Bayern in their own league at the top

Bayern Munich are racing away with the Bundesliga again, surprising even coach Pep Guardiola. They are "in a league of their own," says Augsburg coach Markus Weinzierl after his side lose 4-0 to the German Bundesliga champions.

Bayern Munich continue to run away at the top of the German Bundesliga after clinching the "autumn championship" with their 4-0 win at Augsburg on Saturday.

With two games to go to the winter break Bayern have made sure of top place at the half-way stage, when the German league goes into its winter break.

Bayern have now been top at the winter break - the so-called autumn champions - 20 times, far more than any other team, and all but three times have gone on to win the league title.

"Bayern are in a league of their own, we can all agree on that. They have so much quality, so it's an absolutely deserved win," Augsburg coach Markus Weinzierl said.

"Bayern are an unbelievable team who play at such high pace," said Augsburg general manager Stefan Reuter, a Bayern player between 1988 and 1991.

Last season, Augsburg - third in the table before the game - had ended Bayern's run of 53 league games without defeat.

But this time there was no stopping coach Pep Guardiola's side who stepped up a gear after a goalless first half, winning with two goals from Arjen Robben and one each from Robert Lewandowski and Medhi Benatia.

Undefeated Bayern have moved to 39 points from 15 games, with 12 victories and three draws. Second-placed Wolfsburg, who were to play visiting Paderborn Sunday, are 10 points adrift.

At the same stage last season, Bayern even had two points more, but the gap was only four points over Bayer Leverkusen. This season it is hard to see anyone preventing Bayern securing a third successive league title and a 25th in all.

Guardiola is particularly pleased with the way his side has developed after last term's record-breaking season. There has been no trace of complacency or loss of form from international players following the World Cup.

"I'm constantly surprised by the mentality of this group of players who've won everything there is to win already," Guardiola said.

"We have two more games (until the winter break) and we'll try and win them both."

Lewandowski, who has added to Bayern's attacking threat after moving pre-season from Borussia Dortmund, epitomised a winning mentality by saying: "The autumn championship means nothing, we have to be first at the end of the season. There are plenty of games still to go."

Bayern have also been boosted by the return after injury of midfielder Bastian Schweinsteiger and the form of Dutch winger Arjen Robben.

Robben's brace took his goal tally to eight this season and to 64 in 116 games for Bayern. It was the 11th time he has scored twice in a Bundesliga match.

"Arjen is the best field player in the world," Bayern chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge said.

Next up for Bayern is a home game on Tuesday against struggling Freiburg before a visit on Friday evening to Mainz for their last game of the year.

While Bayern continue to fly high, Borussia Dortmund - the team expected to be their chief challenger - are back in the dumps after a 1-0 defeat at Hertha Berlin.

Juergen Klopp's side are now third last on 14 points after their ninth defeat in the league, and are just a point off bottom side VfB Stuttgart.

"We weren't determined enough, didn't get behind the last line and didn't have attempts at goal," Klopp said.

"We enjoyed possession but couldn't carve open any real chances. This was the wrong path."

Dortmund now greet Wolfsburg on Wednesday before a trip to Werder Bremen on Saturday.

"Our mission is to dramatically improve our situation for the second half of the season. We are also counting on the atmosphere at Signal Iduna Park," Klopp said.

"If at some stage in the future we'll be able to get out of this slump, the bond between all those involved will be even stronger than it already is. The fans have done nothing wrong, which I can't really say about us.