Bayern Munich's destruction of Arsenal still leaves many questions unanswered

We still don't really know how good Carlo Ancelotti's side are - if only because their opponents on Wednesday night were so shambolic

Ancelotti is in the distinctive situation of having won as many Champions League as league titles (AFP/Getty Images)

It’s a remarkable curiosity after a statement win as resounding as Bayern Munich’s in the Allianz Arena, but it still didn’t tell us too much about Carlo Ancelotti’s side and their capabilities this season.

This was a convincing 5-1 win, involving some sensational football, that still had so many unconvincing elements. That is down to much more than the fact a shambolic Arsenal made it so easy for them, and barely put up opposition. In fact, that actually only raises more questions about Bayern.

Look at the key events and passages of the game.

Bayern were actually impressively - and embarrassingly - toying with Arsenal through that opening 25 minutes, effectively showing off the slickness of their play. There still wasn’t that much actual danger to it, though, and it was pointed that the opening goal came because of the away side’s inability to sense the obvious danger of Arjen Robben cutting in on his left.

At the very top level, there aren’t too many defences that are going to be so susceptible to something repeated so often.

And yet, as bad as Arsenal ended up, they more than showed what Bayern are susceptible to. The Germans appear to have real problems with sides that properly go for them on the counter-attack, and it exposes a remaining issue in Mats Hummels’s game. It should also be disconcerting that Arsenal’s - or, rather, Alexis Sanchez’s - sudden targeting of that flaw temporarily caused such panic in Bayern. They went from total control to total chaos, and coughed up some big chances.

And yet all of this is tempered by that fact that, for about 20 minutes in the second half, they were utterly sensational. They put in one of the Champions League season’s finest spells of football so far this season.

Divine moves were combined with a devastating blood lust, as they went all out to finish Arsenal off and did that emphatically. Wenger's side were just overwhelmed.

That displayed the potential of this team to once again be really special, but it’s still like there’s going to be something missing.

Maybe it fits with the trend of this Champions League season. This already feels like it’s going to be one of those campaigns where all the main contenders are a little off top level; closer to champions like Milan 2007 or Real Madrid 2014 than Milan 1989 or Barcelona 2011.

It’s also possible Bayern’s performance fits into the trend of manager Carlo Ancelotti’s career, and why this season has so far seemed underwhelming despite winning 11 of their last 12.

He is in the distinctive situation, after all, of having won as many Champions League as league titles despite spending close to two decades at the wealthiest clubs in Europe. His record on the continent is spectacular, but his record domestically so middle-of-the-road.

Described by some who know him as so much more “normal” than most of his extremely obsessive contemporaries, the inevitable thought is that he lacks the intensity required for league campaigns, but that gentler approach can actually be perfect for the grand events Champions League knock-out matches become.

Bayern certainly rose to it against Arsenal, and the way they battered Wenger’s side when stung into a response for that rousing 20 minutes should be a worry for everyone else in the competition. That is the level they are capable of reaching.

Even before that, in a quieter moment of the game, there was a sublime passage of play between David Alaba, Douglas Costa and Thiago Alcantara. They opened up Arsenal’s entire left side with a series of effortless one-touch passes.

Again, reflecting how two-sided this team are, though, that effortlessness became an issue. There was casualness to all of this that left them vulnerable, that was only rectified by the powerful force of Robert Lewandowski’s headed goal.

The wonder, then, is whether Bayern can reach that level enough to go and win this competition again.

It should be there for them. They have so many stars, they have so much quality, they have so much experience.

They also have a few flaws and a system that only ever temporarily fully functions.

That will encourage the rest of Europe.

Ancelotti was later asked if he felt the performance was a statement in that sense.

“It’s important only for us, because the performance gives us more confidence. We know we can play with efficiency, compact. It’s only for us. We hope to go forward and this performance doesn’t affect opposing teams. It’s just good for us.”

That maybe says more than anything. This is very much a team finding itself, as they go in search of a sixth Champions League for the club, fourth for this manager, and second for this group of players.

They just need to find fifth gear more often.