Opinion: Bundesliga - Shift In Power Or Jumping On The Bandwagon?
The dust may have settled on the losses of both Real Madrid and Barcelona in the Champions League, yet a week on it is still big news in Spain and Germany. In England we have been questioning for a while now if the Premier League is falling behind the other major European Leagues, but that question has only just begun to form on the lips of Spanish people.
When it comes to talking football - be it at the office or down the pub - there are few things people like better than jumping on the bandwagon. Citing the Bundesliga as the best league in world football is the latest trend and one you might find yourself discussing in the build up to the Champions League final.
The powerhouse of Bayern Munich and football hipsters favourite new team Borussia Dortmund are on the tips of everyone s tongue and with an all German Champions League final - at the home of English football no less - it is little wonder. But are we really witnessing a shift in power and has La Liga been overtaken by the Bundesliga?
In a word - no. Yes the Bundesliga has been good this season and the European performances of Dortmund and Bayern have been astounding. Yet BVB were lucky to get past Malaga in the earlier stages of the Champions League and but for one goal and an injured Ronaldo they may well have fallen at the semi final hurdle.
Bayern Munich for their part quite simply have a bee in their bonnet this season with the Champions League and who can blame them. Losing a 'home final' last season was in its harshest assessment, an embarrassment. Especially when you consider Chelsea were the least fancied team of the four semi finalists.
Not many people would have bet against Bayern Munich making it to Wembley this time around. Given they have beaten Borussia Dortmund to everything else this season domestically, smart money would be on them lifting the Champions League trophy at the home of English football.
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After Chelsea and Manchester City both failed to make it out of the group stages, not to mention early exits for Arsenal and Manchester United, people have once again started to question the quality of the Premier League. So is the English Premier League on the decline? Possibly. But when you consider the recent Champions League record of English clubs, there's no need to push the panic button yet.
Football works in cycles and the time of the German's may well have arrived. But unlike Pep Guardiola's insuperable Barcelona team, Europe's rival clubs aren't an insurmountable distance away. In recent years the Spanish have maybe become too comfortable at the top of domestic and international football. All the while the Premier League, the Bundesliga and the rest of Europe have been gaining ground.
Bayern and BVB now lead the chasing pack, but you wouldn't bet against the Spanish returning to the top or the Premier League mounting another assault on Europe next year. Who knows, maybe Gary Lineker was right all along - "Football is a game for 22 people that run around, play the ball, and one referee who makes a slew of mistakes, and in the end Germany always wins."
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