Universal Class Sets Bayern Munich Apart from Champions League Pack

Bayern Munich battered Arsenal 5-1 at the Allianz Arena on Wednesday in their Champions League Group F match, keeping pace with Olympiakos on nine points as they opened a six-point lead over Arsene Wenger’s men and Dinamo Zagreb.

It took just 10 minutes for the hosts to take the lead, and the result was decided before half-time as the Bavarians raced into a 3-0 lead.

Wednesday’s match was played in a sharp contrast to the contestants’ encounter at the Emirates two weeks ago, which Arsenal won 2-0.

In that game, the Gunners were the more clinical side in a match in which they defended brilliantly. But in Munich, Bayern were on top from the very beginning. They dominated the match from start until it didn’t matter anymore, asserting their dominance in every area.

A look at the scoreline reveals much about Bayern’s performance, and the team they now have. Robert Lewandowski scored the opener, and Thomas Muller grabbed the second before David Alaba added a third. Arjen Robben made it 4-0 a few seconds after coming on in the second half before Muller put the icing on the cake with a late, late fifth.

Often when teams win by a 5-1 margin, it means a hat-trick or more for one player or maybe multiple goals from a couple star players who carry their teammates. We think of Real Madrid and Barcelona, and immediately, Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi come to mind as figureheads of their respective clubs.

With Bayern, it’s different. A few years ago, they had Robben and Franck Ribery, but in the last few years, their performance hasn’t been so dependent on any one, two or even three stars.

It began towards the end of Jupp Heynckes’ tenure, as Muller became unignorably brilliant, not just a side act. It continued as Mario Mandzukic stepped up to open the scoring in the 2013 Champions League final, as many of his teammates struggled to find their way.

Kerstin Joensson/Associated Press

The development of Bayern from “Ribery and Robben’s team” to one of universal class continued in Pep Guardiola’s tenure, and in recent weeks has jumped to the next level.

That the trainer would feel confident enough in starting 19-year-old Kingsley Coman, with Robben on the bench would, at first, seem crazy. Yet the Frenchman had been brilliant in the weeks prior, and he was absolutely on his level against Arsenal. He integrated just fine and provided a high level of play on the wing. And when the time came, Robben was introduced and had his own effect on the game.

With all things considered, Arsenal did a decent job of keeping Lewandowski, Bayern’s top scorer this season, quiet. The Poland international did, of course, manage to score, but his opener was a rare opportunity on goal, and one would have expected more from him given the final score.

However, it’s the fact Bayern have class in all positions that made the difference between the 5-1 win and a much closer match, with Lewandowski’s opener perhaps being the only goal in a match that could have been lost.

Bayern had too many weapons. Muller scored a typically opportunistic goal as he was first to a loose ball, and Alaba ventured from his left-back position to one right of center and near the edge of the box before he fired home Bayern’s third from distance.

When even the full-back scores wonder goals, you know your team is universally brilliant. When, arguably, your biggest star (Robben) can be benched and your team can still play well—with the superstar finding the net as a substitute—that’s even more true. And this isn't taking into account the masterclass Thiago Alcantara provided in midfield.

Barcelona and Real have diversified their superstar staff recently. The latter have “BBC” (Karim Benzema, Gareth Bale and Cristiano Ronaldo), the former have “MSN” (Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez and Neymar). But even so, Messi and Ronaldo stand out.

Much like Zlatan Ibrahimovic at Paris Saint-Germain, despite being flanked by superstars in Angel Di Maria and Edinson Cavani. The egos, the endorsements, the public personas; they play a role.

At Bayern, there isn’t the same kind of culture. Not now, at least, and it’s made the team unpredictable and brutal. The proof is in the scalps they’ve taken as of late: On Wednesday, Arsenal joined Wolfsburg and Borussia Dortmund among the clubs Bayern have hammered 5-1 in recent weeks.

If one were to make an acronym for Bayern's key players, it wouldn't be something short and flashy like “BBC.” Actually, it would be closer to 11 characters, perhaps more. And that's what sets Bayern ahead of the other Champions League contenders.

You know it's coming, but you never know just how they're going to hit you.

@Mr_Bundesliga