Bayern well-equipped to end 3-year La Liga stranglehold on UCL
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Since last winning the Champions League, Bayern Munich have fallen at the semi-final stage three times in succession, but with a new manager at the helm things could be different in 2016/17.
Pep Guardiola has moved on to pastures new and Carlo Ancelotti has filled the vacated FC Hollywood hot seat.
But why can the Italian succeed where the Spaniard failed and deliver on odds of 7/2 that Bayern are re-anointed as European champions?
There are a few reasons which seem to favour Bayern’s chances of preventing the pattern of La Liga dominance that has seen a Barcelona triumph sandwiched between titles 10 and 11 for Real Madrid.
Here are three of the most persuasive.
Bayern Munich’s imperious start to the season
Ancelotti’s men might have been outdone by a couple of goals in terms of Champions League matchday one results, but their 5-0 trouncing of Rostov was merely an extension of an incredible start to the season.
In five games under their new manager, the reigning Bundesliga champs have scored 20 times and conceded none.
The 2-0 wins over Borussia Dortmund and Schalke show that the calibre of opposition hasn’t seemed to matter too much. Barcelona, for instance, have already been beaten at home in the league by Alaves.
Ancelotti is the man in Europe
As we’ve already mentioned on these pages, Ancelotti’s record-breaking achievement in Europe after the Rostov win, marks him out as arguably the finest head coach on the planet in club football.
He has compiled three Champions League titles with two different clubs (AC Milan twice), and made light work of addressing Real Madrid’s long-running drought, by delivering La Decima in just his second season at the Bernabeu.
The 57-year-old’s brief will be no different at the Allianz Arena, and he seems immune to pressure.
A freshened up squad without scars
The phrase ‘a change is as good as rest’ springs to mind. Having banged their heads against Spanish semi-final opponents in the past three editions, it was beginning to give Guardiola the same stigma that afflicted Jose Mourinho at Chelsea.
The clean slate that Ancelotti offers will be a psychological boost to the Bayern dressing room. This is also an FCB changing facility containing a fantastic blend of talented youngsters and experienced heads.
With more unfamiliar names such as Juan Bernat and Joshua Kimmich (2) on the scoresheet against Rostov, there is a new generation coming through, not to mention Renato Sanches warming the bench.
All Odds and Markets are correct as of the date of publishing.
