In the season 2019/20 Champions League campaign, German giants Bayern Munich were in a league of their own. The Bavarians were simply too good for every opponent they faced. Hansi Flick’s team started the season as one of the favourites to once again win European football’s elite competition in the current campaign. Die Bayern kicked off their title defence with a 4-0 home hammering of Atletico Madrid on Wednesday night.
Bayern outclass Atletico Madrid
Atletico Madrid started the game like they were going to press the reigning European champions and give them a tough night. We expected a dogged fighting display typical of Los Rojiblancos under Diego Simeone.
However, Bayern slowly grew into the game and started to dominate midway through the first period and went in at half-time two goals up. Atletico came out for the second half looking like a team with much more intent than they had shown in the first period. The Spanish side even saw a superb Joao Felix strike chalked off for offside by VAR.
Despite the slight improvement in the second half, Bayern finished Atletico off just beyond the hour mark. French midfielder Corentin Tolisso produced a fantastic long-range strike that gave Jan Oblak no chance in the Atletico goal. The midfielder is unlikely to ever score a better goal in his career.
Compatriot Kingsley Coman scored his brace to make it four on 72 minutes, teasing the Atletico Madrid defence before firing home. The goal was the icing on the cake for an impressive showing from the French international winger.
Atletico Madrid not the same team
In much of the last decade, Atletico Madrid have been a highly combative and horrible team to play against. They have embodied the way that head coach Simeone played during his career on the pitch. No team liked to face them and never made it easy for any opposition. They were also so difficult to break down, with a fierce defence. Although they have still been relatively solid in recent seasons, they have not been that Fort Knox of campaigns gone by.
It would have been unlikely that in their prime Atletico would have surrendered so meekly to an opposition team, even if they were the reigning European champions. This season Atletico could take advantage of uncertainty at Real Madrid and Barcelona in La Liga. However, if they are to get to the latter stages of the Champions League, the inner beast needs to be released once more. They looked more like pussy cats than lions against an admittedly top Bayern team.
Bayern once again a force to be reckoned with this season
The exit of influential Spanish midfielder Thiago and a shock 4-1 defeat against Hoffenheim had people wondering whether Bayern Munich would be the same team as last season. However, Flick’s team have now won their last five games in all competitions, remaining prolific scoring at least two goals in each of the victories. The German giants still look like a well-oiled machine and will still be a force to be reckoned with in this season’s Champions League.
Do you think that Bayern Munich will win the Champions League and want to back the reigning champions to defend their title? Well, don’t forget to check out our betting page for the bookmakers we recommend for your wager.
[geosnippet id=3620]Who can stop Bayern Munich winning the Champions League this season?
