Bayern and PSG International
To begin, I have to clarify that I love Bundesliga soccer. I was raised as a VFB Stuttgart fan. I’ve attended various Bundesliga games, and I love the league. Also, I don’t have any personal experiences with Ligue 1. Therefore, I can’t say that I have any affection for the league. Nonetheless, I’ll still comment on the effect the leagues have on their respective dominant sides.
Both teams dominate their leagues
First, one must note the dominant stretches that both Bayern and PSG have had in their leagues. PSG have won five of the last six Ligue 1 titles, with the only second place finish coming in the 2016/2017 season. This came as a result of the impacts that the league has on PSG which I’ll further elaborate on later. Also, Bayern have won the last six Bundesliga titles and have won 10 of the last 14 (with Stuttgart winning once in 2007).
There’s no arguing that both PSG and Bayern are both star-studded teams with the potential to not only challenge for the Champions League but also to win the highly-competitive tournament. However, one must note their lack of genuine competitiveness in the most recent editions of the tournament.
PSG only managed to reach the round of sixteen in last year’s Champions League tournament. They’ve also never managed to pass the quarterfinals in their 48-year history. Bayern have had a little more success recently, however, last year Bayern only managed to reach the quarterfinals. They haven’t managed to reach the final since 2013, when they won against Dortmund.
Competition within the Bundesliga inspired Bayern’s past European success
Now, one may point at Bayern’s victory in 2013 to contradict my point. However, it just so happens that in 2011 and 2012 the Bundesliga was won by BVB Dortmund. Bayern had just managed to win the league over their “Der Klassiker” rivals for the first time in three years. Not only that, but Bayern faced their league rivals in the final.
Lack of competition led to PSG losing their league campaign due to lack of urgency
While I can point at their lack of success in recent memory to aid my point, one may look at the 2016-17 season for PSG to show the strength of competition in Ligue 1. PSG lost the league, some may say. However, I see the campaign as an example of my point.
In previous years, Ligue 1’s incredible lack of competition led to PSG’s complacency. In this complacency they let their Monaco counterparts snatch the French titles from underneath them. PSG had expected to win the title, they weren’t playing as if they wanted to win the title.
Bayern and PSG have grown complacent in their leagues
Bayern have underperformed for their standards in European competition, and this year the Bundesliga title seems like a much tighter race. Also, Bayern has lost various key pieces to injury. Not to mention, a lot of the squad has expressed their willingness to leave. This comes possibly as a result of the lack of success in European competition.
During the summer Lewandowski, Boateng, Alaba, and Thiago were all linked to transfers. This season, after seven matchdays, Bayern sit at sixth with 13 points, with four victories, a tie to Augsburg, and losses to Hertha Berlin and Mönchengladbach. Both PSG and Bayern have often struggled against minor opponents (not to say that Berlin or Mönchengladbach are minor opponents) in the league.
Bayern and PSG have to find motivation throughout the season in order to compete in European competitions
I can point at Bayern’s display towards the end of the 2017-18 season to show their lack of motivation after winning the Bundesliga. In the last matchday of the past season, Bayern put up a lackluster effort against VfB Stuttgart, resulting in a 4-1 thrashing at home by the newly promoted side.
If Bayern and PSG hope to compete for top international titles, such as the Champions League, they have to find a means to motivate their players throughout the season, whether that be through better competition in the national leagues (not buying the entire league’s talent) or by some other means.