<b>Game of my Life #08: The final act for “Effe” and Co.</b>
FC Bayern’s comeback against Real Madrid in the in the Champions League quarter-finals on 2 April, 2002 was the final chapter of a golden era.Bayern was going through a slump after a lofty three year high with three Bundesliga championships in a row and the Champions League Triumph in 2001. They were third in the league at the beginning of April, seven points behind leaders Leverkusen. They had already been kicked out of the DFB-Pokal by Schalke, and they had been struggling in the Champions League as well. Yet despite a couple of patchy performances against Prague, Nantes, and Rotterdam, they survived both group stages relatively comfortably and had qualified for the quarter-finals.<a href="#what-the-game-meant"></a>What the game meantFC Bayern against Real Madrid. This was probably the most emblematic duel of elite European football at around the turn of the century. Both teams had met no fewer than six times only in the period from 1999 to 2001. FC Bayern were victorious in five of these matches, among them a legendary 2-4 away win at the Bernabeu in the spring of 2000 that turned Bayern into something of Real’s bogey team of the time (“la bestia negra”).Real, who had won the Champions League two times in 1998 and 2000, made one landmark transfer after another during this period. In 2000, they signed Luis Figo for €60m from Barcelona. In 2001, they signed Zinedine Zidane for €77m from Turin. Ronaldo (the original one) and David Beckham followed in the years after. So even though Bayern were the title holders, they were the outsiders for the game just like so often before.<a href="https://miasanrot.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2019/12/FCBRMFC2002en-650x650.png">Media</a><a href="#in-case-you-missed-it"></a>In case you missed it<a href="#the-starting-lineups"></a>The starting lineupsFigo was ruled out with an injury, so the team’s backbone consisted of Roberto Carlos at left-back, Zinedine Zidane in the center of midfield, and Raul in attack in a slightly asymmetrical 4-2-3-1 formation. The always underrated Claude Makélélé as the pivot provided stability in defensive midfield.Bayern’s first eleven was still full of players from the 2001 title winning squad. Of the new arrivals, only Robert Kovač made the first team. Ottmar Hitzfeld had finally made the switch to a straight back four before the season. For years, Lothar Matthäus had played in a sweeper role positioned slightly behind or in front of of his defensive line. Patrik Andersson had followed him in a similar role as part of a back three. After he had left the club in the summer of 2001, a straight line of four at the back became more common with Frenchmen Sagnol and Lizarazu in the wide positions. Effenberg and Jeremies played in the center of midfield and Santa Cruz was given a start in attack next to Giovane Elber. Paulo Sergio added to the front line’s firepower with frequent attacking runs on the left wing. Owen Hargreaves was tasked with disrupting Zidane’s and Roberto Carlos’s efforts on the right side of the pitch and supporting Bayern’s build-up game. Hasan Salihamidžić had to make do with a place on the bench due to a muscular injury alongside regular goal scorer Pizarro. With Fink, Linke and Niko Kovač, the set of substitutes had a decidedly defensive character.<a href="#the-first-half"></a>The first halfIn the game’s early stages, both teams’ respect for each other was clearly evident. Zidane in particular always drew a great deal of attention to himself whenever he touched the ball. Bayern’s players obviously put great emphasis on blocking his forward moves and switches of the play. Going forward, Bayern acted with extreme caution and tried to hit long balls in the general direction of Fernando Hierro, who had already had problems with the very nimble Giovane Elber in earlier games. Bayern’s efforts, however, remained fruitless at first.Geremi put the visitors in front in the…
FC Bayern’s comeback against Real Madrid in the in the Champions League quarter-finals on 2 April, 2002 was the final chapter of a golden era.Bayern was going through a slump after a lofty three year high with three Bundesliga championships in a row and the Champions League Triumph in 2001. They were third in the league at the beginning of April, seven points behind leaders Leverkusen. They had already been kicked out of the DFB-Pokal by Schalke, and they had been struggling in the Champions League as well. Yet despite a couple of patchy performances against Prague, Nantes, and Rotterdam, they survived both group stages relatively comfortably and had qualified for the quarter-finals.<a href="#what-the-game-meant"></a>What the game meantFC Bayern against Real Madrid. This was probably the most emblematic duel of elite European football at around the turn of the century. Both teams had met no fewer than six times only in the period from 1999 to 2001. FC Bayern were victorious in five of these matches, among them a legendary 2-4 away win at the Bernabeu in the spring of 2000 that turned Bayern into something of Real’s bogey team of the time (“la bestia negra”).Real, who had won the Champions League two times in 1998 and 2000, made one landmark transfer after another during this period. In 2000, they signed Luis Figo for €60m from Barcelona. In 2001, they signed Zinedine Zidane for €77m from Turin. Ronaldo (the original one) and David Beckham followed in the years after. So even though Bayern were the title holders, they were the outsiders for the game just like so often before.<a href="https://miasanrot.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2019/12/FCBRMFC2002en-650x650.png">Media</a><a href="#in-case-you-missed-it"></a>In case you missed it<a href="#the-starting-lineups"></a>The starting lineupsFigo was ruled out with an injury, so the team’s backbone consisted of Roberto Carlos at left-back, Zinedine Zidane in the center of midfield, and Raul in attack in a slightly asymmetrical 4-2-3-1 formation. The always underrated Claude Makélélé as the pivot provided stability in defensive midfield.Bayern’s first eleven was still full of players from the 2001 title winning squad. Of the new arrivals, only Robert Kovač made the first team. Ottmar Hitzfeld had finally made the switch to a straight back four before the season. For years, Lothar Matthäus had played in a sweeper role positioned slightly behind or in front of of his defensive line. Patrik Andersson had followed him in a similar role as part of a back three. After he had left the club in the summer of 2001, a straight line of four at the back became more common with Frenchmen Sagnol and Lizarazu in the wide positions. Effenberg and Jeremies played in the center of midfield and Santa Cruz was given a start in attack next to Giovane Elber. Paulo Sergio added to the front line’s firepower with frequent attacking runs on the left wing. Owen Hargreaves was tasked with disrupting Zidane’s and Roberto Carlos’s efforts on the right side of the pitch and supporting Bayern’s build-up game. Hasan Salihamidžić had to make do with a place on the bench due to a muscular injury alongside regular goal scorer Pizarro. With Fink, Linke and Niko Kovač, the set of substitutes had a decidedly defensive character.<a href="#the-first-half"></a>The first halfIn the game’s early stages, both teams’ respect for each other was clearly evident. Zidane in particular always drew a great deal of attention to himself whenever he touched the ball. Bayern’s players obviously put great emphasis on blocking his forward moves and switches of the play. Going forward, Bayern acted with extreme caution and tried to hit long balls in the general direction of Fernando Hierro, who had already had problems with the very nimble Giovane Elber in earlier games. Bayern’s efforts, however, remained fruitless at first.Geremi put the visitors in front in the…
<b>Game Of My Life #09: A highlight of German football</b>
It is commonly held that the Champions League final of 2013 represents the pinnacle of German football in this still very young 21st century. And there is good reason to think so, too. Bayern and Dortmund had just cleared their Spanish competition out of the way and were set to take center stage at Wembley stadium, the temple of English football. This night belonged to German football and its two outstanding sides.<em>This article was written by Constantin</em>.<a href="#what-the-game-meant">What the game meantHowever, reaching the final did not equal the peak of either teams’ development. As accomplished as their football already was at the time, both clubs would go on to have many more quite memorable encounters in the following years. FC Bayern profited greatly from the intellectual input from Pep Guardiola, who tried to maintain the pragmatic and successful playing style that Jupp Heynckes had established while taking it to a higher level at the same time. Meanwhile, Dortmund was in a situation not quite of their own choosing that season after season they had to be creative to compensate for some of their most important players leaving. They were fortunate that Jürgen Klopp did not just have a sense for high-octane football, but also a knack for trying out players in positions to which they were not at all accustomed. Despite having suffered plenty of defeats and disappointments in the first half of the 2014/15 season, the team was far stronger than their points tally suggested.<a href="https://miasanrot.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2019/12/FC-Bayern-Muenchen-v-Borussia-Dortmund-Bundesliga-1577484919-951x650-1.jpg">Media</a><strong>Klopp always breathing down your neck.</strong>
(Image: Adam Pretty/Bongarts/Getty Images)And so on 1 November, 2014, two teams met in the Allianz Arena who were about to deliver a full 90 minutes of the best football ever to have been staged in a German stadium. As an observer, one is not always able to fully grasp the special significance of an event while it is taking place. Retrospectively, however, in light of the disappointing turn German football has taken in the years since, the full extent of quite how extraordinary the game was becomes clear.<a href="#guardiolas-fear-of-counterattacking-football">Guardiola’s fear of counterattacking footballWhen Pep Guardiola arrived in the Bundesliga, he had already studied German football intensively. He had spent his year-long sabbatical not just frequenting New York coffee shops, but mainly studying German football on TV and on location. The Catalan was so impressed with, and in awe of, the quality of counterattacking football on display in the Bundesliga that he immediately started to contemplate how he would have to organize a defense and midfield to evade the pressing traps the German teams so often deployed in order to launch a counterattack. He nurtured, reassessed and fine-tuned his ideas until that famed match in November of 2014.<a href="https://miasanrot.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2019/12/FCBBVB2014en-650x650.png">Media</a><a href="#in-case-you-missed-it">In case you missed it<a href="#the-starting-lineups">The starting lineupsBayern started the game in a 3-1-4-2 formation with quite a few interesting player positionings. Most notably, there was David Alaba at left center-back, Jérôme Boateng at central center-back, Xabi Alonso as a holding midfielder dropping in between the center-backs, Mario Götze and Philipp Lahm as the two number eights, and Arjen Robben as the right winger. This system was Guardiola through and through.They faced a Dortmund side that Jürgen Klopp had assembled no less creatively. Their starting formation was a 4-3-1-2/4-3-3 with the following assignments: Sven Bender was the right number eight next to Sebastian Kehl. Henrikh Mkhitaryan was the more offensive second number eight on the left. Center-forward Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang had a loose role that…
