FC Bayern Munich: Why Bayern Will Soon Dominate Europe

A "black eye."

That is how FC Bayern Munich manager Jupp Heynckes described his side’s home defeat at the hands of Arsenal in the Champions League on March 13.

The defeat may have been annoying, inconvenient and temporarily rather unsightly, but in the long-term it is irrelevant for an institution on the brink of greatness.

Over the past decade, England and Spain have been jostling for the label of Europe’s most attractive footballing destination. The continent’s hierarchy has long been ruled by the bright lights of the Premier League and the glamour of Real Madrid and FC Barcelona. 

But ready or not, the sharp end of Europe’s favorite sport is about to change. 

In hiring Pep Guardiola, with a contract starting this summer, Bayern Munich have appointed a leader and a winner.

Guardiola’s footballing philosophy, which combines a high-intensity pressing game with the beautiful intricacy of tiki-taka, will suit a Bayern Munich squad already simmering with ability. 

Current manager Jupp Heynckes deserves enormous credit for laying the foundations, but Guardiola’s introduction will add another dimension to the club’s progression.

With Toni Kroos and Thomas Mueller, Bayern have two of the most effective attacking players in Germany. And Bastian Schweinsteiger and Javi Martinez provide a combative shield in front of a water-tight defence. 

This future seesaw between Bavarian efficiency and fresh Catalonian flair will keep Dortmund at bay in Germany, whilst lifting the Champions League.

Not once.

But again, and again. 

Bayern Munich have always enjoyed domestic dominance, having won the German title a record 22 times, compared with Borussia Dortmund’s tally of eight.

They currently sit at the top of the Bundesliga, greedily collecting points on route to an emphatic league triumph.

Bayern have traditionally had their pick of Germany’s top talent.

However, Russian cheque-books, Sir Alex Ferguson and the lure of competing in El Clasico has often seen the club miss out on sought-after targets from further afield.

Not anymore.

The hierarchy at Bayern will now be able to dangle one of the most fashionable, not to mention successful, names in football, Pep Guardiola, in front of summer transfer targets.

Suarez, Falcao, Bale and company are no longer out of reach.

Aside from Guardiola’s presence, Munich boast financial stability that will stand them in superb stead as UEFA’s financial fair play ruling dawns ever closer. FC Bayern Munich has made a profit 20 years in a row, and revenue in the 2011-12 season rose 14 percent to 332 million Euros. 

Bayern chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge stated that, ''[Guardiola] was pleased with the way we have established a financial independence."

Boisterous atmospheres, affordable ticket prices and guaranteed entertainment. German football has catapulted itself above the English Premier League as Europe’s most watchable league.

And Bayern Munich are at the sharp end of the Bundesliga’s rise to supremacy.

Bayern fans can buy a season ticket to stand for just over £105 with the most expensive season ticket seat priced at £561.

Success in European football comes in waves.

Real Madrid won the first five European Cups, Ajax won a hat trick between 1971-73 and more recently FC Barcelona won three Champions Leagues title in six years.

Whether Bayern win the Champions league this season or not, in appointing Pep Guardiola, they are strengthening from a position of power.

Munich’s loss to Arsenal on Wednesday night was an inconsequential blemish on an almost flawless season thus far. They will look forward with optimism to a last 16 clash with Juventus and a finale to a season which could easily result in their most historic of all time.

Financially robust, littered with young talent and ready to welcome football’s most sought-after name, the Bavarians are braced for unprecedented success.

FC Bayern Munich has always been recognized as the best club in Germany and, despite a mild, forgettable, black eye in March 2013, they are about to establish themselves as the most dominant force in European football.