Bayern Munich should win the Champions League because…

Before starting with my reasons (and in the process expecting to make some Chelsea fans angry) let me clear something up.

a)      I am not a Bayern fan

b)      I do not hate Chelsea

c)       I am not a disgruntled Barcelona fan either

Now going into why I think Bayern should win,

We are talking about the biggest trophy in club football and to win it, a club must deserve it.  If you go by the tradition of this trophy, the great teams viz. Milan ’94, Ajax’95 , Barcelona 2006, 2009 and 2011, Manchester United 2008 that went on to win the UCL have all had something in common between them. They played their natural game in almost all of their matches in the tournament.  Bayern have been doing just that this season. They have stuck to their plan, style and game play, and that’s how the giants who go on to win the big trophy should be.

Chelsea on the other hand, have sacrificed their identity. Chelsea fans would argue that it was the only way to play Barcelona. Well, that’s exactly my point here.  A team aspiring to be crowned the best in Europe cannot sacrifice its style and identity. This is despite the fact that Roberto Di Matteo has always made his team play with a pinch of flair in them, be it with MK Dons or West Bromwich Albion or even after taking over Chelsea.  In my opinion, a team containing Mata, Torres, Lampard, Drogba and Sturridge can do a lot better than simply park a bus just because they came up against a formidable opponent.

Now moving onto the actual game itself, it’s most likely to be a battle of 4-2-3-1’s. With Bayern being an adventurous version of that setup while Chelsea’s is likely be a defensive version. With all the suspensions for Chelsea players, it’s most likely that Malouda and either of Sturridge or Kalou will be on the flanks. With a depleted backline (with Terry and Ivanović suspended) and no Ramires to do the defensive screening, Chelsea’s wide men are most likely to be asked to do more defensive work.  Chelsea being defensive on the wide areas will only invite more and more pressure from Bayern’s wide men Robben and Ribery, who are often expected to be joined by Lahm and Rafinha.

And then comes the part of the final being played at Allianz Arena, home of Bayern Munich. Although the ticketing scheme of UEFA is expected to result in a neutral ambience within the stadium, the very fact the Bayern will be playing on their home turf will be an added motivation for the Bavarians to lift the trophy in their own backyard.

Finally, it would be refreshing to see a team outside England or Spain to go on and win the Champions League. And of all the leagues, the Bundesliga deserves to have a team up there. The German league has witnessed some terrific football in the past couple of seasons, mirroring the performance of their national team.