BERLIN (AP) — Bayern Munich wrapped up the Bundesliga title without playing on Sunday, successfully bouncing back from its first trophyless season since 2012.
Bayer Leverkusen’s 2-2 draw in Freiburg ended the defending champion’s mathematical chance of still catching Bayern, which has an unassailable eight-point lead with two rounds remaining.
It’s Bayern’s record-extending 34th German title. Apart from the first in 1932, when the championship was decided by regional champions playing a knockout competition, all the others came after the Bundesliga’s formation in 1963.
Leverkusen’s triumph last year ended Bayern’s record 11-year reign, but the Bavarian powerhouse recovered this season thanks in part to new coach Vincent Kompany, England forward Harry Kane, and Leverkusen’s inability to replicate its best ever season.
Here’s a closer look at the reasons for Bayern’s revival:
This was the season when Bayern finally left the Robert Lewandowski era behind. Nearly three years after the Polish striker left for Barcelona, Bayern feels like Kane’s team. Lewandowski’s old partners Serge Gnabry and Kingsley Coman are no longer racking up the goals and assists as before, and the 35-year-old Thomas Müller is largely a bench player. Instead, Jamal Musiala has developed into a strong attacking threat with 12 Bundesliga goals in a season limited by injury. Michael Olise’s first season since signing from Crystal Palace brought 10 goals and 17 assists in the Bundesliga alone, turning him into one of Bayern’s key players. And Kane himself has scored some 24 goals.
Though far from first choice, Vincent Kompany has proven to be just what Bayern needed after Thomas Tuchel’s turbulent spell as coach. Bayern tried to get Leverkusen’s Xabi Alonso, Germany’s Julian Nagelsmann and Austria’s Ralf Rangnick to take over, then even attempted convincing Tuchel to stay after all. Kompany was a surprise pick after Burnley’s Premier League relegation — having led the team to promotion the season before — but it has proven an inspired choice. Sporting director Christoph Freund praised the Belgian’s calm manner, clear communication and focus for getting through to the players. The club has put a lid on the drama that overshadowed recent seasons. Gone are the days of player discontent, a coach hunting a mole in the locker room, a star player allegedly hitting a teammate and the club barring its own chief executive from title celebrations.
Kompany has worked his players hard and got away with it. Kane remains Bayern’s most expensive signing and has a reported salary of around 25 million euros ($28.4 million). That means Bayern has to watch its spending elsewhere and the squad has seemed a little threadbare in places. First-choice central defenders Dayot Upamecano and Kim Min-jae in particular have racked up games. South Korea’s coach and the FIFPRO players’ union voiced concerns Kim was being overloaded despite repeated Achilles tendon issues, and Upamecano and left back Alphonso Davies both picked up long-term injuries on international duty last month. Despite a thin squad and overloaded players, it was enough to get Bayern over the line for the title.
Going an entire Bundesliga season unbeaten was unprecedented. It was almost inevitable this season would see a decline. Leverkusen lost at home to Leipzig in its second Bundesliga game this season and dropped too many points for a title defense. Xabi Alonso’s team has remained difficult to beat this season, with only two losses, but 11 draws were too many. Leverkusen failed to capitalize when Bayern slipped up, losing to Werder Bremen when Bayern was surprised by Bochum in March. Draws with Union Berlin and St. Pauli in April allowed Bayern to get away with a draw at Borussia Dortmund and then grow its lead.
Ellingworth contributed from Düsseldorf.
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