Mitchell Gunn – USA TODAY Sports
Bayern Munich powered past Barcelona with a 4-0 victory in the first-leg of their UEFA Champions League semi-final at the Allianz Arena.
Few teams have managed to beat the side which has been considered the best the world has ever seen, but Bayern managed to go one step further by all but securing their place in the Wembley final.
Bayern is in incredible form, having now scored a massive 20 goals in their last four games. They’ve already secured the Bundesliga title in the past fortnight, and it’s even more formidable that the frighteningly easy league wins in recent weeks have included an alternative starting 11 to the considered strongest line-up.
Tonight, they looked like the complete side with their combination of power, technique and willingness throughout resulting in the perfect performance that has not only shocked the footballing world, but also likely surprised Bayern boss Jupp Heynckes, after what was such an impressive performance.
For Barcelona, it is looking very clear that they are no longer the side that they were under former coach Pep Guardiola, with the lack of intelligence from the sidelines and what appears to be an over-reliance on Lionel Messi. Their lack of pressure off the ball has been an issue this season, and Bayern did exactly what we have become accustomed to seeing with Barcelona in recent years by closing down and pressing all over the pitch in a constant attempt to win the ball back and counter.
Barcelona couldn’t handle the counter-attacking tactics that Bayern possessed and were made to pay for their lack of togetherness and apparent sense of understanding under Tito Vilanova‘s command. Of course Vilanova has been ill this season so he has missed large chunks of the campaign, but they seem to be missing the versatility and key tactical tweaks that Guardiola was so talented at implicating.
Bayern were very impressive indeed, and it mustn’t be underestimated just how strong of a performance that was. Barcelona appears to have some serious issues. For example, the second goal was from a corner where they appeared to have too few a number of men back in the box, whilst having neither post marked which is a foolish crime given how small in height the majority of their side is.
The Wembley final is within touching distance now for Bayern, and Barcelona needs a footballing miracle if they are to pull back the deficit in the second leg at the Nou Camp.
Stowe Gregory is an English featured Soccer and Sports writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him or tweet on Twitter @stowegregory. Or add to circles on Google +
You can read about his piece on ‘The appeal of Borrussia Dortmund’ here.
