club, mostly because they went out and bought them.  That isn’t to say I’m complaining, all credit to the German giants for building up their club, but outside of a rare occasion that just how the league will go.

There is only one club still within ten points of Bayern Munich though and that is, of course, RB Leipzig.  The upstart club, who are financed by Red Bull have taken the league by storm and only trail Bayern Munich by three points.  They are the only reasonable challenge as the lead has grown to 11 points over third place Hoffenheim.

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RB Leipzig while sporting an interesting story of how to build a club through youngsters are still a year or two away.  You could see it in the matchup before the winter break against Bayern Munich. So many of their top 11 have never played at this level and when it comes to big matches, just don’t have the experience.

It is my belief that most clubs (Leicester City may be the exception) need to build their level for true contention in a more measured sense.  RB Leipzig needs to face the battles and learn from their mistakes to build the experience.  After their first match post winter break it doesn’t appear as if there will be much fall off, but with big matches against Borussia Dortmund and Bayern Munich, I suspect too many points will be dropped.

Those dropped points won’t be an issue for Bayern Munich, however, as they have a ridiculous squad.  Despite playing in Champions League, they have the ability to rotate a second unit that is better than just about any in the world. With Sule coming in they also strengthen the only weakness of the squad.

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Finally, if you look at the highest rated team of the Bundesliga season, Bayern Munich have the top players at every level.  Hummels, a now productive Robben, an under rated Thiago Alcantara and the logical Robert Lewandowski.  When a club has strength at every level and a manager who has experience bringing out that talent (Carlos Ancelotti) combined with no real challengers, surely they are as sure of a thing as they come.

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