Bundesliga: A two horse race?

“I fear ‘Scottish proportions’ more than ‘Spanish proportions.”

These emotions were expressed by the German legend Uli Hoeness when he was asked about the current condition of the German Bundesliga. The legendary defender believed that the elite German competition is heading towards the ‘Spanish proportions which imply the fight between only two top clubs – Borussia Dortmund and Bayern Munich when it comes to winning the club championship.

The assumption is not quite farfetched as the two German giants were the finalists in the last season’s UEFA Champions League Final and have established themselves as power houses in European football. Another important statistic regarding this comment is that four of the last Bundesliga titles were won between these two clubs. The last team other than these two clubs to win the German Bundesliga was Vfl Wolfsburg in the 2008-09 season.

Bayern Munich are one of the greatest clubs in Germany and they hold a solid place in German folklore by securing twenty three Bundesliga titles and sixteen DFB Pokal championships (both of them are national records). The club is also a European legend who have achieved the impressive feat of winning as many as five UEFA Champions League titles. The club is in prime form after winning the treble (league, cup and European Cup) last season and are hailed by their fans as the ‘Best in Europe’.

Many experts have claimed that the European success of Bayern Munich in the last season is the start of the German domination on European football, but it is still early days to say that. Bayern Munich have been a formidable force under the new management of Pep Guardiola, and with the additions of Thiago Alcantara and Mario Gotze, they are in prime position to defend their titles.

Borussia Dortmund is the up and rising club of German Bundesliga with an extremely talented squad under the helm of Jurgen Klopp and also the urge to end the Bayern monopoly on German football. The club has also been an important of the football scene in Germany with eight Bundesliga trophies and five DFB Pokal titles.

They have also proven their mettle in Europe by winning the Champions League in 1996, and they also reached last season’s final where they were defeated by familiar foes Bayern Munich. But the club has regrouped after the defeat and they again proved themselves by triumphing over the much fancied Munich side in DFL Super Cup 2013.

The previous season was an impressive one for both the German clubs which saw them reach the final of UEFA Champions League by defeating the likes of Real Madrid and Barcelona. But the consistent factor in the season was the top two teams in Bundesliga which was same as the last four years.

The experts are all in praise of the German giants and according to most of them, this is the start of German supremacy on the international stage which was held on to by Barcelona till now. But it is really important to understand that these two teams have created a monopoly over the German football scene, and it is really impressive how they have distanced themselves on the top of the other clubs.

The other possible contenders for the Bundesliga title this year are Bayer Leverkusen who has made an impressive start to the season and also Schalke 04 who have an impressive youth squad who have made a name for themselves on the grand stage. But it seems that the clubs lack the longevity and consistency needed for the long haul. The record states that Dortmund and Bayern Munich has split the last four German titles among themselves (Borussia Dortmund in 2010-11, 2011-12 and Bayern Munich in 2009-10, 2012-13), and it seems that history is going to repeat itself again. According to Bayern midfielder Thomas Mueller, the Bundesliga title will be decided between the two giants and he was quoted on the club’s website saying “You’ll always get other teams on the pace at least for a while, but fundamentally I think Bayern and Dortmund are the two teams with the most quality and best consistency over time”. This clearly states the current condition of the German elite club competition and the level of competition existent between the two legendary clubs.

The start to this season states the same story as the previous four seasons when it comes to the leader board. Borussia Dortmund and Bayern Munich are tied on 19 points at the top of the table after the first seven games. The performance of these two clubs are quite comfortable with six wins and one draw which states the confidence and consistency shown by both the teams in times of crisis and also in the competition over the years. There is a better part of the season left to be played but if it is any indication of the things to come, then it is going to be yet another familiar tale of top of the table rivalry.

The cash flow in both Bayern Munich and Dortmund is much higher than that of the other teams in Germany due to sponsors and also the TV ratings. As a result, it has always been easier for them to spend more in the transfer market in order to acquire the world class players who have been instrumental in their success.

The money earned from the European competitions has also backed them up in their bid for supremacy, and this is a major area where the two legendary clubs have an upper hand over the others. Thus, the infrastructure and financial condition of Bayern and Dortmund are highly responsible for this wide gap which exists between them and the other clubs, both in case of performances and also the glory.

The stage is set. The season is underway. Twenty teams are ready to fight their heart out to be the top club in Germany. But if the present condition and history is to be believed, it is indeed a ‘two horse race’.