10 titles in a row? Bayern and the Bundesliga unjustifiably under fire from critics. Manchester City no less dominant, Klopp makes the difference

Here we go again. Bayern Munich won the title early and the (im)balance of the Bundesliga is once again being addressed. Both the Bavarian giant and Germany’s top competition are facing criticism. The Premier League is constantly held up as an example. Rightly so? Not quite.

10. a title in a row? Hats off, but…

Bayern Munich have done what no one in the history of the top five European leagues has done before them. It’s won 10 titles in a row. It surpassed Juventus, with whom it shared the top spot, with 9 titles in a row. In the past, Olympique Lyon had an impressive run of 7 league titles in a row.

However, there is a dark side to this. The quality of the Bundesliga is being questioned due to Bayern’s dominance, it is struggling to attract foreign fans. Yet it is an exceptional product, graced by great atmospheres at sold-out games, nurturing world-class talent and offensive football.

Even after winning the 10th title, the same opinions from football fans have emerged on world and international servers. It’s time to rename the Bundesliga to Bayernliga, Farmers League and so on.

Bayern fought hard for this position, they didn’t get anything for free

However, few people know or remember the conditions from which Bayern have worked their way up to this incredible situation. During the Second World War, the club had existential problems because it was labelled a Jewish club. It fell to 81st place in the overall ranking of German clubs at that time.

When the Bundesliga was formed in 1963, Bayern Munich was left out of the founding members. Munich 1860 was invited instead, although statistically Bayern were more successful. The latter, however, managed to qualify among the German elite and the history of the biggest club in Germany began to be written.

Bayern’s management worked hard to keep the economy healthy, which is still paying off today. Apart from the fact that no one in Germany can match Bayern financially, the Bavarian club has managed to financially help rivals Dortmund, Munich 1860 and St. Pauli.

Bayern buying out the competition? Just a myth, just working well

When someone criticises Bayern, the same arguments are often made. Financial strength, which no one can match, and buying out the competition, especially Borussia Dortmund. That, of course, is just a myth.

If we take away last summer, when Bayern really hunted in a big way in Leipzig, which they deprived of a coach, a captain and a key defender, then there is no question of buying out the competition. For example, only 4 players have been acquired from Dortmund since 2000, and only one has become a real star in Bavaria – Robert Lewandowski.

Dortmund could just as easily be accused of buying out the competition, having bought key players from Mönchengladbach, Leverkusen or Hoffenheim in the 2019/20 season, for example. However, to no effect. In total, Borussia spent almost 150 million euros this season.

Overall, the difference in spending between Bayern and Dortmund since the start of the season is not extreme. Bayern bought players for 273 million euros, Borussia for 243 million. Leipzig spent 244 million euros and Leverkusen 197 million.

Bundesliga clubs need to think about

So the difference is obvious. The problem is not Bayern’s strength, but how Dortmund and other clubs work the transfer market. They are unable to capitalise on the finances. While Bayern can compete in the Champions League without spending the sums that, say, English clubs can afford to spend, the remaining German clubs cannot even compete with Bayern.

Bayern can sell themselves well internationally, the other clubs cannot. In addition, there is a big difference in mentality. Nobody is forcing German clubs to sell their best players. From this point of view, the argument about buying out the competition is also false. Even Bayern’s players are leaving for other competitions.

On a similar principle, we could criticise the Premier League for weakening other leagues and thus favouring their position in the Champions League, where they dominate. After all, England has the most money. But that is nonsense, it basically denies the point of transfers.

Moreover, despite all this, Bayern can still compete in the Champions League with far less money spent.

The Premier League as a model of balance? No way!

The Bundesliga is, according to many, unbalanced. Of course, all this is distorted by Bayern’s dominance, but otherwise we regularly see various surprises in Germany, sensations in cups, exciting battles for promotion to European competitions or for retention. Smaller clubs in Germany, at least in the cup, have a better chance of winning a trophy than anywhere else in the top five leagues.

The famous Premier League has been cited as a model, but it has not been the best in recent years in terms of balance. Why? Let’s look for a factor called Pep Guardiola behind it all. The Catalan strategist has virtually unlimited financial possibilities at Manchester City, which, combined with his coaching skills, he knows how to make the most of.

Just look at the points dropped this season. While Manchester City have lost 19 points, Bayern have lost 18. And while in England the Citizens’ losses are trying to take advantage of Liverpool, who have lost 20 points this season, in Germany no one is taking advantage of the hesitations Bayern are committing.

Interestingly then, there is now virtually an identical gap between first and fifth place in the Bundesliga and the Premier League. First Bayern and fifth Freiburg are separated by 23 points, first Manchester City and fifth Tottenham are separated by 22 points. In both leagues there is also an identical 18-point gap between the first and third teams.

It is also interesting to look back at the previous seasons

In the previous lines we compared the Bundesliga and the Premier League only this season. But the fact is that the equilibrium in the Premier League is becoming a mere myth, just as Bayern’s buying out of the competition is.

Last season, Bayern won the league by 13 points over Leipzig, while Manchester City won the title by 12 points over city rivals United. Bayern had a 14 and 17-point lead over the third and fourth teams, while Manchester City had 17 and 19 points.

The 2019/20 season didn’t look much different. In England, however, Liverpool (99 points) dominated that time, leaving behind Manchester City (81 points), Manchester United and Chelsea ( identical 66 points). Bayern won the title that year with 82 points, second-placed Dortmund had 69, third-placed Leipzig had 66 and Mönchengladbach had 65.

The 2018/19 season was legendary in England. Manchester City won the title with 99 points, second-placed Liverpool had just one point less. However, there was a big gap behind them, with Chelsea finishing third, 27 points behind the leaders, and fourth-placed Tottenham had one point less.

And Germany? Bayern scored 78 points, Dortmund 76, Leipzig 66 and Leverkusen 58.

The last season we’ll go through is the 2017/18 one. Manchester City won the league with 100 points, second-placed Manchester United had 19 points less, and Liverpool rounded out the top four, 25 points behind the leaders. Bayern didn’t have much competition at the time either, winning 84 points, second-placed Schalke had 21 points less. The difference between first and fourth place? 29 points.

The difference between the Premier League and the Bundesliga? Jürgen Klopp

As you can see from the data and numbers, there is more or less no difference in the balance between the Bundesliga and the Premier League. On the contrary, it is very similar. There is only one difference. In the Bundesliga, Jürgen Klopp used to compete with the famous Bayern with the less affluent Dortmund, now he is trying to chase the more affluent Manchester City in a similar role in Liverpool.

So it is up to the German clubs to find someone who can dethrone Bayern. However, English clubs have a similar task ahead of them, as they have the advantage over Germany of being able to buy virtually anyone and anything thanks to foreign ownership.

The Bundesliga deserves no disparagement

After refuting all sorts of facts about Bayern, the Bundesliga and the Premier League, there is only one thing to do. To add that the Bundesliga is a truly great and attractive competition that is spectator-friendly, fan-friendly and certainly deserves more recognition than it gets.

Sources: Bundesliga, Premier League, Transfermarkt