In the Champions League semi-finals, Bayern Munich unfortunately lost to Real Madrid, ending their championship run for the season. This marked the first season since 2011-2012 that Bayern went without a title. In the team, Harry Kane still has not won any championship, extending his 14-year title drought. Bayern’s ‘Quadruple’ outcome this season is certainly surprising, as the stalwarts of German football are consistently strong contenders for multiple trophies each season.
At their peak, Bayern could win a double, a treble, or even five or six titles; even in off-form seasons, they could, at the very least, take solace in lifting the Bundesliga trophy, as they did last season. However, this season Bayern did indeed encounter a series of challenges, from fierce opponents to poor performances, all contributing to their defeat.
On August 13, 2023, in the German Super Cup match, Bayern lost to RB Leipzig with a score of 0-3, a game that perhaps hinted at the start of an extraordinary season. However, on November 2, in the second round of the German Cup, Bayern lost 1-2 to the third-division team Saarbrücken, showing that Bayern indeed had issues, even if the German Cup was not their primary target.
Bayern’s record remains excellent in league history, but this season, after 32 rounds of matches, they only secured 69 points, far below the average of the past 11 seasons. Nonetheless, in most instances, such a result would still ensure the Bundesliga title. This season, however, Leverkusen played outstandingly, clinching the championship early in round 29 with 79 points.
While Bayern’s Bundesliga loss is not regrettable, the season’s highlight was still the Champions League knockout stages. In the European competition, Bayern showcased their strength with ease by winning the group stage, and in the knockouts, they triumphed successively against Lazio and the in-form Arsenal, showing their dominance.
Although Bayern Munich did not win in the semi-final against Real Madrid, their performance was worthy of the team’s reputation. Their performance in the Champions League was the standard, and even a peak Bayern playing might not have made much difference. Their performance in the Bundesliga was indeed not as good as previous years, impacting the team’s results to some degree, but the loss of the championship cannot be entirely blamed on the team alone, even at their peak.
As for losses in the German Cup and Super Cup, in other years these might not attract much attention, but this year they became part of the ‘Quadruple’ result, thus appearing particularly significant. When the outside world focuses on whether Kane is the decisive factor in Bayern’s failure to win titles, we must point out that Kane’s transfer this season has not been entirely fruitless for Bayern.
Since joining Bayern, Kane has made 45 appearances, scoring 44 goals, and providing 12 assists. In the Bundesliga, he scored 36 goals, easily winning the European Golden Boot. With such personal achievements, this may be the best season of Kane’s career. Coincidentally, despite such stellar individual performance, Kane has been unable to help Bayern win any championship in his first season with the team, a streak of bad luck that is truly regrettable.
Although Bayern’s overall strength has declined this season, for such a team, defeating Leipzig in a single match or winning the Bundesliga with more than 70 points should be a matter of course. However, this season, all the conditions that could lead to a Bayern title-less season seem to have arrived unexpectedly, with “super bugs” like Alonso and Leverkusen emerging unexpectedly, making it hard to predict.
We should not scoff at Harry Kane’s choice to join Bayern simply because of a single trophy-less season. As long as Kane maintains his current level, there is still great hope for him to win championships with Bayern in the future. Speaking of the future, Kane might not have to wait until the next season to win the first championship of his career, as the upcoming European Championship this summer could see outstanding performances from both the England team and Kane himself.
