Where is Bayern Munich headed?

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DATE_FORMAT_LC5 1303

About a year ago, Bayer Leverkusen hosted Bayern Munich in a match that could have potentially settled the title race.

Leverkusen were ahead and smashed Munich easily in what ended up being a historic title run.

A year later, something similar could have happened—only this time, it was on Bayern Munich to do the smashing and pull away. But they didn’t.

They didn’t because Leverkusen are proving to be a thorn in their side once more. Leverkusen needed a win, but not at the cost of losing, so coach Xabi Alonso did something interesting.

He played without a traditional striker, leaving Florian Wirtz and Nathan Tella to operate as false nines. They also relied heavily on the wings and pressing, trying to create something up front. That pressure basically forced Bayern to play through the middle, where both Wirtz and Tella could operate freely.

The result on the field was staggering—Leverkusen simply overran Bayern without any problems.

They created five big chances, according to Opta, while Bayern managed only two shots in 90 minutes, neither of which was on target.

Another thing to note is that Leverkusen entered Bayern’s final third 79 times during the match—an absurd ratio showcasing just how dominant they truly were.

Yet even with all that domination, the ball refused to go in, and the game finished in a 0-0 draw. While the result is better for Bayern this year compared to last year’s 3-0 loss, it still leaves the team with many questions.

They were dominated even more badly this year compared to last, despite having an infinitely better squad.

With their lead in the Bundesliga, Bayern should be fine to secure the trophy, but being so thoroughly dominated like this does raise concerns for the Champions League.

Some cracks had already appeared against Celtic. Even better teams should be able to exploit these weaknesses even more. They simply cannot afford to be dominated this badly in that competition, because they will be beaten.

So, the question of where they’re headed is quite complex. Domestically, things should be fine, and they should be able to win yet another trophy.

But in the Champions League, things are much murkier. They won the competition in 2020 but have since failed to make a major impact, falling short in the quarter-finals.

The potential is there because the squad is tremendous. However, some issues keep reappearing, making everyone question just how far they can really go. Failing in big moments is certainly one of those worries—this latest match against Leverkusen proved it.

They had a chance to essentially end the title race in the best way possible by beating their rivals, yet they were absolutely dominated in a way that is inexcusable.

That simply cannot happen—especially not if they hope to go all the way in every competition they are playing in this year.

There is plenty for the team’s management to think about, as this is a crossroads season for the overall project.

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