German football looking to conquer Europe

File picture of Bayern Munich’s Arjen Robben celebrates a goal during the Bundesliga first division match against Wolfsburg in Munich.

DPA/Munich The German national team stands as world champions after triumphing in the World Cup in Brazil last summer and with continental club competition set to resume next week, Bundesliga clubs aim to reinforce Germany’s position at the top of the pile. “This is the proof that the Bundesliga is on a good path internationally,” Bayern Munich chairman Karl Heinz-Rummenigge said.  “We must continue with this, that is the desire.” Bayern, Champions League winners in 2013, restart their current campaign with an away tie to Shakhtar Donetsk on Tuesday. And after lifting the World Cup, Germany team manager Oliver Bierhoff agrees the strong performance of clubs in the Europa and Champions Leagues is “a further indicator of the strength of the Bundesliga. “Winning a title at the end would be the icing on the cake.” Along with Bayern Munich, Borussia Dortmund, Schalke and Bayer Leverkusen remain in the Champions League while Germany is represented by Wolfsburg and Borussia Moenchengladbach in the Europa League. “We have international top teams,” German Football League (DFL) chief executive Christian Seifert said. “We are now in the third season where all our Champions League clubs have reached the knock-out stage. “Other leagues cannot say that.” With six clubs still competing on the European stage, Germany matches the total supplied by Spain, England and Italy. But only the Bundesliga has four sides in the Champions League. Germany is currently third in the UEFA coefficient ranking of leagues behind Spain and England but consistently strong performances means they are now within range. “If we continue like this, we have the chance to catch the English in second place,” Rummenigge said. With the Champions League final in Berlin on June 6, victory for a German club in their own capital would be the crowning achievement for football in the country. Bayern have the most realistic chance of lifting the trophy but Rummenigge urged caution. “I do not know if we are title favourites,” he said. “There are 16 clubs, of which I look on at least half as title contenders.” That view is not shared by the club’s sport director Matthias Sammer, who is convinced the team is “exceptional and must, in my opinion, win the Champions League again this season or next.” Dortmund, defeated by Bayern in the 2013 Champions League final, have struggled domestically and find themselves fighting relegation rather than challenging for the title. They take on Juventus in the last 16 knowing winning the competition is their best chance of being involved next year and not missing out on at least 20 million euros (22.6 million dollars) of income. Schalke face a rematch with reigning champions Real Madrid who hammered them at this stage last year while Bayer Leverkusen take on beaten 2014 finalists Atletico Madrid. “We are not a lost cause,” Bayer sporting director Rudi Voeller said, expressing more hope than Schalke manager Horst Heldt who claimed his side would need two “magic moments” to progress. No German club has lifted the Europa League since it was reformed in 2009 and Gladbach face a tough clash against title holders Sevilla. Wolfsburg, boosted by the expensive capture of World Cup winner Andre Schuerrle in the transfer window, meet Sporting Lisbon. Succeeding in the Europa League brings substantially less financial reward than the more lucrative Champions League but does offer a place in the play-offs for next season’s elite tournament. And for those with an overview of German football rather than responsibility to just one club, glory rather than cash is reward enough. “It’s great that we have teams in both the Champions League and the Europa League that take the competition seriously and have the quality to win them too,” said Bierhoff.