Bayern Munich is now the favorite to win the Champions League

When Bayern Munich last won the Champions League, the focus and strength of that European side was its dynamic wing play. No, Robert Lewandowski wasn’t scoring goals to save Bayern’s blushes, largely because the Polish striker was still smashing goals for Borussia Dortmund under Jurgen Klopp.

In fact, Lewandowski started against Bayern in that 2013 Champions League final, and who was his opponent? Yes, Mario Mandzukic is not the name that immediately comes to mind when thinking of Bayern’s last Champions League title winner, but the often-overlooked Croatian center forward serves as a reminder that the defining strength of Bayern Munich’s greatest side – the only German team to ever complete the European treble – was its wing play with Arjen Robben and Franck Ribery utterly annihilating opponents.

[ FC Yahoo: Twitter | Facebook | Tumblr | Blog ]

Is “annihilating” the correct word? Well, Exhibit A would be undressing Lionel Messi, Alexis Sanchez and Barcelona 4-0 at the Allianz Arena in the semifinals en route to a 7-0 aggregate victory over the Catalans, after blanking Antonio Conte’s Juventus 4-0 on aggregate in the quarterfinals. Of course, the primary parallel to draw between the greatest Bayern Munich side of all time and the current version is that Jupp Heynckes’s team also beat Arsenal in the round of 16 by a score of 5-1. Only, Heynckes’s men managed that score line over two legs.

The current Bayern Munich has the quality, strength and depth to match the 2013 champions.
Bayern leads the Gunners 5-1 with 90 minutes of the round of 16 yet to be played. Anyone picking them to overturn the four-goal deficit in London should immediately consider getting a mental evaluation. And Arsene Wenger and his staff should seek counseling, or at least an acting coach, to try and convince their players that they still have a chance to advance.

With Carlo Ancelotti on the touchline and a mature squad on the pitch, Bayern Munich is once again the biggest factor in Europe and makes a strong argument to win a treble. As a manager, Ancelotti has claimed as many Champions League trophies as he has claimed domestic league titles (both three), and his reputation as a Champions League specialist is entirely earned and duly deserved. Notably, the 57-year-old Italian with exquisite eyebrows also twice won the European Cup as a player.

Following three straight Bundesliga titles and three consecutive Champions League semifinal exits under Pep Guardiola, anything short of European glory would amount to a failed season for Ancelotti. In the domestic cup, Bayern hosts Schalke in the DFB-Pokal quarterfinals. In the domestic league, Bayern is currently five points clear of controversial upstarts RB Leipzig, thanks to a late, late Lewandowski goal over Hertha Berlin last Saturday.

While the conversation after the latest Bayern late show centered on the fact that the leveler came in the 96th minute when only five minutes of injury time had been decreed, the main takeaway should have been Ancelotti’s willingness to rotate and manage his squad.

Veteran midfielder Xabi Alonso did not start last Saturday, as Joshua Kimmich earned the nod. Lewandowski, who notched his 16th goal in 21 Bundesliga appearances against Hertha, came on as a substitute for the final half hour. In his stead, Ancelotti started misfiring striker Thomas Muller, who scored his third Champions League goal of the season last week. Though the 27-year-old Muller only has one Bundesliga goal in 18 appearances, leaving the 2014 World Cup winner out of the first 11 against Arsenal remained a bold decision for Ancelotti.

Moreover, the Italian prefers Thiago Alcantara playing ahead of Alonso and Arturo Vidal as the most forward-thinking central midfielder. Zooming out for a moment, that three-man midfield is as versatile, dynamic and skilled as any in Europe.

When Muller started in Berlin on Saturday, the German side managed to control the majority of the match due to the dynamic wing play of Robben and Douglas Costa. At 33, Robben is still a world-class winger. Both Costa and Robben demonstrate pace, skill and directness that sets off flashbacks to 2013. Though Bayern’s midfield deserves its share of the pie, the wingers run at defenders and put pressure on defenses when Bayern is performing at its best.

Add Lewandowski to complete that front six, and one cannot help but drool over Bayern’s chances to win the Champions League over any team in Europe. Seemingly every year, the 28-year-old is arguably the best pure striker in Europe, and the pragmatic approach under Ancelotti and the supreme wing play only leads to more chances for the Polish striker.

Bayern may not end and start cycles, exactly, due to their consistent strength, but the end of the season will mark the end of the Philipp Lahm era at Bayern (and, to a far lesser extent, the end of the Alonso era at the club). For Lahm, the Germany captain who hung up his international boots after the 2014 World Cup title, winning the 2017 Champions League final would be the fitting end. The perfect ending for the Bayern captain, of course, would be a treble.

Lahm, at right back, and left back David Alaba both started the 2013 Champions League final and remain in the same positions in 2017, along with Robben on the right wing and goalkeeper Manuel Neuer. Javi Martinez started the 2013 final as a midfielder, but Guardiola converted his compatriot from a defensive midfielder into a central defender, as the Spanish tactician is known to do from time to time. Adding World Cup winner Mats Hummels to the heart of the defense over the summer likely did not hurt Bayern’s chances in Europe, either.

With Lewandowski leading the line and the likes of Kingsley Coman, Renato Sanches, Kimmich and Muller available off the bench, Bayern Munich undoubtedly has the talent and depth to be kings of Europe again. Also, the impeding comebacks of veterans Jerome Boateng and Ribery further illustrate Bayern’s wealth of talent available for the business end of the European campaign.

Bayern Munich possesses all the ingredients required to win in Europe. But even the finest cuts of meat don’t guarantee the best cooked steaks. That’s why Ancelotti – with his recipe for continental success – is so crucial. And just like the start of his tenure at Real Madrid, where he succeeded Jose Mourinho after three straight semifinal exits, Ancelotti finds himself in position to achieve European glory in his first Bayern season after Guardiola’s three consecutive semifinal failures.

In terms of talent, experience and depth on the pitch and the manager on the touchline, Bayern Munich is now the favorite to win the 2017 Champions League.

Shahan Ahmed is a soccer columnist for Yahoo! Sports. Follow Shahan on Twitter: @ShahanLA