Bayern: Buying the Bundesliga to Bye-Bye Bundesliga?

Ronan Murphy

• Updated: 24 Apr 2022 11:18 BST
• 7 min read

Bayern Munich have won their 10th Bundesliga title in a row. Ridiculous, isn't it?

And even more ridiculous is the fact that they won it by beating Borussia Dortmund in Der Klassiker to secure the trophy.

It's the first time in history that Bayern have become champions thanks to a win over their rivals and it should be historic.

But is a 10th title in a row exciting? Definitely not for neutral fans, who all predicted yet another dominant season in Germany for the Bavarian giants.

It's not even that exciting for Bayern any more. It seems as this is just a nice consolation prize after being knocked out of the Champions League by a team almost everyone had expected them to beat.

German Supercup aside, the Bundesliga trophy is the only silverware from Julian Nagelsmann's debut season, with the exit from the DFB-Pokal even more embarrassing than European defeat to Villarreal.

Borussia Mönchengladbach had Bayern figured out and dumped them out of the German Cup with a 5-0 win in October.

Nobody could unseat Bayern in the Bundesliga, but cracks are starting to show in this invincible team, where contract stories and transfer talk have dominated headlines more than convincing wins and cup runs.

Top scorer and irreplaceable forward Robert Lewandowski could leave the club this summer or next as he has not yet agreed a new deal and Barcelona are circling, while Serge Gnabry is looking for a contract comparable with Kingsley Coman and Leroy Sane, and the club's bosses are penny-pinching.

This tight fistedness has led to criticism of president Herbert Hainer, CEO Oliver Kahn, but especially sporting director Hasan Salihamidzic, who is responsible for making signings, most of whom have underperformed since moving to Munich.

Bayern Munich's Bundesliga rivals

Borussia Dortmund are surprisingly on target for more points than last season and have already begun to address their weakest points. Unlike in the past where Bayern would weaken their rivals by taking their best players, Dortmund have agreed a deal for Niklas Sule, usually the most reliable centre-back in Munich.

RB Leipzig have been the Bundesliga's most consistent team under Domenico Tedesco after he replaced Jesse Marsch during the season and in Christopher Nkunku have the Bundesliga's best player.

Nkunku has helped Leipzig to the German Cup final as well as the Europa League semi-final, and despite rumours of interest from Manchester United, Liverpool and other top clubs, will not be sold this summer.

Previously, Bayern would have snapped him up and weakened their rivals. Instead, Leipzig should gain ground and triumph in either cup competition would give the players the belief they can unseat Bayern as the best team in Germany.

Former Bayern Munich striker and head coach Jurgen Klinsmann believes that the gap could be closed in Germany and thinks it would be good for the Bundesliga to have a new champion.

"I hope that something happens like a year ago in Italy. For nine years Juventus won the title but then Inter Milan stepped it up," Klinsmann told Football Transfers during a media roundtable.

"Juventus is not in the same position any more. We hope for a similar situation in the Bundesliga and Leipzig definitely has smart people working at the club, trying to put together the pieces for the future and trying to keep all the players they can.

"Bayern recognised that last year and that's why they took [Dayot] Upamecano and took the coach, and even took [Marcel] Sabitzer as well. One thing is to get those pieces for yourself and improve, but the other is to weaken your possible biggest rivals.

"This is Leipzig's challenge. Financially they have the capabilities to compete with Bayern if they want to go for it."

Why Leipzig can end Bayern's dominance

Keeping Nkunku would be huge for the Bundesliga, not just to be able to watch him week in, week out again in Germany, but also to show that Leipzig can be genuine contenders, especially as Bayern are no longer shopping in the same market as the past.

Someone like Erling Haaland would have been top of the transfer list for previous Bayern teams, but they are not willing to spend the sums to compete with the Manchester Citys of the world, and instead are looking to clubs like Ajax to sign players.

Even if Lewandowski does not leave, this Bayern squad is not as good as it once was. Financial constraints and haggling have seen leaders leave, with Sule the latest colossal defender to go, following Jerome Boateng and David Alaba out the door.

Thiago was let go for peanuts to Liverpool where he is now flourishing, while the replacements for these players have not been improvements or even of a comparable quality to their predecessors.

Winning 10 titles in a row should be special. And maybe it will be. Because the 2021-22 Meisterschale could be the last domestic trophy Bayern Munich might lift for many years.