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Bayern or bust

Bayern Munich's midfielder Bastian Schwe

Bayern Munich’s midfielder Bastian Schweinsteiger (C) celebrates after scoring the winning penalty during the penalty shoot out at the end of the UEFA Champions League second leg semi-final football match Real Madrid against Bayern Munich at the Santiago Bernabeu stadium in Madrid on April 25, 2012. AFP PHOTO / CHRISTOF STACHE (Photo credit should read CHRISTOF STACHE/AFP/GettyImages)

AFP/Getty Images

Bayern Munich, you either love them or hate them and it’s because of their record.

German champions 22 times, German Cup champions 15 times, German League Cup champions 6 times and German Super Cup champions 5 times...all German football records.

Then there is the European record that has seen them crowned champions of the continent four times aligned with a victory each in the now defunct and sorely missed Cup Winners Cup and UEFA Cup.

Like I said, love them or hate them!

This season has seen them completely anhilate the opposition in the Bundesliga. With eight rounds left, Bayern can take back their championship from Borussia Dortmund with just three more victories. It has been an impressive campaign especially so when considering the disappointment of last season where they failed to contest in the league and then sensationally to Chelsea lost in the UEFA Champions League Final on their own turf at the Allianz Arena.

What is truly amazing though is that they’ve achieved this despite knowing that their manager, their motivator, Juup Heynckes is leaving them at the end of the season. The January announcement that ‘Osram’ would be leaving Munich to be replaced by Pep Guardiola caught the entire footballing world off guard, but, it has in a strange way given the players a reason to send the old guy out on a high.

The board of Bayern could be considered evil in their genius.

Make Heynckes a lame duck = player relax. Have Guardiola lurking over = make players perform. Champions League Final at Wembley = the ultimate carrot.

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