Is this, Bayern Munich, Europe's best team? (Photo: ZumaPress)
It has transformed into what is, on form, the most lop-sided tie in the UEFA Champions League’s Round of 16.
Since the last time we saw Bayern Munich and Fiorentina play, each sides fortunes have taken turns, turns sending the clubs in opposing directions.
Let’s start with the bad news.
La Viola have always been too inconsistent to challenge near the top of this season’s Serie A, but while they have established a modicum of consistency since the calendar turned, it’s been bad consistency. They sit eleventh in Italy, exactly half-way (points-wise) between Europe and relegation. Their latest effort at Sampdoria, a good-not-great side, saw an ineffectual ninety minutes lead to a 2-0 loss.
Early in that match, Fiorentina lost Alessandro Gamberini, their best defender who had already been struggling with injury problems. Now, Gamberini is out for months, compounding the absence of Adrian Mutu, suspended after failing a drug test.
Fiorentina comes into this match not having scored in league in 307 minutes. They’ve lost three in a row and are winless in five. Again, consistent.
Bayern Munchen has been even more reliable, but thankfully for those around the Allianz, the site of today’s match, it has been the good type of consistency.
Munich has not lost any match since November 3, when Bordeaux won 2-0 at the Allainz. Since then, Louis van Gaal has led his team to a fourteen match unbeaten streak, included outright wins in twelve in a row.
Their fall struggles that saw them in the middle of the Bundesliga have given way to a share of the league’s lead with Bayer Leverkusen.
Between results and talent, the argument can be made: München is currently Europe’s best team.
That puts them up against a Fiorentina side that could be argued as the worst team remaining in Champions League. Are we being set-up for another Bayern Munich, Round of 16 walk-over? Like last year’s record-breaking tie with Sporting Lisbon, when Bayern went through on 12-1 aggregate after the Little League officials stepped-in to enforce the mercy rule?
Of course, Munchen was eliminated in the next round by Barcelona, 5-1.
This year’s Munchen side has made a number of chances. Gone are Luca Toni and Lucio. Miroslav Klose has a reduced role, and injuries have relegated Franck Ribery to the same.
In are Ivica Olic and Mario Gomez. Thomas Muller has matured into a more prominent role. Arjen Robben has become the key to the team.
It took Louis Van Gaal being pushed to the bring of his job – the loss to Bordeaux – to settle on this group. Before, he had instilled a rotation that, while trying to integrate his new players, upset the team’s holdovers.
The loss to the French champions gave him license to switch to the new, successful players. As a result, this tie is likely to be more Sporting Lisbon than Barcelona.
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