It is commonly held that the Champions League final of 2013 represents the pinnacle of German football in this still very young 21st century. And there is good reason to think so, too. Bayern and Dortmund had just cleared their Spanish competition out of the way and were set to take center stage at Wembley stadium, the temple of English football. This night belonged to German football and its two outstanding sides.<em>This article was written by Constantin</em>.<a href="#what-the-game-meant">What the game meantHowever, reaching the final did not equal the peak of either teams’ development. As accomplished as their football already was at the time, both clubs would go on to have many more quite memorable encounters in the following years. FC Bayern profited greatly from the intellectual input from Pep Guardiola, who tried to maintain the pragmatic and successful playing style that Jupp Heynckes had established while taking it to a higher level at the same time. Meanwhile, Dortmund was in a situation not quite of their own choosing that season after season they had to be creative to compensate for some of their most important players leaving. They were fortunate that Jürgen Klopp did not just have a sense for high-octane football, but also a knack for trying out players in positions to which they were not at all accustomed. Despite having suffered plenty of defeats and disappointments in the first half of the 2014/15 season, the team was far stronger than their points tally suggested.<a href="https://miasanrot.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2019/12/FC-Bayern-Muenchen-v-Borussia-Dortmund-Bundesliga-1577484919-951x650-1.jpg">Media</a><strong>Klopp always breathing down your neck.</strong>
(Image: Adam Pretty/Bongarts/Getty Images)And so on 1 November, 2014, two teams met in the Allianz Arena who were about to deliver a full 90 minutes of the best football ever to have been staged in a German stadium. As an observer, one is not always able to fully grasp the special significance of an event while it is taking place. Retrospectively, however, in light of the disappointing turn German football has taken in the years since, the full extent of quite how extraordinary the game was becomes clear.<a href="#guardiolas-fear-of-counterattacking-football">Guardiola’s fear of counterattacking footballWhen Pep Guardiola arrived in the Bundesliga, he had already studied German football intensively. He had spent his year-long sabbatical not just frequenting New York coffee shops, but mainly studying German football on TV and on location. The Catalan was so impressed with, and in awe of, the quality of counterattacking football on display in the Bundesliga that he immediately started to contemplate how he would have to organize a defense and midfield to evade the pressing traps the German teams so often deployed in order to launch a counterattack. He nurtured, reassessed and fine-tuned his ideas until that famed match in November of 2014.<a href="https://miasanrot.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2019/12/FCBBVB2014en-650x650.png">Media</a><a href="#in-case-you-missed-it">In case you missed it<a href="#the-starting-lineups">The starting lineupsBayern started the game in a 3-1-4-2 formation with quite a few interesting player positionings. Most notably, there was David Alaba at left center-back, Jérôme Boateng at central center-back, Xabi Alonso as a holding midfielder dropping in between the center-backs, Mario Götze and Philipp Lahm as the two number eights, and Arjen Robben as the right winger. This system was Guardiola through and through.They faced a Dortmund side that Jürgen Klopp had assembled no less creatively. Their starting formation was a 4-3-1-2/4-3-3 with the following assignments: Sven Bender was the right number eight next to Sebastian Kehl. Henrikh Mkhitaryan was the more offensive second number eight on the left. Center-forward Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang had a loose role that…
<b>Game of my Life #10: Even Oliver Kahn had never seen anything like this</b>
If you expected someone to have seen it all, it would have been Oliver Kahn. In his final season as a player, the German goalkeeping legend was part of the “Miracle of Getafe” – or, as the just appointed VP for sport on Bayern’s board put it himself: “I’ve been there, done it, seen it all: Manchester, Madrid, Barcelona. I’ve played many a memorable game, but I’ve never seen anything like this.”<a href="#the-situation-before-the-match"></a>The situation before the matchThe 2006/07 season had been the worst season for Bayern since the middle of the 1990s. After double winning coach Felix Magath had already lost his job mid-season, the club invested the then record amount of €93.2m to revamp the squad in the summer. Ottmar Hitzfeld, who had followed Magath for his second stint as Bayern coach, was given a completely new offense with World Champions Luca Toni, German international Miroslav Klose, and the highly talented but difficult Franck Ribéry. Moreover, Zé Roberto returned after one year away from the club. On the other hand, with Roque Santa Cruz, Roy Makaay, Claudio Pizarro and Hasan Salihamidžić some long-serving stalwarts left the club.The thus renovated team dominated the early stages of the new season. A special highlight was the 4-0 win against staunch rivals Werder Bremen on matchday two, where the duo of Toni and Ribéry was able to shine for the first time. Ribéry especially displayed a level of technical skill, pace, and joy of playing that had been virtually unknown in the Bundesliga up to that point. The first loss in the league came on matchday 13 against Stuttgart. However, because Bayern had also p six draws, they were level on points with Bremen at the winter break.Until the match against Getafe, Bayern lost only one more match – against Cottbus – and was able to pull away from second placed Schalke by nine points thanks to a temporary lull in form of Bremen. Bayern’s consistent run of results was due largely to a very stable defense built around Martin Demichelis, which had only conceded 16 goals so far. Just another five additional conceded goals until the end of the season meant a new Bundesliga record.Because of Bayern’s disappointing previous season, they had to make do with a place in the UEFA Cup. And so a series of trips to some of Europe’s more unknown regions began. After Bayern beat Belenenses SAD in the pre-group-stage match, they stumbled their way through the group stage, only securing their progress with a 6-0 home win against Aris Football Club. The next two fixtures were against Aberdeen FC and RSC Anderlecht, and then Getafe CF – of Madrid suburb Getafe – waited in the quarter-finals. The first leg saw the Spaniards travel to Munich before Bayern had to make the trip to Getafe for the return leg. Getafe CF was only known to experts at the time and when Luca Toni scored the opening goal in the 26st minute of the first leg, the tie already seemed more than halfway won for Bayern. But in the following, Getafe proved a much harder challenge than expected and managed to score a lucky punch in the 90th minute while preventing Bayern from scoring a second. After some hustle and bustle in Bayern’s penalty area, substitute Cosmin Contra was able to dink the ball over the slightly puzzled Oliver Kahn into the back of the net for the equalizer. And so Bayern had to make the trip to Spain with an unfortunate 1-1 draw in their bags instead of a tie done and dusted.<a href="https://miasanrot.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2019/12/GETFCB2008en-650x650.png">Media</a><a href="#in-case-you-missed-it"></a>In case you missed it<a href="#the-starting-lineups"></a>The starting lineupsCoach Ottmar Hitzfeld did not want to jeopardize his prospects of advancing to the next round and started his best eleven. The back line consisted of Bayern youth players Lahm at left-back and Lell at right-back, as well as Lucío and Demíchelis in…
If you expected someone to have seen it all, it would have been Oliver Kahn. In his final season as a player, the German goalkeeping legend was part of the “Miracle of Getafe” – or, as the just appointed VP for sport on Bayern’s board put it himself: “I’ve been there, done it, seen it all: Manchester, Madrid, Barcelona. I’ve played many a memorable game, but I’ve never seen anything like this.”<a href="#the-situation-before-the-match"></a>The situation before the matchThe 2006/07 season had been the worst season for Bayern since the middle of the 1990s. After double winning coach Felix Magath had already lost his job mid-season, the club invested the then record amount of €93.2m to revamp the squad in the summer. Ottmar Hitzfeld, who had followed Magath for his second stint as Bayern coach, was given a completely new offense with World Champions Luca Toni, German international Miroslav Klose, and the highly talented but difficult Franck Ribéry. Moreover, Zé Roberto returned after one year away from the club. On the other hand, with Roque Santa Cruz, Roy Makaay, Claudio Pizarro and Hasan Salihamidžić some long-serving stalwarts left the club.The thus renovated team dominated the early stages of the new season. A special highlight was the 4-0 win against staunch rivals Werder Bremen on matchday two, where the duo of Toni and Ribéry was able to shine for the first time. Ribéry especially displayed a level of technical skill, pace, and joy of playing that had been virtually unknown in the Bundesliga up to that point. The first loss in the league came on matchday 13 against Stuttgart. However, because Bayern had also p six draws, they were level on points with Bremen at the winter break.Until the match against Getafe, Bayern lost only one more match – against Cottbus – and was able to pull away from second placed Schalke by nine points thanks to a temporary lull in form of Bremen. Bayern’s consistent run of results was due largely to a very stable defense built around Martin Demichelis, which had only conceded 16 goals so far. Just another five additional conceded goals until the end of the season meant a new Bundesliga record.Because of Bayern’s disappointing previous season, they had to make do with a place in the UEFA Cup. And so a series of trips to some of Europe’s more unknown regions began. After Bayern beat Belenenses SAD in the pre-group-stage match, they stumbled their way through the group stage, only securing their progress with a 6-0 home win against Aris Football Club. The next two fixtures were against Aberdeen FC and RSC Anderlecht, and then Getafe CF – of Madrid suburb Getafe – waited in the quarter-finals. The first leg saw the Spaniards travel to Munich before Bayern had to make the trip to Getafe for the return leg. Getafe CF was only known to experts at the time and when Luca Toni scored the opening goal in the 26st minute of the first leg, the tie already seemed more than halfway won for Bayern. But in the following, Getafe proved a much harder challenge than expected and managed to score a lucky punch in the 90th minute while preventing Bayern from scoring a second. After some hustle and bustle in Bayern’s penalty area, substitute Cosmin Contra was able to dink the ball over the slightly puzzled Oliver Kahn into the back of the net for the equalizer. And so Bayern had to make the trip to Spain with an unfortunate 1-1 draw in their bags instead of a tie done and dusted.<a href="https://miasanrot.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2019/12/GETFCB2008en-650x650.png">Media</a><a href="#in-case-you-missed-it"></a>In case you missed it<a href="#the-starting-lineups"></a>The starting lineupsCoach Ottmar Hitzfeld did not want to jeopardize his prospects of advancing to the next round and started his best eleven. The back line consisted of Bayern youth players Lahm at left-back and Lell at right-back, as well as Lucío and Demíchelis in…
<b>Game of my life #11: Start of an era</b>
