Bayern takes its first step toward treble

Guardiola's men clinch Bundesliga with 4 games left

Pep Guardiola has taken the first step toward winning the treble with Bayern Munich after he collected his fifth title with the Bavarians on Sunday and his 19th as a coach.

Bayern is German league champion for the 25th time and, with four games left, captured a third-straight Bundesliga title after Moenchengladbach's win over Wolfsburg on Sunday meant it cannot be caught.

Its 1-0 win at home to Hertha on Saturday was its 53rd win in 64 Bundesliga games with Guardiola as head coach since the 44-year-old took charge in July 2013.

"It is a huge title, the most important and the most honest," Bayern's director of sport Matthias Sammer said.

"It was never a foregone conclusion we'd do it. The coach, his staff and the players have done amazingly well."

Bayern has conceded just 13 league goals so far - the record is 14 - and only its nearest rivals, Wolfsburg and Borussia Moenchengladbach, have beaten it in this season's league campaign.

Moreover, Borussia Dortmund, its main rival in Germany over the past four seasons, was dispatched with a 2-1 win in Munich last November and a 1-0 win away earlier this month.

Guardiola has had to contend with a lengthy injury list in recent weeks with stars David Alaba, Franck Ribery, Arjen Robben and Holger Badstuber all ruled out.

Having won the Bundesliga, domestic cup, the UEFA Super Cup and Club World Cup during his first year in charge, the Champions League and German Cup are Guardiola's next targets.

The Spaniard knows Bundesliga or cup titles keep Bayern fans happy but only the Champions League quenches their relentless thirst for silverware.

"I know which club I am at, it isn't enough to win the Bundesliga and the cup," he said.

"Only a treble is enough for a club like Real Madrid, Barcelona or Bayern."

With one more season left on his contract, Guardiola will not be short of offers if he chooses to leave Bayern in June 2016 amidst reports he is set to join Manchester City then.

The 'Philosopher', as Zlatan Ibrahimovic dubbed Guardiola while at Barcelona, kept Bayern at the pinnacle of European soccer this season.

Under Guardiola, Bayern typically enjoys 75 percent possession and the Spaniard is never afraid to switch formations or use players out of position.

Bayern's dreams of repeating its 2013 treble-winning season under his precesessor Jupp Heynckes faces a stern test on Tuesday at home to Borussia Dortmund in the German Cup semifinals.

Guardiola's side then faces the acid test at Barcelona in its Champions League semifinal on May 6 when he returns to the Camp Nou where he won 14 titles in four years.

Guardiola won the Champions League in his first season as Barcelona coach in 2008-09 when he was just 38.

It was part of a record haul of six titles in 2009 which included the Spanish league, Spanish Cup, Spanish Super Cup, European Super Cup and Club World Cup.

Last season's Bundesliga title was won with a record seven games to spare and Munich beat rival Borussia Dortmund 2-0 after extra-time in the German Cup final.

But the Champions League was Guardiola's stumbling block as Bayern lost its semifinal first leg 1-0 at Real Madrid before being hammered 4-0 in Munich.

This year's Champions League final will be held at Berlin's Olympic Stadium on June 6.

Guardiola's failure in last season's semifinals will be redeemed if the team lifts a sixth European title on German soil a week after potentially winning the German Cup for the 18th time in Berlin.

It promises to be a make-or-break May for Bayern and Guardiola.