Ten seasons ago, Bayern Munich, Bayer Leverkusen and Borussia Dortmund reached the quarterfinals of the Champions League, but recent years have seen the German the league suffer a marked decrease in power and
prestige across Europe. Just have a look at this year’s Champions League: two of Germany’s three representatives are currently dead last in their group, while the third is second-to-last. None of them look likely to qualify for the knockout stages.
Nicholas Kulish of the New York Times says that any hope of a German resurgence in the near future lies with the performance of Bayern Munich this year. Bayern is Germany’s traditional power, but the club endured one of its worst seasons in recent history last season, finishing fourth and failing to qualify for the Champions League. This
season, the German giant invested heavily ($100 million) in some of the world’s best players — notably Franck Ribery of France and World Cup winner Luca Toni of Italy. As a result, the club is absolutely expected to win the Bundesliga title. And given its massive investment, the club can’t really afford not to.
Of course, the path is never so straightforward in the world of soccer. After a rousing start to the season, Bayern hit its first bumpy patch and has now tied its last three games in all competitions. On Friday, the club’s management came under considerable fire for the disappointing 2-2 draw in a UEFA Cup match at home to Bolton
Wanderers, a team that’s currently second from bottom in England’s Premier League.