In an epic 2010 Champions League second leg, Bayern was bound to win back its status of an international top club.<a href="#the-situation-before-the-game"></a><strong>The Situation before the game</strong>After a very mixed first half of the season 2009/10, Bayern saw the crucial final Champions League group stage match against Juventus Turin as a turning point for the entire season. From being fourth in the table with just as many points behind the league leaders -what would have meant Europa League back then!- and the pending elimination in the Champions League, to seemingly cruising to the German Championship with a five points advantage and only missing out on a historic treble by a single loss. But it is often forgotten just how different things were looking at times during this second half of the season 2009/10.Prior to the games against Manchester United, Bayern lost the top of the Bundesliga and also had a rocky path to the Champions League quarter-finals. Against Fiorentina a last minute victory only came with the refereeing team not seeing Miroslav Klose being yards offside when scoring the late winner in the home game. Away in Florence, Bayern was trailing twice with a two-goals deficit and only survived elimination with two long-range shots. Arjen Robben’s goal in particular can be found in every highlight video of his. The Dutchman truly became the ultimate difference maker in these weeks and even if I personally believe Robben’s absolute peak came in the calendar year 2014, the opinion of him never ever being quite as good as in these first six months of 2010 is more than understandable.<a href="https://miasanrot.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2020/01/Robben-Fiorentina.jpg">Media</a><strong>Arjen Robben during the first six months of 2010: The ultimate difference maker</strong>
(Image: Lars Baron/Bongarts/Getty Images)<a href="#the-first-leg"></a><strong>The first leg</strong>Thus roughly a year after the era-defining loss to Barcelona, Bayern stood in the quarter-finals of the Champions League once more. The opponent had previously been Barcelona’s opponent in the finals of said previous year, Manchester United.Without the suspended Schweinsteiger and injured Robben things began pretty dire as United scored in the opening two minutes. Nani crossed the ball from a free kick to the strangely unmarked Wayne Rooney, who did not struggle in front of goal. Bayern worked hard and gradually got better and better until completely taking over the game in the closing 15 minutes.They drew level when Ribéry’s fairly lackluster free kick took a deflection off of Rooney’s heel yet it looked like Bayern going all out came a little too late. Suddenly in stoppage time, Mario Gómez got possibly the most absurd idea of his entire career. Facing a bunch of Champions League winners, the usually not as nimble striker decided to start dribbling from the half-way line! With huge heart, a whole lot of luck, and even a bit of skill, the resilient Gómez actually managed to beat three of his opponents – named Rooney, Scholes and Giggs, mind you! – and was only stopped by the combined efforts of Nemanja Vidić and Patrice Evra. Perhaps still befuddled by the bizarre dribbling they had just intercepted, they missed Olić sneaking up from the right-hand side, stealing the ball from Evra, only for him to beat Ferdinand, duping van der Sar with a feint shot and finish precisely where the great Dutch keeper had just been standing seconds before. Bayern had indeed beaten the great Manchester United! They passed the first act of this drama successfully, now they had to hold on to their lead a week later in the Theatre of Dreams.<a href="https://miasanrot.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2019/12/MUFCFCB2010en-650x650.png">Media</a><a href="#in-case-you-forgot-it"></a><strong>In case you forgot it</strong><a href="#the-lineups"></a><strong>The lineups</strong>Louis van Gaal was famous for a lot of things…
In an epic 2010 Champions League second leg, Bayern was bound to win back its status of an international top club.<a href="#the-situation-before-the-game"></a><strong>The Situation before the game</strong>After a very mixed first half of the season 2009/10, Bayern saw the crucial final Champions League group stage match against Juventus Turin as a turning point for the entire season. From being fourth in the table with just as many points behind the league leaders -what would have meant Europa League back then!- and the pending elimination in the Champions League, to seemingly cruising to the German Championship with a five points advantage and only missing out on a historic treble by a single loss. But it is often forgotten just how different things were looking at times during this second half of the season 2009/10.Prior to the games against Manchester United, Bayern lost the top of the Bundesliga and also had a rocky path to the Champions League quarter-finals. Against Fiorentina a last minute victory only came with the refereeing team not seeing Miroslav Klose being yards offside when scoring the late winner in the home game. Away in Florence, Bayern was trailing twice with a two-goals deficit and only survived elimination with two long-range shots. Arjen Robben’s goal in particular can be found in every highlight video of his. The Dutchman truly became the ultimate difference maker in these weeks and even if I personally believe Robben’s absolute peak came in the calendar year 2014, the opinion of him never ever being quite as good as in these first six months of 2010 is more than understandable.<a href="https://miasanrot.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2020/01/Robben-Fiorentina.jpg">Media</a><strong>Arjen Robben during the first six months of 2010: The ultimate difference maker</strong>
(Image: Lars Baron/Bongarts/Getty Images)<a href="#the-first-leg"></a><strong>The first leg</strong>Thus roughly a year after the era-defining loss to Barcelona, Bayern stood in the quarter-finals of the Champions League once more. The opponent had previously been Barcelona’s opponent in the finals of said previous year, Manchester United.Without the suspended Schweinsteiger and injured Robben things began pretty dire as United scored in the opening two minutes. Nani crossed the ball from a free kick to the strangely unmarked Wayne Rooney, who did not struggle in front of goal. Bayern worked hard and gradually got better and better until completely taking over the game in the closing 15 minutes.They drew level when Ribéry’s fairly lackluster free kick took a deflection off of Rooney’s heel yet it looked like Bayern going all out came a little too late. Suddenly in stoppage time, Mario Gómez got possibly the most absurd idea of his entire career. Facing a bunch of Champions League winners, the usually not as nimble striker decided to start dribbling from the half-way line! With huge heart, a whole lot of luck, and even a bit of skill, the resilient Gómez actually managed to beat three of his opponents – named Rooney, Scholes and Giggs, mind you! – and was only stopped by the combined efforts of Nemanja Vidić and Patrice Evra. Perhaps still befuddled by the bizarre dribbling they had just intercepted, they missed Olić sneaking up from the right-hand side, stealing the ball from Evra, only for him to beat Ferdinand, duping van der Sar with a feint shot and finish precisely where the great Dutch keeper had just been standing seconds before. Bayern had indeed beaten the great Manchester United! They passed the first act of this drama successfully, now they had to hold on to their lead a week later in the Theatre of Dreams.<a href="https://miasanrot.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2019/12/MUFCFCB2010en-650x650.png">Media</a><a href="#in-case-you-forgot-it"></a><strong>In case you forgot it</strong><a href="#the-lineups"></a><strong>The lineups</strong>Louis van Gaal was famous for a lot of things…
<b>Game of my life #14: Jürgen Klopp strikes back, the end of an era for Bayern?</b>
Jürgen Klopp’s Liverpool eliminate Bayern Munich in the round of 16 of the Champions League. It is the beginning of the end for Niko Kovač and the true symbol of an end of a Golden Age. <em>Article written by Manuel.</em><a href="#the-situation-before-the-game">The Situation before the gameIt had been a difficult first half of a season for Bayern Munich under head coach Niko Kovač. Kovač took over the club that summer from Jupp Heynckes but oversaw a difficult start of the season that included a winless series over the duration of the Oktoberfest.Borussia Dortmund, in the meantime, dominated the first half of the season and built up a significant gap to Bayern. Slowly but surely, it became apparent that Bayern’s golden generation, built around wingers Franck Ribéry and Arjen Robben, was coming to a close.
Sure, the club still had its moments. Bayern played brilliantly against Borussia Dortmund on Nov. 10, 2018. But ultimately, the Rekordmeister would lose the game 3-2. The overall sense was that Bayern were still capable of special moments but that the squad could no longer consistently provide the sort of football the team was known for under Jupp Heynckes and Pep Guardiola.By the winter break, the club tried to make corrections by signing Lucas Hernández from Atlético Madrid to strengthen the defense and Callum Hudson-Odoi to add a spark to the attack. Furthermore, President Uli Hoeneß, CEO Karl-Heinz Rummenigge, and the sporting director kept underlining that this was a transition year for the club.Ultimately, Bayern failed to sign both targets that winter—although Hernández would join the club in the summer (more on that below). Then there were the ongoing debates on whether Kovač was the right man for the rebuild; his style of play was not always a good fit for the side it seemed. Also, players did not always follow the coach to the same level as it was the case at Eintracht Frankfurt.For Bayern, however, the great leveler is always the Champions League. Drawn against Jürgen Klopp’s Liverpool in the round of 16 of the competition, there was a sense that this would be the great test on what Kovač could get out of the side against the very best teams in world football.The first leg indicated that Bayern were still a team on par with the best in the world. Keeping the tie close, the Rekordmeister managed a 0-0 draw at Anfield. It was a good result on paper and should have given the club a good chance to advance to the next round of the competition.<a href="https://miasanrot.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2019/12/FCBLFC2019en-650x650.png">Media</a><a href="#in-case-you-missed-it">In Case You Missed It<a href="#the-starting-lineups">The Starting lineups Bayern started in a classical 4-2-3-1 formation. Thiago and Javi Martínez in midfield and James Rodríguez behind Lewandowski were supposed to bring much needed midfield stability – in theory. Martínez, in particular, had been immense in the first leg. But although Serge Gnabry started on the right, Franck Ribéry and James in the attacking-trident behind Lewandowski meant that Bayern never managed to develop enough speed to truly threaten Liverpool’s counter-pressing system. The midfield three was also very static. Kovač should have known better, his very own Eintracht Frankfurt successfully counter-pressed itself to the DFB Pokal final against a Bayern side that included James, Javi Martínez and Thiago in midfield… <a href="https://miasanrot.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2020/01/FBL-EUR-C1-BAYERN-MUNICH-LIVERPOOL-1578686742-975x650.jpg">Media</a><strong>The starting eleven Kovac picked.</strong>
(Image: Odd Andersen/AFP via Getty Images)<a href="#the-first-half">The first half It was not meant to be, however. Both sides needed to win, a nil-nil scoreline would have sent the game into overtime. With this in mind, both Jürgen Klopp and Niko Kovac emphasized the need…
Jürgen Klopp’s Liverpool eliminate Bayern Munich in the round of 16 of the Champions League. It is the beginning of the end for Niko Kovač and the true symbol of an end of a Golden Age. <em>Article written by Manuel.</em><a href="#the-situation-before-the-game">The Situation before the gameIt had been a difficult first half of a season for Bayern Munich under head coach Niko Kovač. Kovač took over the club that summer from Jupp Heynckes but oversaw a difficult start of the season that included a winless series over the duration of the Oktoberfest.Borussia Dortmund, in the meantime, dominated the first half of the season and built up a significant gap to Bayern. Slowly but surely, it became apparent that Bayern’s golden generation, built around wingers Franck Ribéry and Arjen Robben, was coming to a close.
