Bayern Munich don't as much compete with other sides in Germany as watch them develop and then gobble them up. They did with the Bayer Leverkusen side that reached the Champions League final in 2002, and they are now doing the same with Borussia Dortmund. It has happened with Mario Gotze and Robert Lewandowski, and Dortmund fans hoping that this plight would soon be over when Marco Reus rejected Bayern in favour a new contract at the Westfalenstadion were given another harsh dose of reality this week.
Dortmund captain Mats Hummels publicly confirmed that he wishes to join Bayern Munich - the club he began his career with - by submitting a transfer request. It is a particularly bitter blow for Dortmund fans, exacerbated by their captain's words upon the departure of Gotze in 2013: "there is no footballing reason to leave Dortmund. I don't feel I have to play at the biggest club in the world in order to win titles".
Understandably, Hummels incurred the wrath of Dortmund supporters during their 5-1 win over Wolfsburg this afternoon:
Bayern, for their part, saw a difficult week come to a poor end, drawing 1-1 with Borussia Monchengladbach. The result leaves Bayern five points ahead of Dortmund with four games to go, as Guardiola bids to end his time in Germany with a third Bundesliga title in a row.
[video via r/soccer]
