Bayern's Champions League exit caps underwhelming Bundesliga showing
Bayern Munich's 3-1 defeat at the hands of Liverpool cemented the fact that the Bundesliga was going to be shut out of the Champions League quarterfinals. While there is no shame in being eliminated by Jurgen Klopp's immensely talented side, the overall poor showing from Germany's quartet marked a wholly unfulfilling season in Europe's greatest competition.
Hoffenheim had an unceremonious exit in the Group Stage, while Schalke 04 and Borussia Dortmund turned in forgettable performances in being eliminated by Manchester City and Tottenham Hotspur respectively. All of that culminated with Bayern's dismissal at the hands of Liverpool, in which not much went right for the German club.
While it is not the end of the world and none of the results were wholly unexpected, it was not a good look for a league that seems to always be fighting an inferiority complex compared the English and Spanish offerings.
Not quite ready for prime time
Schalke has been nothing short of a dumpster fire started on the Hindenburg that eventually crashed into the Titanic right before Leo DiCaprio broke out his easel. The fact that Schalke even advanced to the knockout stage was a surprise to most everyone that has watch how awful Domenico Tedesco's unit has been domestically this season. Similarly, Hoffenheim's early exit was not a surprise, though TSG1899's primary issues have to do with a lack of depth and consistent scoring punch more than any other major issues. Julian Nagelsmann's squad just wasn't quite Champions League-ready despite its placement in the league last season.
Most people could make a strong argument that Eintracht Frankfurt, Borussia Monchengladbach, RB Leipzig, and Bayer Leverkusen were all better equipped for Champions League play than either Hoffenheim or Schalke, but given how some of those teams have struggled (or already been eliminated) from the Europa League, it is hard to even make such an argument very formidable. Granted, M'Gladbach did not qualify for European play at all and has had an emergence this season, but even Die Fohlen has even struggled of late. (*Sigh*)
A bad time to let down
Dortmund's Champions League collapse came at the hands of Tottenham Hotspur. For as dangerous, confident, and skilled as BVB looked in the Hinrunde, Dortmund has been surprisingly meek and uneven over the past two months.
Lucien Favre's men should feel unfulfilled with the Champions League appearance, but Dortmund has been very shaky despite its recent win over VfB Stuttgart. Already eliminated from the Champions League and DFB-Pokal, the Black and Yellows will have to put their full focus on the Bundesliga. The talent is there, but can Dortmund rediscover that swagger that carried it so strongly in the first half of the season?
A heavyweight knockout
Bayern's eviction from the Champions League could be seen coming given how much of a nightmare the match-up against Liverpool looked on paper. Simply put, Bayern was not as good as Liverpool. When you factor in that Thomas Muller (red card suspension) and Joshua Kimmich (yellow card accumulation) were not available, it is amazing that Bayern kept the aggregate score to 3-1.
For as much as people want to urinate all over Muller's grave, the man is an absolute glue piece to the Bayern offense and a catalyst that powers Robert Lewandowski. As for Kimmich, he is one of the best right backs in the world. His absence left a gaping hole on both offense and defense that even an experience and game veteran like Rafinha was unable to fill.
Get your pitchfork ready
Is the Bundesliga better than it showed during the Champions League? Sure. Does anyone other than a Bundesliga fan believe that? Probably not. Most are eager to point out how "Bayern-liga" is a one-sided, forgone conclusion each year and while that argument may hold some water when looking at results, it is naive when looking at the talent being cultivated in the league.
If Jadon Sancho was from Canada and not England, he'd likely be regarded as an "overrated prospect toiling away in a farmer's league" by the football bourgeois residing in England and Spain. Such is life for a Bundesliga fan.
There is no point in arguing or debating merits at this stage, but the German teams do need to be better. They need stronger results and they need to bring down as many English and Spanish teams as possible along the way.
Otherwise, we all might as well just invest in flannel, overalls, and a nice straw hat to wear on our tractors in 2020.