Sure, the club still had its moments. Bayern played brilliantly against Borussia Dortmund on Nov. 10, 2018. But ultimately, the Rekordmeister would lose the game 3-2. The overall sense was that Bayern were still capable of special moments but that the squad could no longer consistently provide the sort of football the team was known for under Jupp Heynckes and Pep Guardiola.By the winter break, the club tried to make corrections by signing Lucas Hernández from Atlético Madrid to strengthen the defense and Callum Hudson-Odoi to add a spark to the attack. Furthermore, President Uli Hoeneß, CEO Karl-Heinz Rummenigge, and the sporting director kept underlining that this was a transition year for the club.Ultimately, Bayern failed to sign both targets that winter—although Hernández would join the club in the summer (more on that below). Then there were the ongoing debates on whether Kovač was the right man for the rebuild; his style of play was not always a good fit for the side it seemed. Also, players did not always follow the coach to the same level as it was the case at Eintracht Frankfurt.For Bayern, however, the great leveler is always the Champions League. Drawn against Jürgen Klopp’s Liverpool in the round of 16 of the competition, there was a sense that this would be the great test on what Kovač could get out of the side against the very best teams in world football.The first leg indicated that Bayern were still a team on par with the best in the world. Keeping the tie close, the Rekordmeister managed a 0-0 draw at Anfield. It was a good result on paper and should have given the club a good chance to advance to the next round of the competition.<a href="https://miasanrot.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2019/12/FCBLFC2019en-650x650.png">Media</a><a href="#in-case-you-missed-it">In Case You Missed It<a href="#the-starting-lineups">The Starting lineups Bayern started in a classical 4-2-3-1 formation. Thiago and Javi Martínez in midfield and James Rodríguez behind Lewandowski were supposed to bring much needed midfield stability – in theory. Martínez, in particular, had been immense in the first leg. But although Serge Gnabry started on the right, Franck Ribéry and James in the attacking-trident behind Lewandowski meant that Bayern never managed to develop enough speed to truly threaten Liverpool’s counter-pressing system. The midfield three was also very static. Kovač should have known better, his very own Eintracht Frankfurt successfully counter-pressed itself to the DFB Pokal final against a Bayern side that included James, Javi Martínez and Thiago in midfield… <a href="https://miasanrot.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2020/01/FBL-EUR-C1-BAYERN-MUNICH-LIVERPOOL-1578686742-975x650.jpg">Media</a><strong>The starting eleven Kovac picked.</strong>
(Image: Odd Andersen/AFP via Getty Images)<a href="#the-first-half">The first half It was not meant to be, however. Both sides needed to win, a nil-nil scoreline would have sent the game into overtime. With this in mind, both Jürgen Klopp and Niko Kovac emphasized the need…
<b>Why I love – and write about – football</b>
I know that social media can be a very dark place where people are venting, trolling and letting go of all their pent-up emotions. The abuse and harassment that prominent figures on social media have to endure on a daily basis is astonishing. I am not a celebrity or a prominent figure, and I do not publish provocative posts (most of the time, at least); therefore, I am of no interest to online bullies.A couple of days ago, however, I saw a reply to one of my tweets, one I had not noticed before. I had posted the link to my article to the Game Of My Life series. I occasionally translate articles for Miasanrot, but this time I tried my hand at writing my own piece. Someone had responded: “Why is a woman writing about football? Disgusting…”Of course, the golden rule is: do not, under any circumstance, feed the trolls – but I was annoyed nonetheless. So I would like to answer the question.<a href="#in-case-you-missed-it"></a>In case you missed itI was born in Frankfurt in 1979 to an Indonesian mother and a German father. My parents both love football – which is quite common in Germany, but also in Indonesia. They are crazy about football over there. My dad’s favorite team is Mönchengladbach, while my mom is a fan of Bayern Munich. Why both my sister and I take after our mother in this regard remains an unsolved mystery.During my childhood and youth, we moved to a new city or country every four to five years. In hindsight, this is an experience that I truly cherish and appreciate, but it also led to a feeling of being rootless. I have struggled with the notions of “home” and “identity” throughout my whole life. Having lived in Indonesia and Japan for many years, I had a fraught relationship with Germany. But every time I watched Bayern Munich or the national team play, I felt like I do belong after all – in these moments, I felt German.Football has been a constant in my life, with some breaks and less intense phases in between because it was not always easy to follow German football and the Bundesliga abroad. Luckily, this has changed in the past years.As a child – and also later as a teenager – the only thing I ever wanted to be when I was growing up was a writer. Since I did not write a bestselling novel in high school that would guarantee a carefree existence without any financial worries, my plan B was to become a journalist – which I did. I worked as a features reporter/ editor for a Jakarta-based newspaper and magazine and thoroughly enjoyed it. Honestly, I think those were easily the best years of my life so far.As a features writer, I covered – as I like to call it – the good things in life: art, music, literature, travel, culture, design, film. But of course it did not go unnoticed in the newsroom that I was an avid football fan. The sports editor was kind enough to let me write a bi-weekly column during the World Cup 2010. In these columns, I offered commentary on events on and off the pitch. Since the column was relatively well received, I was allowed to continue writing them during the next two major football tournaments as well.In 2017, I covered the International Champions Cup in Singapore, attending Bayern Munich games, a fan tournament, a training session as well as the official pre-and post-match press conferences. I often caught myself thinking: damn, I love my job!Personally, everything fell into place for me in 2013 and 2014: first, Bayern Munich clinched the treble, and one year later Germany won the World Cup in Brazil. It was simply wonderful because I could see Bastian Schweinsteiger, my all-time favorite football player, lift those trophies after so many failed (and sometimes downright tragic) attempts.<a href="#things-i-noticed"></a>Things I noticedBut it was also gratifying for another reason: even though I was still happily living in Indonesia at the time, I had never felt more German. It was such an overwhelming and incredible feeling that I wrote a whole book…
I know that social media can be a very dark place where people are venting, trolling and letting go of all their pent-up emotions. The abuse and harassment that prominent figures on social media have to endure on a daily basis is astonishing. I am not a celebrity or a prominent figure, and I do not publish provocative posts (most of the time, at least); therefore, I am of no interest to online bullies.A couple of days ago, however, I saw a reply to one of my tweets, one I had not noticed before. I had posted the link to my article to the Game Of My Life series. I occasionally translate articles for Miasanrot, but this time I tried my hand at writing my own piece. Someone had responded: “Why is a woman writing about football? Disgusting…”Of course, the golden rule is: do not, under any circumstance, feed the trolls – but I was annoyed nonetheless. So I would like to answer the question.<a href="#in-case-you-missed-it"></a>In case you missed itI was born in Frankfurt in 1979 to an Indonesian mother and a German father. My parents both love football – which is quite common in Germany, but also in Indonesia. They are crazy about football over there. My dad’s favorite team is Mönchengladbach, while my mom is a fan of Bayern Munich. Why both my sister and I take after our mother in this regard remains an unsolved mystery.During my childhood and youth, we moved to a new city or country every four to five years. In hindsight, this is an experience that I truly cherish and appreciate, but it also led to a feeling of being rootless. I have struggled with the notions of “home” and “identity” throughout my whole life. Having lived in Indonesia and Japan for many years, I had a fraught relationship with Germany. But every time I watched Bayern Munich or the national team play, I felt like I do belong after all – in these moments, I felt German.Football has been a constant in my life, with some breaks and less intense phases in between because it was not always easy to follow German football and the Bundesliga abroad. Luckily, this has changed in the past years.As a child – and also later as a teenager – the only thing I ever wanted to be when I was growing up was a writer. Since I did not write a bestselling novel in high school that would guarantee a carefree existence without any financial worries, my plan B was to become a journalist – which I did. I worked as a features reporter/ editor for a Jakarta-based newspaper and magazine and thoroughly enjoyed it. Honestly, I think those were easily the best years of my life so far.As a features writer, I covered – as I like to call it – the good things in life: art, music, literature, travel, culture, design, film. But of course it did not go unnoticed in the newsroom that I was an avid football fan. The sports editor was kind enough to let me write a bi-weekly column during the World Cup 2010. In these columns, I offered commentary on events on and off the pitch. Since the column was relatively well received, I was allowed to continue writing them during the next two major football tournaments as well.In 2017, I covered the International Champions Cup in Singapore, attending Bayern Munich games, a fan tournament, a training session as well as the official pre-and post-match press conferences. I often caught myself thinking: damn, I love my job!Personally, everything fell into place for me in 2013 and 2014: first, Bayern Munich clinched the treble, and one year later Germany won the World Cup in Brazil. It was simply wonderful because I could see Bastian Schweinsteiger, my all-time favorite football player, lift those trophies after so many failed (and sometimes downright tragic) attempts.<a href="#things-i-noticed"></a>Things I noticedBut it was also gratifying for another reason: even though I was still happily living in Indonesia at the time, I had never felt more German. It was such an overwhelming and incredible feeling that I wrote a whole book…
<b>30 good minutes – Bayern defeats Hertha 4:0!</b>
Following a very lukewarm first half, Bayern significantly improved in the second half and won deservedly 4:0 in the freezing cold Olympic Stadium against Hertha BSC.
<a href="#in-case-you-missed-it"></a>In case you missed it<a href="#the-lineups"></a>The lineupsIn the absence of real alternatives, Hansi Flick’s first lineup after the winter break had no surprises. Without the injured Martínez and Hernández, Jérôme Boateng started in central defence, Pavard on the right. Thiago played deep-lying playmaker and was surrounded by Leon Goretzka and Philippe Coutinho. Ivan Perišić played on the left wing, his counterpart Thomas Müller was forced once more to play on the right wing. The “new signing” (as described by Flick) Lewandowski was just in time fit to start. The simultaneously “signed” Gnabry was sitting with Tolisso on the bench, which otherwise was comprised solely with youth players.Hertha’s coaching-team Klinsmann/Nouri organised their team in a 4-1-4-1 formation, which defended in a 4-4-2. New signing Ascacíbar played in defensive midfield, Lukébakio was the right-winger, Davie Selke played as the lone striker. Next to Dedryck Boyata, who had played an excellent first half season, Torunarigha came into the team for the ill German international Niklas Stark.<a href="#the-first-half"></a>The first halfHertha sat deep and let Bayern come at them. Bayern on the other hand was attacking with lots of possession but no return. It took them until the 25th minute to come anywhere close to scoring, Lewandowski played a one-two with Perišić but put the ball wide in front of Jarstein. That remained the only attacking situation of any note for the entire first half. Be it vertical passes, crosses or set pieces, nothing amounted to any kind of danger. It seemed as even referee Tobias Stieler took pity on the game and the audience when he ended the first half precisely on time, denying Bayern another corner-kick, which undoubtedly would have been just as harmless as the rest of Bayern’s set pieces had been all game.<a href="#the-second-half"></a>The second halfThe game continued without any changes but a lot more energy and drive. While failing to score, Ivan Perišić on his own put that much pressure on Hertha with three dangerous chances that they cracked in the 60th minute. From the right byline, Leon Goretzka put in an excellent cross to the now very well playing Perišić, who in turn won his aerial duel and put it to Thomas Müller. With a posture that only he would have while shooting, Müller scored through Jarstein’s legs.<a href="https://miasanrot.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2020/01/M%C3%BCller-m%C3%BCllert-gegen-Hertha-998x650.jpg">Media</a><strong>Müller with the 1:0!</strong>
(Image: Maja Hitij/Bongarts/Getty Images)Three minutes later, Lewandowski scored the presumed 2:0, but the referee decided he had fouled goalkeeper Jarstein during the heading-motion, a debatable call. That did not end up mattering, as in the 73rd minute Lewandowski scored the second goal with a penalty anyway. During a corner, Lukas Klünter was gripping onto and pulling Leon Goretzka down so vehemently, that Tobias Stieler pointed to the spot. Lewandowski took the penalty as confident as ever. Thiago decided the game another three minutes later. The Spanish international played a one-two with Goretzka, pushed into the box and scored from the right half-space with a perfect strike into the top-left corner. Following this, Leon Dajaku and Mickaël Cuisance got the opportunity to get more Bundesliga-practice as they came on for Alphonso Davies and Coutinho. Forward Dajaku was now playing left-back. Seconds later in the 84th minute, Ivan Perišić got onto the scoresheet rewarding for a really strong second half performance. Thomas Müller crossed from the right-hand side to the Croatian, who beat right-back Klünter in the air and scored with Jarstein…
Following a very lukewarm first half, Bayern significantly improved in the second half and won deservedly 4:0 in the freezing cold Olympic Stadium against Hertha BSC.
