Bayern won the Bundesliga with five matchdays to spare. How does the league get more competitive going forward?
Bundesliga
There are a few reasons why Bayern Munich, after being down five points to Borussia Dortmund in September, were able to turn things around and win the title with a 20-point lead over second-place Schalke.
One main reason is veteran coach Jupp Heynckes. A proven winner, Heynckes was brought in for Carlo Ancelotti. Heynckes won his fourth title with the club last weekend as a manager, cementing his legacy as one of the best in Bundesliga history.
The Bavarian giants still have plenty to play for this spring.Ā Heynckes confirmed there would be no big title celebrations after clinching theĀ MeisterschaleĀ thanks to aĀ 4-1 win on Saturday against Augsburg. After all, thereās a treble to win, with the team in the Champions LeagueĀ semifinals and the DFB-Pokal still up for grabs.
The larger question is about what Bayernās overwhelming dominance says about the Bundesliga overall. This is Bayernās sixth straight league title and there doesnāt appear to be any other club who can compete with them. Concerns were voiced earlier this season after Borussia Dortmund and RB Leipzig were eliminated from the Champions League group stage. It didnāt help that Dortmund havenāt played well despite the likes of Christian Pulisic. Dropping both league games to Bayern, including the recent 6-0 rout, revealed the limitations of German clubs to compete.
āSo far in international competitions, the chance has been missed to show that the Bundesliga is one of the strongest leagues in the world,ā league CEO Christian Seifert said in his New Year address, where he criticized German clubs for their āaverageā performances.
Hoffenheim, for example, failed to even qualify for the group stage after losing their qualifying playoff against Liverpool.Ā Bayern signed two of Hoffenheimās best players over the summer,Ā Sebastian Rudy and Niklas Sule, weakening the club ahead of this season.
āIf I watch the Bundesliga, Iām interested in Bayern,ā former German international Michael Ballack told the German sports magazineĀ Kicker. āBehind them the level is manageable. [The Premier League is] the measure of all things. I just see a big difference in quality, but I saw that years ago. A few years ago we thought other clubs like Dortmund could at least close the gap, but it seems they are further apart.ā
Seifert and Ballack arenāt the only critics of a league some have deemed as boring. As a result, some have even come up with new ways to try and make the Bundesliga competitive again. Former Bayern captain Stefan Effenberg has called for a revamped Bundesliga format, which would split the league into two random groups of nine (Group A and B), where teams play against each other across 16 matchdays before Christmas like a qualifying tournament.
After the winter break, two new groups are formed (Group 1 and 2). The top four teams from Groups A and B, plus the best fifth place team, would go into Group 1. Starting again from zero points, they would competeĀ for the title/European spots in the second half of the season. The rest of the teams would go into Group 2 and fight relegation.
The novel approach could work. Some have argued for other reforms, including abolishing the 50+1 rule regarding foreign ownership and a fairer distribution of TV revenues among top-flight clubs. Heynckes, however, has poo-pooed such talk, saying, āReforms? No, theyāll have to think of something else. The others just need to get stronger.ā
La Liga
With Barcelona on their way to winning the leagueĀ (a consolation prize after theirĀ midweek meltdown against Roma in the Champions League quarterfinals), the question over Real Madridās ability to win in Europeās premier club competition while dropping points domestically has come to the forefront.
Los Blancos, on track to win a third consecutive Champions League title after surviving Juventusā comeback on Wednesday, are only fourth in La Liga.
āI donāt have an explanation,ā Real manager Zinedine Zidane said Tuesday when asked about the discrepancy in form between La Liga and Champions League. āWe want to win everything. But sometimes, like this year, our consistency hasnāt been very good. We had a difficult time, especially when it came to scoring. Now we are better in every aspectā
Scoring no longer seems to be an issue with Cristiano Ronaldo in World Cup form this calendar year. Ronaldo scored again this past Sunday in Realās 1-1 draw in the derby against Atletico. Ronaldo, who netted the goal that helped Real advance against Juventus, has scored 41 goals in all competitions across 38 matches this season.
āFor example ā¦ with the match we played against Atletico Madrid, we could have lost,ā Zidane said. āI have no explanation. That is football. The big clubs never give up, they can survive everything.ā
Real Madrid play on the road against Malaga on Sunday. Leaders Barcelona host third-place Valencia in a match that, should they win, will get the Catalan giants closer to clinching the title.
Next: Manchester is red after surprise United win
Serie A
Juventus maintain a four-point advantage over Napoli in what remains the tightest title race of Europeās five major domestic competitions. Juve host eighth-place Sampdoria on Sunday, while Napoli play at sixth-place AC Milan.
In the weekendās other big match, Lazio and Roma face off in the Derby della Capitale at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome. Both are tied for third at 60 points and battling for a spot in next yearās Champions League.
Roma defeated Lazio 2-1 when the teams played each other earlier in the season. It is, once again, to be a heated derby with the entire season on the line between two teams on equal footing.