After a season without a trophy last time out, Bayern are back on their Bundesliga perch.
Albeit in the “sofameister” fashion, Bayern Munich clinched the Bundesliga title this past weekend, their 34th German title, after Bayer Leverkusen drew 2-2 at SC Freiburg following Bayern’s spirited fightback at RB Leipzig that finished 3-3. Had Leipzig not scored their last second equalizer, Bayern would have clinched the title with their own doing at the RedBull Arena, but their fate was left in the hands of Leverkusen, who effectively handed the Meisterschale back to the German Rekordmeister
Despite getting knocked out of both the UEFA Champions League and DFB-Pokal again this season, getting the Bundesliga title back under Vincent Kompany was a step in the right direction after going without silverware for the first time in over a decade under Thomas Tuchel. When the Belgian was appointed manager, there were headlines circulating that dubbed this a rebuilding season for Bayern with question marks looming large as far as Kompany’s readiness for the job, but he’s now led them back to where they belong on their perch of German football.
Commenting on clinching the title, sporting director Christoph Freund explained that winning the Bundesliga was always the most important goal for Bayern this season. Of course, the club is always expected to win matches and push across all fronts, but the Bundesliga is their bread and butter.
“Our most important goal this season was to bring the Bundesliga trophy back to Munich. The joy was immense, and the boys earned and worked hard for it as a team throughout the entire season,” Freund explained to az’s Maximilian Koch and t-online’s Julian Buhl (via @iMiaSanMia).
There’s also added significance to this title for Bayern. For starters, the infamous trolls of social media and the internet can finally stop with the sentiment that Harry Kane has yet ti win a trophy in his playing career. Memes depicting the aforementioned circumstance have plagued Kane’s career, but they won’t any longer, and there are also other players in the squad who have now won their first title.
“A title is always something special, and for some players, like Harry Kane, Eric Dier, and Michael Olise, it was their first,” Freund added.
For now, Bayern can celebrate being back where they belong and build on it going into this summer’s FIFA Club World Cup in the United States and the start of next season after what promises to be a busy summer transfer window for the club.
