It was only fitting that an unprecedented season of dominance for Bayern Munich, both domestically in the Bundesliga and in Europe, would culminate in a glorious night at Wembley that will live on in the memories of many. Indeed, it was an event that showcased both the best team on the continent and the very best that Germany had to offer in both Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund, the two-time defending Bundesliga champions before Bayern Munich's juggernaut status this season.
Yet despite the dizzying heights and gaudy numbers achieved by Bayern Munich over the last nine months, Saturday night's late victory was never going to come easily, whether due to the ghosts of Champions League finals past or the oh so familiar opponents who lined up across the way. For all of the confidence instilled by Bayern Munich's plethora of resounding performances, a side as blessed with attacking acumen as Borussia Dortmund was as capable as any of making everything go horribly wrong for Bayern Munich on Europe's biggest stage, just as had happened against Chelsea last season, Inter Milan in 2010, and, however famously, Manchester United in 1999.
With Borussia Dortmund clearly the better side for the opening third of the game, it began to look as if Bayern Munich's nightmares of seasons past in Europe were manifesting themselves once again. Ultimately this opening salvo was one that Bayern Munich would weather, and Arjen Robben's late winner confirm Bayern's place at the top of the European heap.
Bayern Munich, having exorcised the demons of Europe, now have one last bit of silverware, the Deutcher Pokal, to wrap up this weekend on their way to a magnificent treble this season. However, even with a final moment of glory awaiting Bayern Munich before this term is officially brought to a close, it is hardly too soon to wonder if this season is merely a sign of things to come for the German giants.
In almost any other conceivable situation at perhaps any other club, the dilemma of replacing a manager such as Jupp Heynckes, who has done a fantastic job of bringing stability and resolve to a club that has sometimes been plagued by drama behind the scenes, would be absolutely mountainous. Of course, as we've known for some time now, it appears that Bayern Munich's empire should be just fine in the tactical grasp of former Barcelona manager Pep Guardiola. We've seen what Guardiola can do with a wealth of attacking talent, and it goes without saying that the talent on hand in Munich is as formidable as you will find.
Scarily enough, at least for Bayern Munich's opponents in the near future, a team that scored 98 goals in the Bundesliga is only bolstering its attacking options in grand fashion, and in doing so they are in turn weakening their biggest domestic challenger. It has been known for several weeks that Mario Götze is making his way to the Allianz, and if media rumors are to be believed, Robert Lewandowski looks to be making the move down to Munich as well. If such recruitments will give Guardiola selection headaches, then they are headaches that he will surely relish.
If there is one thing that the likes of Barcelona and Real Madrid have shown us in being regarded by many as the two most gifted teams in Europe in recent years, it is that all of this talent won't ensure winning the biggest trophies year in and year out. Yet, even with that in mind, it is becoming more and more difficult to imagine that Bayern Munich will have any bobbles in form, especially domestically, anytime soon. We may very well find ourselves talking about another Bayern Munich European conquest this time next year.
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