Utter dominance

The best way to appreciate what Bayern Munich are up to these days is to do a little math.

After seven rounds, and a walk-in-the-park 3-0 win over pretenders Leverkusen on Saturday, Bayern have 18 points and a goal difference of plus-20, on 21 goals scored to one conceded. Multiply those numbers by five to get an approximate equivalent of a whole season, and you get: 90 points, a goal difference of plus-100, on 105 goals scored and five conceded.

Impressed yet? Consider the Bundesliga records in these categories: 78 points, plus-64 goal difference, 101 goals scored, and 21 goals conceded - all of which are held by Bayern. So the 2011-12 version of the squad is threatening to leave not only the rest of the league in its dust, but all previous Bayern teams as well.

And should that not be enough for you, ponder the following. If not for what was virtually an own goal on match day one, Bayern would have kept a clean sheet for their first seven matches. Moreover, if not for the opening day loss that resulted from that lone goal, the Bavarians would have a perfect record.

Last season, Bayern struggled to crack the top three. So why are they now, five months later, bidding to become the best Bundesliga team ever? Does new coach Jupp Heynckes have a direct line to God? Have their new acquisitions turned the trick? Or is their new-found excellence down to an ineffable combination of pressure and fun?

Back four to die for

Defense was Bayern's great weakness last season and the area they invested heavily in this summer. So it's a logical place to start examining Munich's astronomical run.

New arrivals Rafinha and Jerome Boateng have helped Bayern field a back four with quality across the line. And Manuel Neuer, although he's had precious few saves to make, has given Munich the option of passing back out of trouble to a keeper whose ball-handing skills are the envy of many an outfield player.

The Bavarians are also defending much higher up the pitch. And as Leverkusen found out during their occasional attempts at counter-attacks, Bayern are also good at getting men behind the ball.

Great defenses are the result of collective commitment and the willingness of individuals to trust their teammates- and their instincts. So perhaps the best personification of Bayern's revival at the back is Holger Badstuber.

The 22-year-old fullback had an off year last season under Louis van Gaal, the same man who made him a first-team regular during Bayern's 2009-10 campaign. Rumors swirled that the sensitive youngster couldn't take the caustic Dutchman's constant criticism.

This year he's the league's top rated defender according to kicker magazine and has played in all of Bayern's matches. And he's not the only one who seems to have benefited from Heynckes' more relaxed approach.

Having fun up front

Van Gaal got - and deserved - a lot of credit for getting Bayern to play in a modern 4-3-3 attacking formation. But his offensive formula looked a tad predictable last season, especially compared with champion Dortmund's swarming pressure.

This edition of Bayern is much more variable, with long balls thrown into their basic short-passing, possession-oriented approach. They are also much more able to change tempo.

The Leverkusen match illustrated both qualities. Bayern's first goal came after a slashing move by Franck Ribery, their second thanks to a free kick by Daniel van Buyten, and their third on a long through ball to Arjen Robben.

Leverkusen coach Robin Dutt paid telling, if indirect, tribute to Bayern's excellence after the match.

"I stand behind my guys completely," Dutt told reporters. "We came here and we didn't get slaughtered."

Ahead of the season, Munich potentate Uli Hoeness complained that under van Gaal Bayern football has ceased to be fun. Heynckes has allowed a bit more free-wheeling enjoyment in Munich's game, and Ribery - as he has occasionally tried to explain in hilariously broken German - seems to have profited particularly from the additional liberties.

Of course, it's not all fun and games on Säbener Strasse- especially because 2011-12 is not just another season in Munich.

On a mission

Just winning the Bundesliga isn't good enough this year. Bayern also want to book at least a place in the Champions League final, which Munich is hosting next May.

That's dovetailed well with the individual ambitions within the squad. Players like Ribery, Neuer, Philipp Lahm and Bastian Schweinsteiger are all in mid-career and sense that now is a good time to start winning major international titles.

Others are playing for spots in Germany's national squad in the 2012 European Championship. Toni Kroos, in particular, has made a quantum leap since being reunited with Heynckes, his forner coach at Leverkusen, showing that he can play both holding and playmaking roles in midfield.

Last season, many of these players looked as though they were suffering a post-World-Cup let-down. This campaign, added motivation has given Heynckes' squad a boost in quality beyond just the additional talents brought in.

So can any team sustain the sort of form Bayern has shown in the past month-and-a-half? Probably not. Dips in intensity are inevitable, and injuries could reveal weaknesses in the squad where none are now apparent.

On the other hand, wing dynamo Robben is only just returning to full fitness. And wizened veteran Heynckes just might be the right man in the right place at the right time to oversee a season for the ages.

Author: Jefferson Chase
Editor: Nancy Isenson