<a href="#in-case-you-missed-it"></a>In case you missed it<a href="#the-lineups"></a>The lineupsIn the absence of real alternatives, Hansi Flick’s first lineup after the winter break had no surprises. Without the injured Martínez and Hernández, Jérôme Boateng started in central defence, Pavard on the right. Thiago played deep-lying playmaker and was surrounded by Leon Goretzka and Philippe Coutinho. Ivan Perišić played on the left wing, his counterpart Thomas Müller was forced once more to play on the right wing. The “new signing” (as described by Flick) Lewandowski was just in time fit to start. The simultaneously “signed” Gnabry was sitting with Tolisso on the bench, which otherwise was comprised solely with youth players.Hertha’s coaching-team Klinsmann/Nouri organised their team in a 4-1-4-1 formation, which defended in a 4-4-2. New signing Ascacíbar played in defensive midfield, Lukébakio was the right-winger, Davie Selke played as the lone striker. Next to Dedryck Boyata, who had played an excellent first half season, Torunarigha came into the team for the ill German international Niklas Stark.<a href="#the-first-half"></a>The first halfHertha sat deep and let Bayern come at them. Bayern on the other hand was attacking with lots of possession but no return. It took them until the 25th minute to come anywhere close to scoring, Lewandowski played a one-two with Perišić but put the ball wide in front of Jarstein. That remained the only attacking situation of any note for the entire first half. Be it vertical passes, crosses or set pieces, nothing amounted to any kind of danger. It seemed as even referee Tobias Stieler took pity on the game and the audience when he ended the first half precisely on time, denying Bayern another corner-kick, which undoubtedly would have been just as harmless as the rest of Bayern’s set pieces had been all game.<a href="#the-second-half"></a>The second halfThe game continued without any changes but a lot more energy and drive. While failing to score, Ivan Perišić on his own put that much pressure on Hertha with three dangerous chances that they cracked in the 60th minute. From the right byline, Leon Goretzka put in an excellent cross to the now very well playing Perišić, who in turn won his aerial duel and put it to Thomas Müller. With a posture that only he would have while shooting, Müller scored through Jarstein’s legs.<a href="https://miasanrot.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2020/01/M%C3%BCller-m%C3%BCllert-gegen-Hertha-998x650.jpg">Media</a><strong>Müller with the 1:0!</strong>
(Image: Maja Hitij/Bongarts/Getty Images)Three minutes later, Lewandowski scored the presumed 2:0, but the referee decided he had fouled goalkeeper Jarstein during the heading-motion, a debatable call. That did not end up mattering, as in the 73rd minute Lewandowski scored the second goal with a penalty anyway. During a corner, Lukas Klünter was gripping onto and pulling Leon Goretzka down so vehemently, that Tobias Stieler pointed to the spot. Lewandowski took the penalty as confident as ever. Thiago decided the game another three minutes later. The Spanish international played a one-two with Goretzka, pushed into the box and scored from the right half-space with a perfect strike into the top-left corner. Following this, Leon Dajaku and Mickaël Cuisance got the opportunity to get more Bundesliga-practice as they came on for Alphonso Davies and Coutinho. Forward Dajaku was now playing left-back. Seconds later in the 84th minute, Ivan Perišić got onto the scoresheet rewarding for a really strong second half performance. Thomas Müller crossed from the right-hand side to the Croatian, who beat right-back Klünter in the air and scored with Jarstein…
<b>Bayern is closing in on the top with a 5-0 win against Schalke</b>
For their first home game after the winter break, the team of coach Hans-Dieter Flick was expecting a stern test of their quality. In a dominant match they defeated Schalke 04, fifth in the table, 5-0.Germany’s record champions went into the match against Schalke with the confidence of four consecutive victories in their last four games and the knowledge that Schalke’s last win in Munich dates back to 2009. Thanks to Leipzig’s defeat earlier in the afternoon, Bayern could move to within one point of the top. Nevertheless, Schalke, who had been completely remodeled and brushed up in the process by David Wagner, should not be taken lightly.<a href="#in-case-you-missed-it"></a>In case you missed it<a href="#the-starting-lineups"></a>The starting lineupsAfter just three days of training, coach Flick decided against using Bayern’s new signing Álvaro Odriozola and opted instead for the familiar back four of Alaba and Boateng in central defense and Pavard and Davies as full-backs. In front of them, Kimmich returned to the team in defensive midfield while Coutinho dropped to the bench. Perišić, who had performed well in the last game, was preferred to Gnabry.On the part of Schalke, Wagner made only a few changes from the 2-0 win against Gladbach. Just like against the “foals”, Gregoritsch was the second striker in a 4-4-2 diamond formation alongside Matondo, while ex-Bayern second team player Alessandro Schöpf started from the bench, the same as Benito Raman. Top scorer Harit returned to the team. In the back four, Nastasić and Kabak played in the centre. The latter had declared publicly during the week that Bayern had been interested in signing him last summer. In goal, Wagner again had to do without Alexander Nübel, Bayern’s recent goalkeeper signing for the summer, who is still out with a red card ban.<a href="#the-first-half"></a>The first halfAfter an impressive choreo for Holocaust Memorial Day under the motto “Against Forgetting” and a minute’s silence for former managing director Walter Fembeck, the game began as the anticipated tough test. Schalke pressed Bayern high to disrupt their build-up play early and earned their first goal chance through Serdar as a reward for their efforts after just a few minutes. Then, however, out of nothing Bayern was gifted the 1-0 lead. Goalkeeper Schubert underestimated a cross from Müller and let the ball slip through his hands. Perišić got the ball close to the goal-line and cut it back to the center, where Lewandowski had no difficulties knocking it over the line (5′).But Schalke was not dismayed and continued as before. Their pressing remained effective and forced Bayern to make mistakes. Neuer could only just parry a shot from Matondo against the crossbar after nine minutes. Only when Bayern managed to play over Schalke’s first wave of pressing, they were able to control the opponent better.After seventeen minutes, the ball nestled in Schalke’s goal for the second time, but the goal was disallowed for offside by referee Gräfe, and the decision stood after the obligatory VAR check. Müller had deflected a shot from Goretzka over Schubert into the goal. Thus the scoreline remained at 1-0.As a result of the turn the game had taken, Schalke decided to drop off to a deeper position. Bayern now managed to press the opposition into their own penalty area, but missed to score the probably decisive early 2-0. Schalke remained dangerous with occasional counterattacks against a partly shaky Bayern defense.With this tactic, Schalke seemed to lull Bayern to sleep a little. And just as the fans started worrying that their team was about to invite their opponents to enjoy an unnecessary comeback in a critical phase, Bayern scored again. To nobody’s big surprise, it was through Lewandowski. But the celebrations were cut short as this goal too was ruled out for offside. This time it was Pavard before his cross…
For their first home game after the winter break, the team of coach Hans-Dieter Flick was expecting a stern test of their quality. In a dominant match they defeated Schalke 04, fifth in the table, 5-0.Germany’s record champions went into the match against Schalke with the confidence of four consecutive victories in their last four games and the knowledge that Schalke’s last win in Munich dates back to 2009. Thanks to Leipzig’s defeat earlier in the afternoon, Bayern could move to within one point of the top. Nevertheless, Schalke, who had been completely remodeled and brushed up in the process by David Wagner, should not be taken lightly.<a href="#in-case-you-missed-it"></a>In case you missed it<a href="#the-starting-lineups"></a>The starting lineupsAfter just three days of training, coach Flick decided against using Bayern’s new signing Álvaro Odriozola and opted instead for the familiar back four of Alaba and Boateng in central defense and Pavard and Davies as full-backs. In front of them, Kimmich returned to the team in defensive midfield while Coutinho dropped to the bench. Perišić, who had performed well in the last game, was preferred to Gnabry.On the part of Schalke, Wagner made only a few changes from the 2-0 win against Gladbach. Just like against the “foals”, Gregoritsch was the second striker in a 4-4-2 diamond formation alongside Matondo, while ex-Bayern second team player Alessandro Schöpf started from the bench, the same as Benito Raman. Top scorer Harit returned to the team. In the back four, Nastasić and Kabak played in the centre. The latter had declared publicly during the week that Bayern had been interested in signing him last summer. In goal, Wagner again had to do without Alexander Nübel, Bayern’s recent goalkeeper signing for the summer, who is still out with a red card ban.<a href="#the-first-half"></a>The first halfAfter an impressive choreo for Holocaust Memorial Day under the motto “Against Forgetting” and a minute’s silence for former managing director Walter Fembeck, the game began as the anticipated tough test. Schalke pressed Bayern high to disrupt their build-up play early and earned their first goal chance through Serdar as a reward for their efforts after just a few minutes. Then, however, out of nothing Bayern was gifted the 1-0 lead. Goalkeeper Schubert underestimated a cross from Müller and let the ball slip through his hands. Perišić got the ball close to the goal-line and cut it back to the center, where Lewandowski had no difficulties knocking it over the line (5′).But Schalke was not dismayed and continued as before. Their pressing remained effective and forced Bayern to make mistakes. Neuer could only just parry a shot from Matondo against the crossbar after nine minutes. Only when Bayern managed to play over Schalke’s first wave of pressing, they were able to control the opponent better.After seventeen minutes, the ball nestled in Schalke’s goal for the second time, but the goal was disallowed for offside by referee Gräfe, and the decision stood after the obligatory VAR check. Müller had deflected a shot from Goretzka over Schubert into the goal. Thus the scoreline remained at 1-0.As a result of the turn the game had taken, Schalke decided to drop off to a deeper position. Bayern now managed to press the opposition into their own penalty area, but missed to score the probably decisive early 2-0. Schalke remained dangerous with occasional counterattacks against a partly shaky Bayern defense.With this tactic, Schalke seemed to lull Bayern to sleep a little. And just as the fans started worrying that their team was about to invite their opponents to enjoy an unnecessary comeback in a critical phase, Bayern scored again. To nobody’s big surprise, it was through Lewandowski. But the celebrations were cut short as this goal too was ruled out for offside. This time it was Pavard before his cross…
<b>Bayern gets the next win! 30 minutes for a 3:1 in Mainz</b>
A strong opening 30 minutes are enough for Bayern to get a comfortable lead against Mainz. Following the wonder goals, however, they switch to more conservative game management for the rest of the game and leave Mainz with a 3:1 victory
<a href="#in-case-you-missed-it"></a>In case you missed it<a href="#the-lineups"></a>The lineups Hansi Flick did not make any changes and chose the exact same starting lineup as he did a week prior against Schalke 04. Following two strong performances, Jérôme Boateng remained in the team as loanee Odriozola was still waiting for his debut. Leon Goretzka was once more the preferred choice over Coutinho and Tolisso, while the previously well-playing Ivan Perišić was still ahead of Serge Gnabry ensuring his full recovery.Mainz 05 lined up in a 4-2-3-1-Formation with the now injury-free Mateta as centre-forward and Boëtius in offensive midfield.<a href="#the-first-half"></a>The first halfFrom the very beginning onwards, Bayern started putting in crosses into the opponent’s box and almost immediately reaped the benefits in the eighth minute. Thiago shifted play to the right side to the free Pavard, who found Lewandowski with a curling pinpoint cross. The Polish striker stole himself away from his defenders to score an astoundingly free header for the 1:0.Six minutes later Bayern doubled their lead with their very next high-caliber chance. Müller passed vertically to Lewandowski, who lost his one-on-one with Zenter, yet Goretzka recovered the rebound in the left half-space and laid it off it perfectly across to the arriving Müller, who despite being surrounded by Mainz’ players all around, found the net. With a two-goal lead Bayern got a little careless as they let Mainz establish an effective press, inviting the home-side to a number of smaller chances. Thiago took it upon himself to break through this small spell of pressure in the 25th minute, clearing up any doubts with an unbelievable solo-goal. He received the ball about 25 meters away from goal in the left half-space, dribbled past a seemingly sturdy defensive wall with multiple body feints, beating three defenders and hitting the net with a strong shot to the bottom-right corner. An astonishing sequence.Beierlorzer took off the jaded Customer (Kunde) to bring on Latza for the same position, while Bayern in turn switched to management mode and this time paid the price for it. Right before the half-time whistle, St. Juste headed in a needless corner after taking a deflection off of Goretzka’s shoulder making the half-time scoreline 1:3.<a href="#the-second-half"></a>The second halfThe late goal only woke up Mainz as they came out with a completely different passion and drive attacking Bayern and pressing high up the field. Even with a comfortable lead, Bayern failed to quiet down the game, thus Flick reacted with subbing in Coutinho and Gnabry for Goretzka and Müller. The game settled down now, but without Bayern creating any chances themselves, Mainz remained ever so dangerous. Equally, Beierlorzer’s substitutions dictated Mainz to continue attacking with Onisiwo and Szalai coming in for Barreiro and Mateta. This almost immediately had a direct positive consequence as Szalai appeared almost alone in front of Neuer. With a last-ditch effort, Thiago saved the situation in a way, but that only forced his keeper to prevent an own-goal. Not much happened afterwards and after Flick brought on Tolisso, Mainz only had an offside chance. In the end, Bayern won their third consecutive game in the second half of the season, became league leaders with Leipzig’s slip-up and are now awaiting Hoffenheim and the aforementioned Leipzig in the cup and league in the next week.
