After Neymar tried to do too much against Real Madrid in last week's meeting - delivering crowd-pleasing dribbles, but often to the detriment of Edinson Cavani and Kylian Mbappe as he continually became obscured by thickets of white shirts - the splintering stick used to beat Paris Saint-Germain was re-drawn with relish. Neymar wasn't outclassed by Cristiano Ronaldo because the Portuguese is a seasoned swordsman at this level. Definitely not. It's because Neymar plays against Dijon and Amiens, of course.

So why doesn't that argument apply to continental powerhouse Bayern Munich? It's been difficult to quantify just how impactful Jupp Heynckes has been since succeeding Carlo Ancelotti in October. Twenty-two wins in 23 matches (including a restorative win over PSG) before Tuesday's 5-0 Champions League undressing of Besiktas was a decent indication, but the Bavarians have been entering a state of domestic inertia.

There are already 19 points between Bayern Munich and second-placed Borussia Dortmund in the Bundesliga, the biggest advantage a club possesses atop a European league after 23 matches. Granted he was ill so remained at home, but Heynckes slept through the first 35 minutes of a 2-1 defeat of Schalke in mid-February and, in the first leg of the round-of-16 tussle with Besiktas, Bayern had the luxury of nine personnel changes from the win over VfL Wolfsburg three days earlier. Homeland duties have been a stroll.

"It wouldn't be a problem in our eyes if the race for the championship title were boring," Mats Hummels said following a 3-1 victory at Dortmund back in November.

Like Paris Saint-Germain, there is a dearth of week-to-week competitiveness for Heynckes' side - only the Germans are able to use it to their advantage.

Bayern Munich's callous stuffing of an undeniably entertaining Besiktas wasn't only the product of strong-arming 10 men - although Domagoj Vida's 16th-minute dismissal undoubtedly aided the host's cause - but the result of Heynckes' masterful squad rotation.

Robert Lewandowski's complaints about how thin options were behind him in attack were heeded by the signing of Sandro Wagner, but otherwise Don Jupp has been reluctant to tamper. Each player feels valued, and the work that Ancelotti started - introducing a fresh generation - has continued, especially as the domestic intensity has slackened. Only four players aged 30 or over - Arturo Vidal, Rafinha, Arjen Robben, and Franck Ribery - have made at least 10 Bundesliga appearances this season. Seven players who are 26 or under have reached the same benchmark.

"I have no A or B team. We only have one Bayern team," Heynckes said at the press conference in anticipation of Besiktas' visit. "Every player knows their position and understands each other, so I don't think we have too many problems with rotation.

"There are far more benefits, because everyone feels important and stays fresh. It's not easy, but I think the players are happy with how I have managed it so far."

There are two further aspects that work in Heynckes' favour. Firstly, he is adamant he will conclude his managerial career at the end of the season - he has noted that his wife, daughter, and German shepherd are expecting him from May - so it's his final concerted push for silverware.

But he is also an expert in both continental competition, and maintaining the hunger in his side.

Amid the inevitably of his exit from Real Madrid in 1998, he still helped inspire his side to the club's first Champions League title in 32 years, professionally seeing off Juventus in the final. He famously didn't allow his team to unwind as the beginning of Pep Guardiola's Bayern Munich tenure loomed in 2013, and completed an historic treble.

Most tellingly, Bayern walked out at Wembley Stadium for the 2013 Champions League final having played six innocuous Bundesliga matches after capturing the division in record time. Heynckes, in his third stint in charge, finished atop the domestic top flight with a 25-point cushion. Dortmund manager Jurgen Klopp blamed a long season for his side's 2-1 loss in the showpiece. There were obviously no such complaints from the jubilant Bayern camp.

So a questionable domestic challenge being cited for Paris Saint-Germain's collapse in Madrid - and, indeed, why the club hasn't gone further than the Champions League's quarter-final stage since 1995 - is a falsehood. Rather than it being the fault, perhaps the blame is better put to the management, both on the pitch and in recruitment. With better use of its gargantuan resources, PSG should habitually win the league and reach the continent's elite competition's latter rounds - just like the relentless Bayern Munich.

(Photos courtesy: Getty Images)