Three things Bayern Munich can learn from Atalanta’s 3-0 Europa League masterpiece vs Bayer Leverkusen

Atalanta thrashed Bayer Leverkusen 3-0 to claim the Europa League championship. With fantastic finishes in the 11th, 25th, and 74th minute, Ademola Lookman scored the first hat trick in Europa League final history. Bayer Leverkusen dominated possession but were punished for sloppy mistakes and lacked the precision and last minute heroics that defined their magical Bundesliga season.

Atalanta and previously undefeated Bayer Leverkusen had successful seasons on the domestic front, with fifth and first place finishes in their respective leagues.

What can Bayern Munich learn from these two teams?

Squad Depth and Rotation

Thomas Tuchel publicly lamented Bayern’s lack of depth last summer during his only transfer window with the club. The transition management team earned positive marks for landing Harry Kane (€95M), Eric Dier (loan), Konrad Laimer (free), and Raphaël Guerreiro (free). But the club also failed to incorporate players like Sacha Boey (€30M), Daniel Peretz (€5M), and Bryan Zaragoza (loan).

It felt like Kingsley Coman and Serge Gnabry were injured all season, along with subpar performances from Leroy Sané and Jamal Musiala down the stretch. Along with the rise of Mathys Tel and Aleksandar Pavlović, Bayern will need to bring in some new talent to reinvigorate the squad in order to reclaim the Bundesliga throne from Leverkusen.

Fresh Ideas

Rigid coaches like Tuchel are either celebrated or despised, depending on the end result. Soccer is a beautiful sport that requires a delicate balance of discipline and creativity. Even legendary Pep Guardiola spent his tenures at Bayern being accused of tinkering too much with the squad.

In reality, there’s no perfect solution that will appease every single fan or pundit. The new manager (today’s rumor mill suggests Vincent Kompany) will need to bring unity and focus to the locker room, while showcasing a high-flying offense backed by a unyielding defense.

No problem, eh?

Mia San Mia

Bayern didn’t get the message when Dortmund gifted the title back to Bayern on the final match day in 2023. The squad needs a revamped attitude, whether that occurs in the form of new or outgoing players.

We are who we are. If Bayern wants to return to the glory days of winning the Bundesliga every season (that was SO last year…), then Bayern needs to put fear back into the rest of league and, by extension, the rest of Europe.