Bayern munich and PSG’s bittersweet celebrations
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Bayern Munich and Paris Saint Germain have clinched their respective national titles, Ligue 1 and Bundesliga on Saturday.
Bayern won their historic 10th consecutive national league, thrashing historic rivals Borussia Dortmund 3-1 at the Allianz Arena.
Serge Gnabry, Robert Lewandowski, and Jamal Musiala earned Bayern the victory and a 12 points advantage over Dortmund with only three more games to play.
It’s the second seasonal title for coach Julian Nagelsman, who also secured the German Super Cup against Borussia Dortmund, with the same result, at Signal Iduna Park.
Paris Saint Germain came out of the Parc des Princes with a 1-1 draw against Lens, which, however, with a 16 points gap with Marseille and five games left, earned them the title.
It’s the tenth Ligue 1 for PSG and the first league title for coach Mauricio Pochettino, who replaced Thomas Tuchel in January 2021.
Despite the vast wave of celebrations that followed the two matches, a silent shade of disappointment loomed on both the Allianz Arena and the Parc des Princes.
The classic elephant in the room.
Winning a national league is always a huge award, that’s for sure. It represents a prize for constancy and determination throughout the entire season.
However, it is fair to say that winning the Ligue 1 and the Bundesliga for PSG and Bayern Munich hasn’t represented a source of clamor and surprise in the last few years.
Bayern Munich celebrates with the Bundesliga trophy in 2019. Photo: Reuters
Both the leagues have a limited number of teams that can reasonably compete for the final victory.
Exceptions, as last year’s Lille triumph in the Ligue 1, are always around the corner.
However, while looking at the last ten years’ history of the two competitions, the dominance of PSG and Bayern Munich is evident.
Paris didn’t raise the trophy only on two occasions, the already mentioned 2020-2021 season and the 2016-2017, when Monaco eventually triumphed.
Paris Saint Germain then-captain Thiago Silva lifts Ligue 1 title in 2019. Photo: Express Tribune
In Germany, Bayern’s supremacy has been uncontested, and nothing suggests that things are going to change in the next few years.
So, what made the two team’s celebrations so bittersweet?
Certainly, the most recent Champions League’s results.
Nowadays, it is evident that to consider yourself an élite team, winning in your own country is not enough.
Borders have to be crossed, Europe has to be conquered, and the Champions League’s placement usually represents the most explicit indicator of a successful, or an unsuccessful, season.
Paris Saint Germain’s season was definitely built around the final victory of the Champions League.
The majestic summer transfer window, which brought under the Tour Eiffel illustrious names, Leo Messi above all, made everyone think that a placement in the Europe’s fab-four would have been the “minimum wage” for the team.
Leo Messi’s petrified expression following Real Madrid win over PSG. Photo: Juan Medina/Reuters
The reality is that PSG campaign was already interrupted in the round of 16 clash against Real Madrid.
Things didn’t go better for Bayern Munich. They made it to the Quarter-finals; however, the elimination from Villareal, a team, on paper, much smaller and less used to such prominent stages, was a definite delusion and a clear step back from the initial expectations.
Arnaut Danjuma’s goal that gave Villareal a 1-0 win over Bayern in the Champions League Quarter Final’s first leg. Photo: AFP.
What now for the two teams?
Surely another trophy to admire in their already rich showcases.
However, most importantly, reflection and good resolutions will have to be made in order to expand the borders of their successes even beyond their own countries.