Bayern Munich enters winter break with nine point lead after Borussia Dortmund collapse

When Bayern Munich traveled to the Westfalenstadion on December 4, they held a one point lead in the table over Der Klassiker rivals Borussia Dortmund. At the end of that match, Bayern were four points ahead, 34 vs. 30. Now, as the Bundesliga heads into the the winter break, Bayern have stretched their lead to a massive nine point gap, 43 to 34 points.

Bayern ended 2021 with a hard-fought win against Mainz (2-1) before blowing out both Stuttgart (5-0) and Wolfsburg (4-0). On the flip side of that, Dortmund capped their Hinrunde with a second-half-collapse loss to Hertha Berlin after drawing Bochum and beating Greuther Fürth.

You can’t win the Bundesliga in the Hinrunde, but you can lose it. And, it’s very possible, that Dortmund’s final three matches in December have ended their hopes of really pushing Bayern for the league title.

Is the Bundesliga race done and dusted? No, but entering January with a nine point lead at the top of the table is a great boost for Julian Nagelsmann as he looks to win his first Bundesliga trophy and Bayern’s tenth in a row.

It’s Bayern’s to lose now.