Five talking points: Bayern Munich v Schalke 04

Bayern have nearly won the Bundesliga

With just thirteen games left in the German domestic league, Bayern Munich are fifteen points ahead of second-placed Borussia Dortmund who have 39 points to their name. That, and their whopping goal difference of +48 and their current form, mean the league title is virtually theirs. All they have to do is keep up this performance week in, week out.

Given the quality at their disposal, that shouldn’t be a problem.

Schalke are suffering from a confidence crisis

Schalke were playing without six of their regulars last night, but given they way their players went about their game, those that they replaced would have done a similar job. The problem for Teemu Pukki was not that he was profligate in front of goal. The problem was that he was starved of service and cut a frustrated figure up front. Even Schalke’s world-class centre forward in Klaas-Jan Huntelaar would not have been able to penetrate the Bayern back four simply because he did not receive the ball.

The Gelsenkirchen outfit looked lost with the ball, confused without it and paid severely when they tried to get it back. Arjen Robben’s tearaway run should have been chipped better, but Marco Hoger’s night summed up Schalke’s game perfectly. He was unfortunate in conceding the penalty that led to the opening goal, but was later booked after committing several fouls throughout the game and was hauled off before he imploded.

But Schalke’s commitment is commendable

Schalke knew that their only way of getting something out of the game would be to attack Bayern and while they did start the game that way, Bayern gobbled up seventy percent of the game’s possession yesterday night.

Michel Bastos may have had a comparatively poor game out wide, but he was full of running and industry throughout the game. Tranquillo Barnetta was always looking for the first-time ball and the Schalke rearguard adopted a safety-first mechanism when it came to dealing with the Bayern attack. Christoph Metzelder may have been guilty of Bayern’s third, but he cut out several more crosses which could have seen even more goals being shipped by the Royal Blues.

Bayern are just too good in the Bundesliga this season

Should you look at the options Bayern have in defensive midfield, three names come to mind – Javi Martinez, Luis Gustavo and Anatoliy Tymoshchuk. That’s the sort of depth the Bavarians have in every position.

For players of the calibre of Arjen Robben and Mario Gomez to be rested and still continue to deliver results is very impressive, but that is exactly what Bayern have done. They have world-class internationals in every area of the pitch, something the rest of the Bundesliga doesn’t unfortunately have. Borussia Dortmund had that last season, but the lack of replacements for Shinji Kagawa and Nuri Sahin – who has now rejoined them on loan – is showing this season.

Bayern could actually win the treble this season

One would think Bayern could play in second gear for what’s left of the domestic season but Bayern, being Bayern will not let that happen as that attitude will spill over into their Champions League and German Cup games. The elusive treble of the UEFA Champions League, German Bundesliga and Deutscher Pokal has long eluded Germany’s most successful club.

But with the squad they currently have and with Jupp Heynckes leaving in the summer, nothing will compare to winning that treble and writing his name in Bayern’s history books when it comes to leaving on a high note.