<a href="#things-that-caught-our-eye"></a>Things that caught our eye<a href="#1-brilliant-at-the-start"></a>1. Brilliant at the startAll Bayern goals had their brilliant moments, be it Lewandowski’s run and powerful…
A strong opening 30 minutes are enough for Bayern to get a comfortable lead against Mainz. Following the wonder goals, however, they switch to more conservative game management for the rest of the game and leave Mainz with a 3:1 victory
<a href="#in-case-you-missed-it"></a>In case you missed it<a href="#the-lineups"></a>The lineups Hansi Flick did not make any changes and chose the exact same starting lineup as he did a week prior against Schalke 04. Following two strong performances, Jérôme Boateng remained in the team as loanee Odriozola was still waiting for his debut. Leon Goretzka was once more the preferred choice over Coutinho and Tolisso, while the previously well-playing Ivan Perišić was still ahead of Serge Gnabry ensuring his full recovery.Mainz 05 lined up in a 4-2-3-1-Formation with the now injury-free Mateta as centre-forward and Boëtius in offensive midfield.<a href="#the-first-half"></a>The first halfFrom the very beginning onwards, Bayern started putting in crosses into the opponent’s box and almost immediately reaped the benefits in the eighth minute. Thiago shifted play to the right side to the free Pavard, who found Lewandowski with a curling pinpoint cross. The Polish striker stole himself away from his defenders to score an astoundingly free header for the 1:0.Six minutes later Bayern doubled their lead with their very next high-caliber chance. Müller passed vertically to Lewandowski, who lost his one-on-one with Zenter, yet Goretzka recovered the rebound in the left half-space and laid it off it perfectly across to the arriving Müller, who despite being surrounded by Mainz’ players all around, found the net. With a two-goal lead Bayern got a little careless as they let Mainz establish an effective press, inviting the home-side to a number of smaller chances. Thiago took it upon himself to break through this small spell of pressure in the 25th minute, clearing up any doubts with an unbelievable solo-goal. He received the ball about 25 meters away from goal in the left half-space, dribbled past a seemingly sturdy defensive wall with multiple body feints, beating three defenders and hitting the net with a strong shot to the bottom-right corner. An astonishing sequence.Beierlorzer took off the jaded Customer (Kunde) to bring on Latza for the same position, while Bayern in turn switched to management mode and this time paid the price for it. Right before the half-time whistle, St. Juste headed in a needless corner after taking a deflection off of Goretzka’s shoulder making the half-time scoreline 1:3.<a href="#the-second-half"></a>The second halfThe late goal only woke up Mainz as they came out with a completely different passion and drive attacking Bayern and pressing high up the field. Even with a comfortable lead, Bayern failed to quiet down the game, thus Flick reacted with subbing in Coutinho and Gnabry for Goretzka and Müller. The game settled down now, but without Bayern creating any chances themselves, Mainz remained ever so dangerous. Equally, Beierlorzer’s substitutions dictated Mainz to continue attacking with Onisiwo and Szalai coming in for Barreiro and Mateta. This almost immediately had a direct positive consequence as Szalai appeared almost alone in front of Neuer. With a last-ditch effort, Thiago saved the situation in a way, but that only forced his keeper to prevent an own-goal. Not much happened afterwards and after Flick brought on Tolisso, Mainz only had an offside chance. In the end, Bayern won their third consecutive game in the second half of the season, became league leaders with Leipzig’s slip-up and are now awaiting Hoffenheim and the aforementioned Leipzig in the cup and league in the next week.
<a href="#things-that-caught-our-eye"></a>Things that caught our eye<a href="#1-brilliant-at-the-start"></a>1. Brilliant at the startAll Bayern goals had their brilliant moments, be it Lewandowski’s run and powerful…
<b>First dominance, then luck! Bayern progresses with a 4:3 in the cup!</b>
For an entire half, Bayern is dominating Hoffenheim like old times, but in the end, things get really wild.
<a href="#in-case-you-missed-it"></a>In case you missed it<a href="#the-lineups"></a>The lineups For the first time since the winter break, Hansi Flick chose to rotate his team. The defence remained unchanged, but the coach changed everything in front of it. For Thiago, Goretzka and the injured Perišić, Tolisso, Coutinho and Gnabry came into the team. Following strong performances on the wing, Thomas Müller returned to central midfield. On top of that, with Odriozola still left waiting for his debut, Lucas Hernández found his way back to the squad for the first time since autumn last year.TSG Hoffenheim played in a 4-1-4-1 formation with ex-Bayern-player Sebastian Rudy in defensive midfield, Nordtveit slightly higher up the pitch, Bebou in attacking midfield and Kramarić as the lone centre-forward.<a href="#the-first-half"></a>The first halfThe game started with goals on both sides, with the small distinction that only Hoffenheim’s counted, following Lewandowski’s goal being rightfully disallowed due to being ever so slightly offside. Coutinho lost possession rather needlessly, enabling Bruun Larsen’s attempt from outside the penalty area, which Neuer in turn blocked to the side. Grillitsch held the ball in play, laid it off to Bebou, whose forceful pass was aiming for Kramarić but was deflected by Boateng into Bayern’s own net (8’). This did not remain the sole own goal as the defending team was once more to score in their own net for the equaliser five minutes later. Coutinho passed it to the sprinting Davies, who was aiming for Müller with a sharp low cross, but Hübner got to it before and deflected it into his own goal.The former German international did not despair upon this “theft” and got his very own goal in the 20th minute. Hoffenheim was only pressing Bayern from the midfield onwards while Bayern were dominating, so Alaba could safely push up into midfield himself, to hit a precise long ball for Müller, who scored with a single touch. Bayern remained on top for the remaining half as Hoffenheim could rarely even get past the half-way line despite not playing badly. In the 36th minute the home side could finally transfer this dominance into a two-goal lead. Alaba once more played a vertical long strike to Müller, Pentke and Hübner obstructed each other for the ball to reach the free Lewandowski. The Polish strike rose high into the air and headed the ball in for a 3:1 half-time lead. <a href="#the-second-half"></a>The second halfThe game continued without any team- or playing-style-changes. For the first fifteen minutes, Bayern was still controlling play, creating more chances. Yet with time Hoffenheim was gradually playing better and getting their own chances. After having been pretty much marked out of the game by Davies, Bebou was substituted off for Dabbur and Hoffenheim switched to a 4-4-2. The game seemed to flatline at first, but then Hoffenheim drastically increased the tempo, creating two clear-cut chances and even scoring, although that was ultimately called off for handball. It seemed like some Bayern players were completely out of steam, yet Hansi Flick refused to bring on new players. This was on first glance the correct decision as Lewandowski managed to score Bayern’s fourth goal following a Kimmich corner to the near post (81’). Leading the game now with three goals, Hansi Flick decided to rest both goalscorers Müller and Lewanowski for the final 10 minutes with Zirkzee and Cuisance coming in.What appeared to be final nail in the coffin was actually the starting point for an utterly bizarre ending sequence, starting all with Hoffenheim scoring not even a full minute after Bayern’s 4:1. Neuer played a dangerous pass to Pavard in build-up play, which led to Pavard losing possession to Zuber and a low cross…
For an entire half, Bayern is dominating Hoffenheim like old times, but in the end, things get really wild.
