Time to pass the baton - From Barcelona to Munich
The ball breaks for another Munich attack, and David Alaba rampages down the left to cross the ball to Muller who taps it in for his 2nd goal of the night. What we are seeing is total annihilation of the best team in the world, and probably the end of a glorious era in world football, and the inception of another lethal Bayern empire.
In the aftermath of the 4th goal, Andres Iniesta was pictured with his hands on his head, probably indicative of the Bavarian storm that had taken the Catalunians by siege during the 90 minutes at the picturesque Alliiranz Arena. Bayern, at present, are one of the most feared teams across the continent, but make no mistake – when you face the mighty Blaugrana, it is a different story altogether. You have to put your guard up against probably the most well-knit team of current times. The team in Blue and Red are masters at keeping possession and tiring the legs of the opposition via their nonchalant movement of the football. And when you have the incisiveness of Leo Messi upfront, you become a different beast altogether.
Pep’s Barcelona were never on the receiving end of such a mauling. Quite clearly, the Blaugrana got a bittersweet taste of their own medicine. Bayern were relentless since the first whistle. On a heavily watered pitch, the Bavarians adopted to relentless pressing of their opposite numbers. Barcelona, fair to say, looked clueless. Munich hunted in packs.The lack of a leader among the ranks proved costly as Bayern dismantled the Barcelona rearguard in the 90 minutes, scoring 4 past Victor Valdes, who fortunately for Vilanova, had one of his better European nights. This was in contrast to his opposite, number, Manuel Neuer, who did not have to put in much of a shift.
It is about exactly 4 years back, under the Pep Guardiola reign, that Barcelona thrashed Jurgen Klinsmann’s Bayern by the same scoreline at the Nou Camp. The men at the helm of the club – Uli Hoeness, Franz Beckenbeauer and Karl Heinz Rumniegge - wore black armbands in public for a week, to solicit for the despicable performances of the club in a season in which they lost out on the Bundesliga to an Edin Dzeko-led Wolfsburg.
Bayern’s climb to the pinnacle of club football has been shrouded with disappointment and let-downs. Though the club reclaimed the Bundesliga and the DFB Pokal in the 2009-10 season, they bottled in the Champions League against one of the most well-drilled defenses of recent memory – Mourinho’s Inter. The following campaign was a disappointment on all fronts, as Bayern lost out on the title to an emerging Dortmund, and were eliminated from the DFB Pokal by rivals Schalke, as well as being dumped out of Europe by a significantly weakened Inter side, who themselves were on the hunt to salvage their haywire campaign.
Last season was another case of so near yet so far for Die Roten in Europe. A Thomas Muller goal in the 81st minute against Chelsea looked to be enough after Mario Gomez had earlier missed a sea of chances to finish the tie. Eventually, it was Chelsea who lifted the cup after a Didier Drogba header levelled things up to take the game into extra time, and later penalties. Bayern’s traditional history of choking in crucial moments lived to tell another tale.
This season, fans have witnessed a different animal in Bayern. As the season has progressed, the Bavarians have only improved, and with the appointment of Pep Guardiola and the acquisition of German star Mario Gotze, one can only imagine the heights that this Bayern team will reach under the Spanish tactician.
As for Barcelona, the team has generally struggled in Europe this season, winning just 1 of their last 6 European encounters. After being outplayed at the hands of AC Milan at the San Siro, it took a masterclass from Messi and co to turn the tie around at the Nou Camp and progress to the quarter finals, where the Blaugrana progressed at the expense of PSG by virtue of having scored more away goals. And the fallacies of the Blaugrana were perfectly exploited by Jupp Heynckes – The lack of a physical presence cost Barcelona dearly as two of four Bayern goals came directly from a set-piece. The lack of a plan B cost the visitors dearly as they seemed to have no answer to Die Roten’s pace, power and aggression.
Tuesday night’s result has left Barcelona in utter dismay and shock. Not only does it probably mark the end of a glorious era, but it also provides some food for thought for the footballing brains at the helm of the Blaugrana. The club’s flawed transfer policy has left a sour taste within the hierarchy. Splashing cash on the likes of Fabregas, Sanchez and Alex Song (who was brought in for cover at center-back, but has failed so miserably that young Marc Bartra got the nod ahead of him) was never deemed advisable until the defensive core of the team wasn’t sorted out. The over-reliance on the jerky knees of Carles Puyol has proved to be fatal for the club. The truth is, this campaign points towards the complacent manner in which the Barcelona rearguard has been allowed to depreciate at an alarming rate, and the heavy price that the club is now paying for negligence. Plan A can only take you as far, and when there is a clear lack of a definite Plan B, you are always exposed to the wrath of your enemy.
Rossell has got a lot of thinking to do.
As Sir Alex famously pointed out, football runs in cycles. As one team’s cycle runs its course, the other is ready to gracefully accept the mantle. Barcelona’s breath-taking era, in which they achieved the impossible and did the unthinkable, is taking its last breath. The mastermind behind Barclona is now ready to mastermind Bayern. As Jupp Heynckes prepares to take his final bow, Pep waits in the wings – with his philosophy, with his systems and with a new bag of fortune. Whether it will be good or bad, only time will tell. But we can be sure of one thing – Bayern Munich are undoubtedly the most entertaining club in football right now, and will be for some time to come.