Bayern Munich have played barely five competitive matches this season, but they already look to be on a rampage.
The Bavarians have yet to even concede a goal as they dismissed Werder Bremen and Schalke in the Bundesliga and FC Rostov in the Champions League. These teams were never going to be Bayern’s biggest threats this season, but the excellent results have already infused Carlo Ancelotti with some confidence.
Die Roten supporters know that Bayern need to win the Champions League to fulfil their great expectations, something Pep Guardiola could never achieve, so false promises about the famous trophy could be a quick way to become disliked in Bavaria.
Ancelotti, as always, does not seem phased by this as he discussed the prospect of winning the trophy after Bayern’s 5-0 dismantling of Rostov. The Russian Premier League side was never going to be a threat to Ancelotti’s team, especially at the Allianz Arena, but the scoreline triggered the obvious question from pundits: Can Bayern win the Champions League?
Ancelotti tried to temper the prospect but could not hide his own confidence.
“Our team will be competitive this season, for the moment everything is fine, but the first objective is to win the group,” he said.
“Win the Champions League? Sure, it is possible.”
The Italian knows that he must win the Champions League if he hopes to be remembered at Bayern, but looking at how he has started the season, the likelihood of this seems much greater than “possible”.
Ancelotti has his players firing on all cylinders and even Franck Ribery who spent a lot of the Guardiola era injured has played a significant role in the opening months for the team. Every players seems to be reinvigorated but the most incredible recent change that Bayern fans will love is the rise of Joshua Kimmich.
It may be too early to tell but Kimmich has been one of Bayern’s most important players this season. The 21-year-old was probably not expecting to be a first team player at a club like Bayern, but his excellent performances recently has confirmed his status as a must-start in the midfield.
Kimmich has not only been helping Arturo Vidal dominate the midfield, but he is scoring a great amount of goals already. After a goal against Schalke and a double against Rostov, it is clear that Ancelotti, or at least the presence of Ancelotti, has brought out something in Kimmich that was not there in the Guardiola years.
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The young German is showing great levels of skill and maturity that will only get better even after Ancelotti is gone. Perhaps it is too complimentary to credit his recent form to Ancelotti, but looking at the rise in standards from the rest of the team, it would be a wise conclusion to make.
It seems as though everyone at Bayern is brimming with confidence and this can be clearly attributed to one of the biggest changes made by Ancelotti: ‘FC Hollywood’ is finally gone.
‘FC Hollywood’ is Bayern’s unofficial nickname that resurfaces every time there is drama among the egos at the club.
With Guardiola, FC Hollywood made an ugly return with the politics of Mario Gotze and his role at the club and various contract disputes. Many ex-players commented negatively and positively on Guardiola and this debate only served to create an unpleasant atmosphere at Allianz Arena, especially after getting knocked out of the Champions League three times.
With the exit of Guardiola, this toxic climate has suddenly been lifted. Gotze has finally been cut loose and the majority of the team has been tied down the long-term contracts. This is the change that has managed to fill Bayern and their manager with confidence – there are no more media scandals about Gotze or contracts and the players can focus on the football.
It is a change that few will notice but one that could be the catalyst to have Bayern make their long-awaited return to the Champions League final.
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