Last Wednesday, Bayern Munich took on FC Viktoria Plzen in a UEFA Champions League match and they played great, thrashing the Czech football club 5-0. Not only have Bayern won 7 matches and drawn 2 in their defense of the Bundesliga title, but they are perfect so far defending their Champions League title also. They sit on top of group D with 9 points, ahead of Manchester City, CSKA Moscow and Viktoria Plzen. No team has won successive Champions League titles since the format changed to 32 clubs in 1992, however Bayern Munich has the look of repeat champions.
When Jupp Heynckes was manager, Bayern won three Bundesliga titles (1988-89, 1989-90, 2012-13) with him and a Champions Leagues title in the 2012-2013 season. Heynckes final year with Bayern Munich was a huge success as he and the team won three titles that season. When former Barcelona boss Pep Guardiola came to Bayern this summer, everyone knew that the club would gain valuable experience from the Spanish manager. Guardiola had been with Barcelona for four years and won three La Liga titles, two Copa Del Ray titles, two UEFA Super Cup titles and two UEFA Champions League titles. Although it’s still early in his career with Bayern, I believe that Guardiola will be a big part of the team’s success. He already has one title with the German giants thanks to their UEFA Super Cup victory, so who’s to say he won’t get any more?
Injuries have been a big problem for Bayern this season. Veteran forward Claudio Pizarro recently suffered a muscle problem and will be out for some time. With Thiago Alcantara returning to the lineup, the Bayern team is stronger than ever. With so many well known players like Franck Ribery, Arjen Robben, and Bastian Schweinsteiger (I mean there are too many to name), I believe that Bayern’s offence and defence will overcome any problem that comes their way. So far this season, Mario Mandzukic leads the team with five goals, while Robben, Ribery, and Thomas Müller each have 3 goals to their name.
Although it is still too early to tell, I believe that Bayern are the team who can have repeat success as back-to-back Champion League winners. In 2013, they became the first German team to win the treble (winning three trophies in a single season) after winning the Bundesliga, UEFA Champions League, and DFB-Pokal titles. The team’s previous success in the Bundesliga and Champions League shows that they are determined to continue their success. The variety of skills and talent this team has is enough to scare any team that comes their way.
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