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These are exciting times for German football. With the German national team having recently been crowned World Champions in Brazil, they could embark on an era of dominance similar to the one enjoyed by the Spanish in the past decade. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said about their national league, the Bundesliga. It is turning out to be a dull and tepid affair with Bayern Munich well ahead of the competition. They continue buying players from their direct rivals Borussia Dortmund further weakening the competition level. With recent rumours linking Marco Reus to Bayern in the next season, it is turning into a worrying trend which is compromising the competitiveness and the entertainment value of the Bundesliga.
The Bayern juggernaut
Accusations have been made against the Spanish La Liga of being a two-horse race and rightly so. Despite Atletico’s league triumph last season it looks unlikely that they can pose a sustained challenge to Real Madrid and Barcelona. Similarly a serious threat of a Bayern monopoly looms around the German League. Barring Borussia Dortmund, none of the other teams have laid a challenge to Bayern’s dominance in the past few seasons. The meteoric rise of Borussia Dortmund in which they won two back-to-back league titles between 2010-2012 provided a much needed change in scenery. However, it did not take Bayern long to bounce back and reclaim the title.
It is not so much their victory but the margins of their victory that is a major source of concern. In the 2012-13 treble winning season, they won the title by a massive 25 point lead over their nearest rivals Borussia Dortmund. The next season was similar, with Bayern holding a 19 point lead over them and claiming a record-breaking 24th title.
The scenario in the Bundesliga is such that all the teams seem to already concede defeat to the might of the Bavarians and lay more focus on a fight for the Champions League spots. The relegation battle and the battle for the top four spots carry more of the excitement quotient of the league. In the past season, excluding Bayern’s 19 point lead, 10 points separated Dortmund from fourth-placed Bayer Leverkusen. And the margins get smaller as we move down the table.
Buying players from their rivals
All the great teams have always had rivals of an equal ilk who push them to even greater heights and in the process provide an enthralling experience for the supporters. The golden generation of Barcelona between 2008-2011, considered by many to be one of the greatest sides to play the game had an equally good Real Madrid team pushing them all the way.
The record breaking 99 points they accumulated in the 2009 season had Real Madrid finish a close second with 96 points. Unfortunately, that is not the scenario in Germany where Bayern have been untouchable for the past two seasons and it is highly unlikely that they will be caught anytime soon. Bayern are the most supported team in Germany and generate almost twice as much revenue than any other German club.
They have the financial might and the prestige to lure away players from other German clubs. Their policy of buying key players from their direct rivals further weakens the competition level. Their dealings with Borussia Dortmund have raised particular interest and criticism from many corners. Last season, they purchased Dortmund’s best player Mario Goetze for 37 million euros.
This season they have signed their striker Robert Lewandowski on a free transfer. Outside Germany, it is a rarity for rival clubs to buy players from each other. However, the financial constraints make it hard for clubs like Dortmund to turn down offers from Bayern. If Bayern continue plucking the best talent from their rivals, it will be tough for the others to keep up, let alone mount a serious challenge to them.
Leading to complacency
Lack of serious competition is bad not only for the league but also for Bayern themselves. Their performance in last season’s Champions League is a testament to that. Having won the league in record time, wrapping it up as early as March, the performances of the players went down a gear. Their complacency in the matches post the Bundesliga victory was one of the main reasons why they were knocked out in the semi-finals by eventual winners Real Madrid.
They just could not find the stride and up their performance at a crucial juncture of their season. Given their dominance at home, they were always going to be judged by their performance in Europe. If Bayern had something at stake during that crucial period and not disrupted their flow, things could have been much different.
It is no surprise that the English Premier League is the most followed league, with almost six teams vying for the top spot. If there is something the Germans can learn from the English league it is that better competion can only be better for the league and attract a larger following. No one enjoys the same team winning the league over and over again. Predictability is not one of the strong suits of a sport which thrives on the element of entertainment . A more level playing field would do wonders for the entertainment quotient of the league which is seriously on the brink of becoming a one-horse race.
