Bayern Munich Hammer Cologne: Is Pep Guardiola Becoming Bored in the Bundesliga?

Bayern Munich hammer another lesser Bundesliga opponent. Also in today's headlines: Grass is green, and water is wet.

That the Bavarians beat Cologne 4-0 on Saturday is of no surprise to any football fan, and more of an expectation than anything else.

Pep Guardiola has coached his side to a record 10 consecutive wins to start the current campaign, and his winning rate in two-plus years is 82 percent.

Bayern shattered several records in his first season, and even just about every possible stroke of bad luck with injuries couldn't slow them down as they walked to the title with one of the Bundesliga's best-ever points tallies.

To face Cologne, Guardiola threw on five forwards in Robert Lewandowski, Thomas Muller, Arjen Robben, Kingsley Coman and Douglas Costa, and Bayern had the game won by half-time. His tactical selection was the equivalent of turning on a video game with the computer on "beginner" mode, selecting the most forward-minded lineup possible and running up the score.

It can be fun scoring at will and seeing who can get hat-tricks, but eventually, a gamer gets bored and cranks up the difficulty setting. Bayern, of course, are unable to make their opponents better short of changing the rules or intentionally benching star players. They've reached their ceiling, as a German club that competes in the top level of German domestic football.

Guardiola, on the other hand, does have the ability to determine the level of his competition. As a coach, he can move from one league to another. And as time goes by, one has to wonder whether he's getting bored in Germany.

This question becomes extremely relevant when considering the state of Guardiola's contract in Munich. In early 2013, he committed to three years at the club. And despite his team's success and continuous, unwavering support from president Karl-Heinz Rummenigge and other club officials, it remains up in the air as to whether Guardiola will remain Bayern coach after the end of the current season.

Rummenigge last week said, via Sky Sports, he was "optimistic" that Guardiola would extend his contract. A month prior, as reported by DPA (h/t the Mirror) he had used the same word when discussing the subject. Tracing back further still, in May, he told Suddeutsche Zeitung (h/t Sky) that he intended to speak with the coach about an extension.

Months later, there still is no clarity. And last week, for the first time, Bayern were linked with another coach, as SportBild (in German) claimed the Bavarians had made first contact with Carlo Ancelotti to be their trainer in the event that Guardiola opted not to extend his stay.

Although Guardiola himself has not commented on whether he's bored, the fact that he still hasn't made up his mind makes one wonder what can be done to convince him to stick around. And his lineup on Saturday was almost the coaching equivalent of saying "whatever" and throwing one's hands in the air.

For his part, Ancelotti expressed his disinterest in Bayern games. The Champions League winner told La Gazzetta dello Sport (h/t Football Italia): "Bayern Munich will win the Bundesliga with their hands still in their pockets. I must admit I don’t enjoy Bayern's games, as there's so little competition."

In his most recent comments, Rummenigge vowed to settle Guardiola's contract situation before the winter break. He also added that "there are most likely other good-looking brides out there other than Bayern."

In the coming weeks, we'll see whether Guardiola still sees Bayern as an attractive bride, or whether that image has become worn and dull over the years.

@Mr_Bundesliga