3 Big Bayern Munich Talking Points After Der Klassiker

On Saturday, Borussia Dortmund welcomed Bayern Munich to the steep slopes of the Westfalenstadion for what was to be the first Der Klassiker clash of 2015. 

Although both teams seem to be leagues apart—something that could have quite literally been the case if Dortmund continued their pre-winter form—the clash was highly anticipated and, in turn, keenly contested before Pep Guardiola's side slowly exerted their dominance on the game. 

Here are the top three talking points between every Bayern fan following the 1-0 win over Dortmund. 

This Match Didn't Matter

Martin Meissner/Associated Press

Let us first address the elephant in the room: Come win, draw or defeat, Saturday's game could have had little effect or consequence on how Bayern finished their Bundesliga campaign. 

Although a win over Dortmund will always be a highlight for a Bayern season-ticket holder, very few would have taken too much delight in their victory over Saturday's battered and bruised opposition. 

Klopp's team may one day return as worthy contenders to Bayern's dominance, but right now, they're all but insignificant in Guardiola's campaign. 

The Strength in Depth Works

Martin Meissner/Associated Press

Aside from picking up all three points, Guardiola would have been most pleased with the manner in which his second-string side were able to match a relatively full-strength Dortmund team man for man. 

Bayern were missing Holger Badstuber, David Alaba, Franck Ribery and Arjen Robben—to name but a few—and so in came the likes of Dante, Mehdi Benatia and Juan Bernat with perfect effectiveness. 

The Bavarian giants have always had a distinctive advantage when it comes to squad sizes in Germany, but few would have expected the Bayern bench to look so composed against a strong Dortmund side. 

Treble Win Still on the Cards

Martin Meissner/Associated Press

Although this game in isolation will have had little effect on Bayern's coming Bundesliga title victory, it was a worthy barometer for which to gauge whether Guardiola's team have gotten tighter against the best in German football. 

The current German champions have looked at odds with one another when faced against fearless opposition—Wolfsburg and Borussia Monchengladbach to name but a few—but looked like a far more composed and professional team on Saturday. 

The Champions League may be another kettle of fish, but the DFB Pokal Cup and Bundesliga title look as good as done while Bayern are still competing.