A bushfire causes considerable damage; it rages on for as long as it wants. The world of football has found its bushfire this season. He is called Bayern München.
The Germans have a habit of upsetting the odds. Bayern did this quite remarkably when they went down to Chelsea last season. Following that match, the odds of Bayern recovering from a season which saw them finish illness-inducing second three times were obviously low. They lost the Champions League final three times over. Bavaria was shaken.
Changes came about in the summer but nobody knew quite what to expect. Currently, every expert, every fan and every opposition player including the likes of Bert Van Marwijk, Lionel Messi and Giorgio Chiellini have been awestruck. Jupp Heynckes himself is almost out of words now. Only Matthias Sammer is seemingly capable of keeping a lid on the situation.
What has caused the phenomenon called Bayern to emerge in its most vicious state? It is not just the disappointment of last season. It is the ability to take out every reserve of talent. Bayern plays in whichever style they feel will cause the opponent trouble while never actually reverting from the original 4-2-3-1.
The addition of pressing to their possession based style has reaped massive rewards. No team has been able to keep up with Bayern’s movement, pace and pressure so far. They are helped further by their physical strength. Barcelona players admitted openly that Bayern was simply too strong for them. It was immensely difficult for them to compete against the sheer physicality of the likes of Schweinsteiger and Javier Martinez. Competing against the smaller players such as Philipp Lahm and Franck Ribery was also immensely difficult.
The mental strength of this team, so often doubted in the past is no longer really up for doubt. They won many tight matches this season, including two against Dortmund. The 1-0 win in the Pokal was one of the most one-sided 1-0 victories in the history of the game. When push comes to shove, Bayern can indeed grind out results. They had to do so prior to the second leg against Arsenal and did exactly that.
Big names do not faze them; of course they should not considering how big the name of their own team is. Barcelona was given a lesson in transitional play, counterattacking play and physical play. Jupp Heynckes on his last day in the Bundesliga saw his team concede two quick fire goals only to claw one back. They conceded a third but clawed their way back into the match expertly, scoring three wonderful goals. Ribery was the man of the match without a doubt.
Most importantly, Bayern has been able to rely on the one person who makes their team so special: Bastian Schweinsteiger. If there is one player this Bayern side is dependent on, it is the experienced German international. Bayern’s struggles without him last season were extremely evident on the pitch. Schweinsteiger’s fitness has been extremely vital to ensuring that the bushfire never stopped raging on.
These are some of the reasons why Bayern has been unstoppable for long. One question remains though: will Borussia Dortmund be able to extinguish the bushfire?
Changes came about in the summer but nobody knew quite what to expect. Currently, every expert, every fan and every opposition player including the likes of Bert Van Marwijk, Lionel Messi and Giorgio Chiellini have been awestruck. Jupp Heynckes himself is almost out of words now. Only Matthias Sammer is seemingly capable of keeping a lid on the situation.
What has caused the phenomenon called Bayern to emerge in its most vicious state? It is not just the disappointment of last season. It is the ability to take out every reserve of talent. Bayern plays in whichever style they feel will cause the opponent trouble while never actually reverting from the original 4-2-3-1.
The addition of pressing to their possession based style has reaped massive rewards. No team has been able to keep up with Bayern’s movement, pace and pressure so far. They are helped further by their physical strength. Barcelona players admitted openly that Bayern was simply too strong for them. It was immensely difficult for them to compete against the sheer physicality of the likes of Schweinsteiger and Javier Martinez. Competing against the smaller players such as Philipp Lahm and Franck Ribery was also immensely difficult.
The mental strength of this team, so often doubted in the past is no longer really up for doubt. They won many tight matches this season, including two against Dortmund. The 1-0 win in the Pokal was one of the most one-sided 1-0 victories in the history of the game. When push comes to shove, Bayern can indeed grind out results. They had to do so prior to the second leg against Arsenal and did exactly that.
Big names do not faze them; of course they should not considering how big the name of their own team is. Barcelona was given a lesson in transitional play, counterattacking play and physical play. Jupp Heynckes on his last day in the Bundesliga saw his team concede two quick fire goals only to claw one back. They conceded a third but clawed their way back into the match expertly, scoring three wonderful goals. Ribery was the man of the match without a doubt.
Most importantly, Bayern has been able to rely on the one person who makes their team so special: Bastian Schweinsteiger. If there is one player this Bayern side is dependent on, it is the experienced German international. Bayern’s struggles without him last season were extremely evident on the pitch. Schweinsteiger’s fitness has been extremely vital to ensuring that the bushfire never stopped raging on.
These are some of the reasons why Bayern has been unstoppable for long. One question remains though: will Borussia Dortmund be able to extinguish the bushfire?
