Football news - Bayern Munich have outgrown the Bundesliga - judge them on the Champions League

Their eighth successive championship was all but confirmed on Tuesday with a win at Borussia Dortmund, who made an industrious start but were truly kept at arm's length for the whole match, barring a couple of hairy moments. As title deciders go, the result was almost inevitable and the spectacle deflating.

Saturday's home clash against Fortuna Dusseldorf was always going to go one way but the ease with which they defeated a team with plenty to play for at the wrong end of the table was striking. Benjamin Pavard, nominally a full-back, was rarely spotted in his own half and scored once and forced another own goal. His fellow wide defender Alphonso Davies marauded as usual but was never found out of position and Robert Lewandowski scored a goal of sublime quality. It was 90 minutes of one-way traffic. It ended 5-0, but it could easily have been more, perhaps even double figures had they not let up.

Bayern only won the title by two points last term and suffered an appalling start of the season but now enjoy a 10-point cushion at the top. It was as if the dreary days under Niko Kovac were a mere exercise to set themselves a suitably difficult challenge, which they evidently have not.

But when domestic doubles are expected and commonplace (four of seven straight titles have been accompanied by the DFB Pokal), national competitions are no acid test of where a team truly stands.

So Bayern must be judged by their efforts in Europe, which have been remarkably lacking since they were last crowned European champions back in 2013. Pep Guardiola was demonstrably brought in to help a team who had reached three of the previous four Champions League finals dominate the continent in a way no German team had done since the 1970s.

But instead they have fallen away, not reaching the showpiece since that dramatic night at Wembley seven years ago. Along the way, they have suffered some humbling defeats, most notably a 4-0 semi-final dismantling at the hands of Real Madrid in 2014 and last year's 3-1 collapse to Liverpool after a creditable 0-0 draw at Anfield in the round of 16. It was their earliest exit from the competition since 2011.

There is no doubt that Bayern have made vast strides since Kovac was relieved of his managerial duties. Thomas Muller has been revitalised, Davies continues to blossom into one of the most exciting prospects in European football and their defence is decidedly stronger. Robert Lewandowski is enjoying the best goalscoring season of his career, and is set to enjoy the most prolific season of his career with plenty of football still to play, having already scored 43 goals with plenty of football still to play at home and abroad.

However, it is hard to measure their progress until they are forced to tackle some of the best teams from Spain, England and Italy. Borussia Dortmund have some fine players but have been so drained of talent over the years that they are not able to provide true competition to a side like Bayern, who enjoy the stability that success and riches guarantee.

The rescheduling of top flights across Europe augurs well for Bayern. While the Premier League, Serie A and La Liga are set to start in mid-late June and play well into July, the German domestic season will be done and dusted on July 4, when the DFB-Pokal final takes place a week after the Bundesliga season draws to a close.

That essentially gives Bayern a month's rest before the rumoured restart of the Champions League, which will sort out any lingering niggles. Furthermore, they can restart their Champions League campaign with no pressure on them, with their first match back the home leg of their tie with Chelsea, having won 3-0 at Stamford Bridge before the season ground to a temporary halt.

Greater tests await when they are forced to tackle the likes of Real Madrid, Barcelona and Juventus. Beating them will be the only way for Bayern to show themselves and the football world how far they have progressed and exorcise the demons of some of the recent years of European disappointments.