Can Bayern Munich maintain their dominance?

German football rose to the fore as Wembley hosted Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League final, the annual club football showpiece.

However it was the ever-shrewd Dortmund manager Jurgen Klopp who pointed out to Europe that German football has been impressive for a while.

The only thing that had changed in this year’s competition was that Dortmund had made it to the final.

Bayern on the other hand have appeared in three out of the last four finals.

The match indeed turned out to be an impressive showcase of what the Bundesliga has to offer.

Both teams demonstrated their tenacious attacking mentalities, proving that entertaining football need not come at the expense of results.

Arjen Robben settled the tie in the 88^th minute, neatly beating three defenders before touching the ball out of reach of Dortmund keeper Roman Weidenfeller to make it 2-1.

It was a moment of redemptive significance for Robben in particular, as it was his missed penalty in last year’s final against his former club Chelsea that saw an equally anticipated title slip through Bayern’s fingers.

Whilst this is a moment for Bayern fans to rejoice, the detached observer cannot help but feel that Munich’s triumph proves, more than anything, that no team can hold the top spot for long.

It was only two seasons ago that the rest of Europe was scratching its head as to how a Barcelona team led by the inimitable Lionel Messi were going to be toppled from their perch at the helm of club football.

This, of course, is the same Barcelona team that Bayern eviscerated 7-0 in this year’s semi-final.

It’s a common trajectory in European football: once teams have cemented their place at the top of the tree, it is a matter of time before a rival emerges to topple them.

2010 winners Inter Milan, imperious under Jose Mourinho in that treble-winning season, and neighbours AC Milan, who won the Champions League in 2003 and 2007, are now relatively anonymous in Europe.

It seems then that the shift of club football’s tectonic plates has done nothing but draw attention to their fluidity, to their ability to change so frequently.

So with Pep Guardiola in the hotseat from next season, can Bayern stay at the top of the tree?