The reality of international football today points to Bayern Munich as the most solid and best-managed club in the world (in all aspects and with light), it is also a machine on the field. No doubt, the second product of the first. Because success does not only come from administration and marketing, it is about knowing football, making good technical decisions. The fundamental thing is to make good signings. Those who buy well have the sky guaranteed. For decades the club has been led by a group of notable former players. Ergo: they know what they're doing. They needed a goalscorer, they brought in Lewandowski; a midfielder? Kimmich, currently the best in Europe; a goalkeeper? Neuer. And all at moderate prices. There is very low margin of error.
- This is how the quarterfinals of the 2019-2020 Champions League will be played
Among the most notable decisions of the duo Rummenigge-Uli Hoeness is having dismissed coach Niko Kovac. The team was not performing well and they were able to reverse the situation in time. Faced with the danger of running out of fuel in the middle of the three competitions (Bundesliga, German Cup, Champions League), they dismissed him. They promoted the club's own coach, Hansi Flick (world champion as Joachim Low's assistant in Brazil 2014), and the largest transformation in the history of football was experienced. Kovac was fired after losing 5-1 to Eintracht Frankfurt. Bayern had been 7 points behind the leaders in the local tournament. Since Flick took over, they have played 33 matches, won 30, drew 1, and lost 2, scoring 104 goals (an impressive 3.15 per game) and conceding only 24. Their performance is equally impressive. They were league and cup champions in their country. "They win in Germany because they have no rivals", is often heard. However, they swept away English teams Tottenham and Chelsea. They even beat the latter, fourth in the Premier League and finalist in the English Cup, twice: 3-0 in London and 4-1 in Munich. They are the super favorites to win the Champions League, which will have a new king on August 23rd.
The first hurdle on their way to the Olympus will be the battered FC Barcelona, who managed to field eleven players and only had three youth players (Araujo, Riqui Puig, and Ansu Fati) on the bench to face Napoli on Saturday. They are the antithesis of Bayern. Their sustained policy of weakening has led to the once fantastic team being seen as David against the German Goliath. Their only hope, their only argument, is called Messi. In him, they place 100% of their possibilities. But this is a game of eleven players. Still, many things can happen in a single match. Barsa-Bayern will be on Friday.
- Europe in just four installments
Today (14:00 Ecuador time), the Atalanta-PSG match will kick off this unusual but captivating final 8 in Lisbon, in a single match and without an audience. Fortunately, the unpleasant and often unfair away goal rule will not apply. There will be seven matchdays in 12 days, one great match after another, keeping the football world in suspense. There is no higher level than this. Not even in a World Cup. Just an example: Bayern has 17 players from eight national teams, but no national team has 17 players in Bayern.
It is true that the pandemic has largely subsided in Europe (despite the outbreaks), but football can be played because the protocols are followed. South America is still struggling, with positive cases popping up all the time. Are they more serious over there...? And as long as the tournaments, especially the Libertadores, do not return here, we will continue to consume European football. Because it is played, because it is unquestionably of higher quality than ours, and because there is a Europeanization of taste, a loyalty, fans already have sympathy for certain teams from England, Spain, Germany, Italy, France. It is a global football. And it arrives luxuriously packaged, even without an audience.
Expert opinion puts Bayern above all others, due to their harmonious and overpowering performance, also due to the magical year of their Polish goalscorer Lewandowski, who has scored 53 goals; to the teutons' unwavering mentality, and to Hansi Flick...! (what we always say: a remarkable conductor is the one who makes the difference today). However, the bookmakers favor the Manchester City of Pep Guardiola, with odds of 3.30 for every euro bet. Bayern is valued at 4 and Paris Saint Germain at 6.50. A distant fourth is Barcelona, whose dividend would be 8 euros. Then comes Atletico Madrid, the executioner of Liverpool, with 9.
- Of the eight quarterfinalist teams, six clubs have never won the 'Orejona' before
Paris Saint Germain has Neymar and Mbappé. Just with that introduction, they scare. In addition, there is the desire, the almost obsession to win at the continental level, since that has been the main objective since the state of Qatar acquired the club in 2011. They have made millionaire investments, one after another, with their eyes fixed on the Champions League, and so far they have not succeeded. This could be their year. Precisely PSG will open the quarterfinals against the revelation of Italy and Europe: Atalanta, featuring Colombians Duvan Zapata and Luis Muriel, and Argentine Papu Gomez. The Italian team, although modest in terms of names, is a delight to watch. Atalanta pays 11 euros for every one bet if they win.
The club with the most passionate fans in Spain -Atletico Madrid- will bet on Thursday against a hidden threat, the German Leipzig, from the powerful energy drink company Red Bull. Finally, on Saturday, Manchester City will face the surprising Olympique Lyon, a tough and rocky team, although with more athletes than virtuosos. The Manchester side is favored, despite having one flaw: they produce a lot of football but do not capitalize on it in the same proportion.
The bookmakers say City, Bayern, PSG. We give Bayern the advantage. But first, they have to get past Messi... (O)