LONDON — Manchester United meets Bayern Munich in the Champions League next Tuesday.

It will be April 1, but only a fool would make the excuse that changing managers is the root cause to United’s rapid decline and Bayern’s soaring success this season.

While United was being humbled again Tuesday, losing 3-0 in its own stadium to Manchester City, Bayern Munich wrapped up the Bundesliga in record time with a 3-1 victory at Hertha Berlin in the Olympiastadion.

All season long, the word transition has hung over United’s grounds at Old Trafford. Alex Ferguson had retired after 27 years as the team manager. David Moyes is still trying to grow into those shoes and admits that the scope of the rebuilding is far bigger than anyone imagined.

Ferguson had chosen the successor himself, and when he did so, the old manager appealed to the crowd to give the new man time. Ten months have passed since the change, but it took less than a minute into the game Tuesday for City to brilliantly, and ruthlessly, show which is the superior team in Manchester.