5 reasons why the Bundesliga is not so competitive
The 26th game week of Bundesliga began last night with Schalke securing a one-goal victory away from home against Mainz. However, this victory from a side ranked second in the points table is barely worth any headlines when it comes to the Bundesliga title race.
With Bayern Munich leading the pack by 20 points before the start of this week's action, the title is virtually decided. The Bavarians need a maximum of three wins from their remaining nine games to secure a record sixth consecutive Bundesliga title. However, such a scenario is a rather common occurrence in Germany's premier competition these days.
Bayern have absolutely dominated the league since their treble-winning season of 2012-13 and don't look like stopping anytime soon. While Borussia Dortmund have been touted as the best competition that the current league leaders can have, in truth, they are far behind Die Roten in terms of quality.
While there is much competition for the top four slots, the title is done and dusted. As Bayern Munich aim to continue their unimpeded title quest against Hamburger SV, let us now look at the reasons why the Bundesliga lacks competition.
#5 Bayern Munich's dominance
Let's address the elephant in the room first. If there's anyone responsible for Bayern's complete supremacy in Germany, it is the Bavarians themselves. Quality players, squad depth, top-notch managers; Bayern have it all.
With consistent performances in the Bundesliga over the last few years, Bayern have, on most occasions, steamrolled to the title. While Bayern themselves boast of a dearth of world-class players, their success in the recent years has sparked a desire in many talents from rival clubs to play for the German giants.
Bayern's talisman, Robert Lewandowski was signed on a free transfer from Dortmund in 2014 and has gone on to score plentiful of goals for Die Roten. Leon Goretzka is all set to join the Bavarians in the summer and is arguably the best talent on Schalke's roster currently.
In addition to Bayern's notorious habit of scalping away the best talents from their rivals, they have been doing a good job at grooming homegrown talent, having recently invested €70 million on their new academy. Joshua Kimmich is the best example of that, with Marco Freidl being another academy product who made his debut for the senior side this year.