<a href="#in-case-you-missed-it"></a>In case you missed it<a href="#the-lineups"></a>The lineups For the first time since the winter break, Hansi Flick chose to rotate his team. The defence remained unchanged, but the coach changed everything in front of it. For Thiago, Goretzka and the injured Perišić, Tolisso, Coutinho and Gnabry came into the team. Following strong performances on the wing, Thomas Müller returned to central midfield. On top of that, with Odriozola still left waiting for his debut, Lucas Hernández found his way back to the squad for the first time since autumn last year.TSG Hoffenheim played in a 4-1-4-1 formation with ex-Bayern-player Sebastian Rudy in defensive midfield, Nordtveit slightly higher up the pitch, Bebou in attacking midfield and Kramarić as the lone centre-forward.<a href="#the-first-half"></a>The first halfThe game started with goals on both sides, with the small distinction that only Hoffenheim’s counted, following Lewandowski’s goal being rightfully disallowed due to being ever so slightly offside. Coutinho lost possession rather needlessly, enabling Bruun Larsen’s attempt from outside the penalty area, which Neuer in turn blocked to the side. Grillitsch held the ball in play, laid it off to Bebou, whose forceful pass was aiming for Kramarić but was deflected by Boateng into Bayern’s own net (8’). This did not remain the sole own goal as the defending team was once more to score in their own net for the equaliser five minutes later. Coutinho passed it to the sprinting Davies, who was aiming for Müller with a sharp low cross, but Hübner got to it before and deflected it into his own goal.The former German international did not despair upon this “theft” and got his very own goal in the 20th minute. Hoffenheim was only pressing Bayern from the midfield onwards while Bayern were dominating, so Alaba could safely push up into midfield himself, to hit a precise long ball for Müller, who scored with a single touch. Bayern remained on top for the remaining half as Hoffenheim could rarely even get past the half-way line despite not playing badly. In the 36th minute the home side could finally transfer this dominance into a two-goal lead. Alaba once more played a vertical long strike to Müller, Pentke and Hübner obstructed each other for the ball to reach the free Lewandowski. The Polish strike rose high into the air and headed the ball in for a 3:1 half-time lead. <a href="#the-second-half"></a>The second halfThe game continued without any team- or playing-style-changes. For the first fifteen minutes, Bayern was still controlling play, creating more chances. Yet with time Hoffenheim was gradually playing better and getting their own chances. After having been pretty much marked out of the game by Davies, Bebou was substituted off for Dabbur and Hoffenheim switched to a 4-4-2. The game seemed to flatline at first, but then Hoffenheim drastically increased the tempo, creating two clear-cut chances and even scoring, although that was ultimately called off for handball. It seemed like some Bayern players were completely out of steam, yet Hansi Flick refused to bring on new players. This was on first glance the correct decision as Lewandowski managed to score Bayern’s fourth goal following a Kimmich corner to the near post (81’). Leading the game now with three goals, Hansi Flick decided to rest both goalscorers Müller and Lewanowski for the final 10 minutes with Zirkzee and Cuisance coming in.What appeared to be final nail in the coffin was actually the starting point for an utterly bizarre ending sequence, starting all with Hoffenheim scoring not even a full minute after Bayern’s 4:1. Neuer played a dangerous pass to Pavard in build-up play, which led to Pavard losing possession to Zuber and a low cross…
<b>Bayern “Two Face” defeats Cologne 4-1</b>
Borussia Dortmund, RB Leipzig and Gladbach had collectively upped the ante with their performances on Friday and Saturday. They all won their games comprehensively. And so Bayern went into the game against Cologne in 2nd place – and with a clear obligation to win.What might have looked like a fairly straightforward affair given both teams’ position in the Bundesliga table was a match that both teams took very seriously, especially Bayern: Cologne had not lost a home game under coach Markus Gisdol so far this season. Going by the form table of the last seven matchdays, the fixture was a meeting of the two strongest teams in the league. <a href="#in-case-you-missed-it"></a>In case you missed itThe record champions’ lineup was therefore respectable. Hansi Flick has not shown himself to be a big fan of extreme rotation so far anyway. The interim coach is reluctant to make personnel changes, especially in defense. In comparison to the 0-0 draw against Leipzig, he only made one change to his team for the game against Cologne: Kingsley Coman replaced Leon Goretzka on the right wing, while Thomas Müller moved to the center. For the first time since the 4-0 win against Dortmund last autumn and only for the second time under Hansi Flick at all, Serge Gnabry and Kingsley Coman started a game together.Markus Gisdol, too, did not have a lot of surprises up his sleeve. In a 4-2-3-1 formation, Mark Uth and Jhon Córdoba started in the central offensive positions, accompanied on the wings by Ismail Jakobs and Dominick Drexler, who we have introduced in the preview. So Cologne could be expected to focus on trying to hit Bayern on the break down the left side of the pitch, where they had identified Jérôme Boateng and Benjamin Pavard as potential weak links.<a href="#the-first-half"></a>The first halfBut there was little to be seen of a supposed weakness of Bayern in the first few minutes. They took control straight away while Cologne took to sitting deep and defending compactly. However, no later than the 3rd minute, Bayern delivered the first blow already. After creating an overload on the left flank, Thiago received the ball in a half-space position. From him, the ball went to Müller, who put it on first time to Lewandowski, who scored with an emphatic strike from an acute angle to make it 1-0. As soon as the next attack, Bayern hit Cologne for the second time. This time, Coman with a dribble created an overload on the right wing and released Müller in the center. Via Lewandowski and again Müller the ball got back to Coman who knocked it in from close range. 2-0. A dream start for Bayern. Only a few minutes later, Bayern struck for the third time. Cologne was seemingly still reeling from the previous two goals and Bayern knew how to capitalize on this. After a corner, the ball got to Serge Gnabry who wriggled himself free from two defenders and finished unerringly in the lower right-hand corner of the goal. 3-0. At this point, the game seemed to be already over. Cologne did not gain a toehold, let alone a foothold in the game. Like a hot knife through butter, Bayern sliced through Cologne’s defense time and time again. In the 20th minute, it was Thiago’s turn to do so. He launched into a dribble over a good 20 meters and sought a finish. This time, however, Timo Horn was spared as the Spaniard could not properly connect with the ball and put the shot wide. For a brief spell, the game seemed to calm down. But Bayern soon picked up speed again and even Cologne now was able to take a more active role in the game, but without being able to develop a real threat.The next time a goal seemed imminent was when Bayern initiated another quick attack via Müller and Gnabry, but the latter’s shot was denied by the crossbar (30′). Kimmich (37′) as well as Müller (45′) quite obviously did not want to score a fourth goal and so game went to half-time with a more than deserved 0-3 lead for the visitors.<a href="#the…
Borussia Dortmund, RB Leipzig and Gladbach had collectively upped the ante with their performances on Friday and Saturday. They all won their games comprehensively. And so Bayern went into the game against Cologne in 2nd place – and with a clear obligation to win.What might have looked like a fairly straightforward affair given both teams’ position in the Bundesliga table was a match that both teams took very seriously, especially Bayern: Cologne had not lost a home game under coach Markus Gisdol so far this season. Going by the form table of the last seven matchdays, the fixture was a meeting of the two strongest teams in the league. <a href="#in-case-you-missed-it"></a>In case you missed itThe record champions’ lineup was therefore respectable. Hansi Flick has not shown himself to be a big fan of extreme rotation so far anyway. The interim coach is reluctant to make personnel changes, especially in defense. In comparison to the 0-0 draw against Leipzig, he only made one change to his team for the game against Cologne: Kingsley Coman replaced Leon Goretzka on the right wing, while Thomas Müller moved to the center. For the first time since the 4-0 win against Dortmund last autumn and only for the second time under Hansi Flick at all, Serge Gnabry and Kingsley Coman started a game together.Markus Gisdol, too, did not have a lot of surprises up his sleeve. In a 4-2-3-1 formation, Mark Uth and Jhon Córdoba started in the central offensive positions, accompanied on the wings by Ismail Jakobs and Dominick Drexler, who we have introduced in the preview. So Cologne could be expected to focus on trying to hit Bayern on the break down the left side of the pitch, where they had identified Jérôme Boateng and Benjamin Pavard as potential weak links.<a href="#the-first-half"></a>The first halfBut there was little to be seen of a supposed weakness of Bayern in the first few minutes. They took control straight away while Cologne took to sitting deep and defending compactly. However, no later than the 3rd minute, Bayern delivered the first blow already. After creating an overload on the left flank, Thiago received the ball in a half-space position. From him, the ball went to Müller, who put it on first time to Lewandowski, who scored with an emphatic strike from an acute angle to make it 1-0. As soon as the next attack, Bayern hit Cologne for the second time. This time, Coman with a dribble created an overload on the right wing and released Müller in the center. Via Lewandowski and again Müller the ball got back to Coman who knocked it in from close range. 2-0. A dream start for Bayern. Only a few minutes later, Bayern struck for the third time. Cologne was seemingly still reeling from the previous two goals and Bayern knew how to capitalize on this. After a corner, the ball got to Serge Gnabry who wriggled himself free from two defenders and finished unerringly in the lower right-hand corner of the goal. 3-0. At this point, the game seemed to be already over. Cologne did not gain a toehold, let alone a foothold in the game. Like a hot knife through butter, Bayern sliced through Cologne’s defense time and time again. In the 20th minute, it was Thiago’s turn to do so. He launched into a dribble over a good 20 meters and sought a finish. This time, however, Timo Horn was spared as the Spaniard could not properly connect with the ball and put the shot wide. For a brief spell, the game seemed to calm down. But Bayern soon picked up speed again and even Cologne now was able to take a more active role in the game, but without being able to develop a real threat.The next time a goal seemed imminent was when Bayern initiated another quick attack via Müller and Gnabry, but the latter’s shot was denied by the crossbar (30′). Kimmich (37′) as well as Müller (45′) quite obviously did not want to score a fourth goal and so game went to half-time with a more than deserved 0-3 lead for the visitors.<a href="#the…
<b>No party against Paderborn! Bayern gets a scrappy 3:2 win</b>
Bayern did their homework on Friday making sure their pursuers could not come any closer this matchday. With this last minute 3:2 win over Paderborn, all eyes are on the Champions League tie against Chelsea.<a href="#in-case-you-missed-it"></a>In case you missed it<a href="#the-lineups"></a>The lineupsJérôme Boateng and Benjamin Pavard received their fifth yellow in Cologne forcing Flick to change his backline in two positions. Additionally, Leon Goretzka was revealed to be injured on matchday, though he should be fit again against Chelsea. Thus two debuts were due against Paderborn: Álvaro Odriozola got the call to start and show himself beyond a seven minute cameo against Hoffenheim and a left-foot-dominated backline started a game for the first time this season. Flick, however, refused to play Alaba, Hernández and Davies in a back four, preferring to try out a back three for the first time in his tenure as Bayern-coach. The central defender Alaba was flanked by half-backs Hernández and Kimmich, with Odriozola and Davies playing wing-back. So as not to get exposed on the right side with the attacking Odriozola, Tolisso was to cover for him as a right central midfielder. Hansi Flick’s predecessors used similar tactics to cover for Joshua Kimmich’s attacking drive. On top of that, Philippe Coutinho could once more show himself, coming into the team for Coman, while Gnabry remained in the team after his goals against Cologne. With Chelsea on Tuesday undoubtedly already on his mind, Flick also gave Thomas Müller a break, putting him on the bench alongside talent Oliver Batista-Meier, who snuck into the squad for the first time this year. With the new back three, Bayern’s formation was a pretty standard 3-4-3.Just as predicted in the preview, Paderborn played in 4-2-3-1 formation with quick attackers surrounding the nimble Streli Mamba. Paderborn was defending in a 4-4-2 without the ball.<a href="#the-first-half"></a>The first halfIn contrast to the lightning starts against Cologne or Mainz, this game started slow. Bayern absolutely was the dominating force, yet they failed to create real chances en masse. All the while Paderborn was constantly lurking at the offside-line, forcing Neuer to multiple sweeper-keeper saves outside his goal. Still, Bayern managed to score the opening goal in the 25th minute. Lewandowski and Davies pressed their opponent at the edge of Paderborn’s box, passed it to the middle for Tolisso, whose first touch let him down initially, but managed to pass it onward to Gnabry. Surrounded by defenders, the young German dribbled inside the box, waited to get his scoring opportunity and then finished it in the bottom right corner.The game still did not pick up the pace with Bayern getting a few more chances without really troubling Paderborn’s goalkeeper Zingerle. When everything looked like a 1:0 half-time lead, Paderborn equalised out of virtually nothing. Manuel Neuer attempted to get to another long ball but wrongfully decided to not go for the sliding tackle. His timing was good and probably would have reached the ball, but without the tackle Srbeny managed to get past Neuer and was now aiming for an empty net. The resulting equaliser was the half-time result.<a href="#the-second-half"></a>The second half The teams came out as unchanged as the game itself was. Lewandowski almost scored from an identical position as he did against Cologne but the keeper denied him, Zingerle then immediately repeated his impressive save after Bayern’s subsequent corner (52’). In the meantime, Michel came on for Mamba. Flick also made his first changes, taking off Odriozola and Coutinho for Coman and Müller, changing the formation back to a back four. Kimmich was now right-back and Gnabry switched to left wing. These changes not only lead to an immediate half-chance, but also resulted in Bayern taking the lead once more. Paderborn gave away the ball in build-up to…
