A quick glance at the current Bundesliga table hints at a competitive and keenly contested league, with unfancied Union Berlin topping the table by a single point from defending champions Bayern Munich.
Similarly, just four points separate the top five in Germany, laying the platform for what could be one of the closest title races in years.
However, it cannot be overlooked that Bayern have won 10 consecutive Bundesliga titles, a feat that has never been achieved in any other ‘Big 5’ European league. But are things about to change, or is it time to restructure the top-flight in Germany?
Restructuring German Football
On November 2nd, 2019, Bayern Munich were thumped 5-1 by Eintracht Frankfurt, leaving them fourth in the Bundesliga and triggering the sacking of coach Nico Kovac the following day.
Many thought that this would signal the end of Bayern’s dominance, especially as new manager Hansi Flick lost two of his first four matches in charge and saw his side drop to a lowly seventh.
However, Flick’s aggressive and attack-oriented tactics helped to revitalise a talented Bayern squad, with Munich winning 19 of their final 20 league matches to claim an eighth consecutive title in devastating fashion. Flick even delivered the Champions League crown that season, as Bayern became only the second European club to win the continental treble twice.
At the end of the season, former Bayern midfielder Stefan Effenberg claimed that the side’s dominance was bad for the national league, while suggesting that the structure of the Bundesliga should be changed to prevent one side from winning year in, year out.
More specifically, he has suggested that a new version of the league should be created, with this iteration seeing the Bundesliga split into two groups of nine.
Subsequently, participating teams can qualify for a championship and relegation round for the second half of the season, meaning that the title is settled over a much shorter period of time.
Would This Reform Work?
Ultimately, it’s hard to escape the fact that Bayern’s dominance casts a cloud over the Bundesliga, especially in terms of incentivising competition and creating the type of drama associated with the Premier League.
Still, the Bundesliga remains the most attended top European league, with an average attendance in excess of 42,000 superior to the Premier League and La Liga.
We’ve also seen the emergence of sides like RB Leipzig and Union Berlin in recent years, who along with Borussia Dortmund, provide at least some challenge to the status quo and offer hope that Bayern’s dominance can eventually be overhauled.
Of course, if you were going to use your Stake.com betting codes and wager on this years’ Bundesliga winner, you’d still back Munich to come out on top (even though they’re currently placed in second and have struggled for consistency this season).
However, now may not quite be the right time for reform, as while the Bavarians’ dominance is far from competitive, the fundamentals of the Bundesliga continue to deliver entertaining football, shock results and incredibly high-quality young players.
