Everything was set for a grand European comeback but it never materialised as Manchester City drew 1-1 with a Bayern Munich team looking to overturn a 3-0 deficit from the first leg at the Allianz Arena on Wednesday night.
Thomas Tuchel was out pacing the pitch as the fans filled up the stadium with 90 minutes to go to until kick-off. It was supposed to be a night that would go alongside the great European comebacks like Liverpool 4-0 Barcelona and Manchester United 3-1 PSG.
Once things got underway, Manchester City comfortably came through the second leg in Bavaria. Ederson did have to make a few saves and the defence was called into action on a number of occasions, but none of this seemed to trouble a team that is now in pursuit of an unprecedented treble.
As for Bayern, this is the third season in a row that their campaign ended at this stage of the competition and the Reds have been left with a lot to think about as they adjust to life under new manager Thomas Tuchel.
This isn’t about simply losing a football match, Bayern were thoroughly outplayed and outcoached by Pep Guardiola. The Catalan set up in a 3-2-5-1 formation and counter attacked, and one of these led to Kevin De Bruyne setting up Erling Haaland to score.
Haaland makes a fool of Upamecano and gives City the lead.
Watch every UEFA Champions League Game for free on the@LiveScoreIE app*. *Registered ROI users only.pic.twitter.com/NqR1Ecc3n3— Balls.ie (@ballsdotie) April 19, 2023
In the end it was a rather limp exit from Bayern, with people all over the stadium looking puzzled as they digested an occasion that never was.
This is banner from the Bayern Ultras captured the supporter sentiment perfectly:
Botschaft der Südkurve an den Vorstand des FC Bayern: „Ziele dürfen verfehlt werden – Werte des Vereins nicht! Führungspolitik hinterfragen!“ #FCBMCI #FCBayern @SPORT1 pic.twitter.com/55dq0ovk5x
— Kerry Hau (@kerry_hau) April 19, 2023
Translation: “Goals can be missed – values of the club can’t! Question management policy!"
Where does this leave Bayern?
Is this the end of Bayern as one of the traditional super powers in European football? Has one of the old aristocrats been found out by the nouveau riche?
Or maybe they’ve slotted into a unique place between the ultra-wealthy and the other teams that make up the European football ecosystem.
On one side you have the oil funded clubs of Manchester City, Newcastle United, and PSG. Then there’s the rest of the Premier League sides that regularly play in the Champions League. Their income is boosted from massive TV deals and prize money, with one of those team’s being the biggest brand name on the planet.
What about Bayern? They are the only team from the Bundesliga to feature in the top ten of the most valuable squads on the planet, as listed by Transfermarkt. This has led to ten consecutive league titles and two trebles over the last decade.
But they even admit that they need to think of ways to keep up the pace with the Premier League and the rest of Europe’s elite.
The proof is in the figures as according to Deloitte, Bayern earned roughly €254mn from broadcast rights in 2022, while Manchester City received €335mn and Real Madrid got €310mn.
Bayern have turned west as they look to source finance. Oliver Kahn, who works as the club’s chief executive, explained this strategy in an interview with the Financial Times earlier this season.
“For us it’s very important to attract new fans all over the world and grow our fan base outside Germany. The US is a very, very interesting market where we have a lot of fans and where we as Bayern Munich see a lot of growth in the future,” he said.
They hope to grow alongside nouveau riche and the Premier League teams that regularly sign players for over €80m, which is roughly the price of Bayern’s most expensive transfer. That’s Lucas Hernandez and behind him on the list is Matthijs de Ligt who came to Germany for €67m. Leroy Sane, who came to Germany for €49m, is third.
While these are astronomical unto themselves, they seem paltry when compared to what happens at the highest level of English football.
To Bayern, this is another moment to rebuild and refocus as they come to terms with a third exit in a row at the quarter final stage of the competition. Tuchel will be tasked with taking them forward, as they look to bridge the gap to Europe’s new elite