Bayern did their homework on Friday making sure their pursuers could not come any closer this matchday. With this last minute 3:2 win over Paderborn, all eyes are on the Champions League tie against Chelsea.<a href="#in-case-you-missed-it"></a>In case you missed it<a href="#the-lineups"></a>The lineupsJérôme Boateng and Benjamin Pavard received their fifth yellow in Cologne forcing Flick to change his backline in two positions. Additionally, Leon Goretzka was revealed to be injured on matchday, though he should be fit again against Chelsea. Thus two debuts were due against Paderborn: Álvaro Odriozola got the call to start and show himself beyond a seven minute cameo against Hoffenheim and a left-foot-dominated backline started a game for the first time this season. Flick, however, refused to play Alaba, Hernández and Davies in a back four, preferring to try out a back three for the first time in his tenure as Bayern-coach. The central defender Alaba was flanked by half-backs Hernández and Kimmich, with Odriozola and Davies playing wing-back. So as not to get exposed on the right side with the attacking Odriozola, Tolisso was to cover for him as a right central midfielder. Hansi Flick’s predecessors used similar tactics to cover for Joshua Kimmich’s attacking drive. On top of that, Philippe Coutinho could once more show himself, coming into the team for Coman, while Gnabry remained in the team after his goals against Cologne. With Chelsea on Tuesday undoubtedly already on his mind, Flick also gave Thomas Müller a break, putting him on the bench alongside talent Oliver Batista-Meier, who snuck into the squad for the first time this year. With the new back three, Bayern’s formation was a pretty standard 3-4-3.Just as predicted in the preview, Paderborn played in 4-2-3-1 formation with quick attackers surrounding the nimble Streli Mamba. Paderborn was defending in a 4-4-2 without the ball.<a href="#the-first-half"></a>The first halfIn contrast to the lightning starts against Cologne or Mainz, this game started slow. Bayern absolutely was the dominating force, yet they failed to create real chances en masse. All the while Paderborn was constantly lurking at the offside-line, forcing Neuer to multiple sweeper-keeper saves outside his goal. Still, Bayern managed to score the opening goal in the 25th minute. Lewandowski and Davies pressed their opponent at the edge of Paderborn’s box, passed it to the middle for Tolisso, whose first touch let him down initially, but managed to pass it onward to Gnabry. Surrounded by defenders, the young German dribbled inside the box, waited to get his scoring opportunity and then finished it in the bottom right corner.The game still did not pick up the pace with Bayern getting a few more chances without really troubling Paderborn’s goalkeeper Zingerle. When everything looked like a 1:0 half-time lead, Paderborn equalised out of virtually nothing. Manuel Neuer attempted to get to another long ball but wrongfully decided to not go for the sliding tackle. His timing was good and probably would have reached the ball, but without the tackle Srbeny managed to get past Neuer and was now aiming for an empty net. The resulting equaliser was the half-time result.<a href="#the-second-half"></a>The second half The teams came out as unchanged as the game itself was. Lewandowski almost scored from an identical position as he did against Cologne but the keeper denied him, Zingerle then immediately repeated his impressive save after Bayern’s subsequent corner (52’). In the meantime, Michel came on for Mamba. Flick also made his first changes, taking off Odriozola and Coutinho for Coman and Müller, changing the formation back to a back four. Kimmich was now right-back and Gnabry switched to left wing. These changes not only lead to an immediate half-chance, but also resulted in Bayern taking the lead once more. Paderborn gave away the ball in build-up to…
<b>Chels’ Bells: Bayern win 0-3 at Chelsea</b>
Bayern sought to substitute question marks for exclamation points against Chelsea in the Champions League. They succeeded. Our analysis.“Die Meister. Die Besten. Die Größten. Les grandes équipes. The Champions!” Goose bumps. The hymn, the competition, the memories of many a magical and many a difficult moment. What kind of evening might be in store for Bayern this time?<a href="#in-case-you-missed-it"></a>In case you missed itAgainst Chelsea, Hansi Flick opted for full-on attacking power: The Bayern coach answered the question about Kingsley Coman or Leon Goretzka by giving the nod to the more offensive Frenchman. At the back, he preferred Jérôme Boateng to Lucas Hernández. As for Chelsea, Frank Lampard selected the same eleven that beat Tottenham 2-1 last weekend. The only question was how much courage his side would show in their approach to this game.<a href="#the-first-half"></a>The first halfIt did not take longer than two minutes for the game to indicate what was on the menue for the night. Bayern lost the ball, Kovacic dribbled past Kimmich and got into a good position to launch an attack, but failed because of a lack of precision in his passing. A few seconds later, Bayern won the ball from pressing Chelsea’s double defensive pivot, but Müller missed from the resulting half-chance.In addition to building up the play through their two central midfielders, Chelsea tried to strike long balls towards Giroud again and again, which lead to several attacks. The best chance of the opening phase, however, fell to the visitors: Thiago lost the ball, but Bayern were able to recapture it immediately. After a quick switch of the play, Coman had a clear way on goal, but his shot missed the post by inches (12′). Lewandowski too did not find a successful finish a little later (15′), and in the following a game developed in which Chelsea was waiting for Bayern to make mistakes and hit them on the counter.And the mistakes came, too. Again and again, the Bayern players were too careless in their forward play, which allowed Chelsea a number of counter-attacks. However, Bayern still were the side with the better chances (Lewandowski (27′), Müller (29′)). Then, the match picked up speed. First, Chelsea only narrowly failed to capitalize on a misplaced pass from Neuer (33′). A little later, Müller put a header against the crossbar (35′). Because Alonso (40′) also missed with the last big chance of the half, the scoreboard remained goalless for the interval.<a href="#the-second-half"></a>The second halfThe second half saw Bayern getting an almost perfect start. First Jorginho saw a yellow card because of complaining a bit too forcefully to the referee. As a consequence, Chelsea will have to make do without their key pacemaker in midfield in the second leg. Shortly afterwards, Bayern scored the important away goal. After Thiago won the ball, Lewandowski got hold of it in a good scoring position on the left of the penalty area. But instead of going for a goal himself, he squared the ball to the much better-positioned Gnabry in the center, who clinically used his first good chance of the night, making it 0-1 (51′).Now Bayern played with more intensity than in the first half. After going behind, Chelsea tried to come back quickly and forced Neuer to clear his lines with a seemingly uncontrolled long ball. But the ball arrived at Lewandowski on the left side in the middle third. After a one-two with Gnabry, Lewandowski once again served Gnabry who kept his cool: 0-2 for Bayern (54′)!In the following, the five-time Champions League winners did not let up and kept the intensity levels high. Lewandowski (56′) and Gnabry (59′) missed out on further opportunities to increase the lead even more. Lampard reacted and brought on Willian and Abraham for Barkley and Giroud in a double change (61′). Hansi Flick also had to change for the first time in the 66th minute because Coman had injured his hamstring. Coutinho…
Bayern sought to substitute question marks for exclamation points against Chelsea in the Champions League. They succeeded. Our analysis.“Die Meister. Die Besten. Die Größten. Les grandes équipes. The Champions!” Goose bumps. The hymn, the competition, the memories of many a magical and many a difficult moment. What kind of evening might be in store for Bayern this time?<a href="#in-case-you-missed-it"></a>In case you missed itAgainst Chelsea, Hansi Flick opted for full-on attacking power: The Bayern coach answered the question about Kingsley Coman or Leon Goretzka by giving the nod to the more offensive Frenchman. At the back, he preferred Jérôme Boateng to Lucas Hernández. As for Chelsea, Frank Lampard selected the same eleven that beat Tottenham 2-1 last weekend. The only question was how much courage his side would show in their approach to this game.<a href="#the-first-half"></a>The first halfIt did not take longer than two minutes for the game to indicate what was on the menue for the night. Bayern lost the ball, Kovacic dribbled past Kimmich and got into a good position to launch an attack, but failed because of a lack of precision in his passing. A few seconds later, Bayern won the ball from pressing Chelsea’s double defensive pivot, but Müller missed from the resulting half-chance.In addition to building up the play through their two central midfielders, Chelsea tried to strike long balls towards Giroud again and again, which lead to several attacks. The best chance of the opening phase, however, fell to the visitors: Thiago lost the ball, but Bayern were able to recapture it immediately. After a quick switch of the play, Coman had a clear way on goal, but his shot missed the post by inches (12′). Lewandowski too did not find a successful finish a little later (15′), and in the following a game developed in which Chelsea was waiting for Bayern to make mistakes and hit them on the counter.And the mistakes came, too. Again and again, the Bayern players were too careless in their forward play, which allowed Chelsea a number of counter-attacks. However, Bayern still were the side with the better chances (Lewandowski (27′), Müller (29′)). Then, the match picked up speed. First, Chelsea only narrowly failed to capitalize on a misplaced pass from Neuer (33′). A little later, Müller put a header against the crossbar (35′). Because Alonso (40′) also missed with the last big chance of the half, the scoreboard remained goalless for the interval.<a href="#the-second-half"></a>The second halfThe second half saw Bayern getting an almost perfect start. First Jorginho saw a yellow card because of complaining a bit too forcefully to the referee. As a consequence, Chelsea will have to make do without their key pacemaker in midfield in the second leg. Shortly afterwards, Bayern scored the important away goal. After Thiago won the ball, Lewandowski got hold of it in a good scoring position on the left of the penalty area. But instead of going for a goal himself, he squared the ball to the much better-positioned Gnabry in the center, who clinically used his first good chance of the night, making it 0-1 (51′).Now Bayern played with more intensity than in the first half. After going behind, Chelsea tried to come back quickly and forced Neuer to clear his lines with a seemingly uncontrolled long ball. But the ball arrived at Lewandowski on the left side in the middle third. After a one-two with Gnabry, Lewandowski once again served Gnabry who kept his cool: 0-2 for Bayern (54′)!In the following, the five-time Champions League winners did not let up and kept the intensity levels high. Lewandowski (56′) and Gnabry (59′) missed out on further opportunities to increase the lead even more. Lampard reacted and brought on Willian and Abraham for Barkley and Giroud in a double change (61′). Hansi Flick also had to change for the first time in the 66th minute because Coman had injured his hamstring. Coutinho…
<b>Game won – Sympathies lost</b>
Following the splendid performance at Stamford Bridge, Bayern showed no signs of fatigue, handily defeating Hoffenheim 6:0. Sadly they were not the only ones bringing the fire, forcing the match to end prematurely and overshadowing Bayern’s first-class sporting performance.<a href="#in-case-you-missed-it"></a>In case you missed it<a href="#the-lineups"></a>The lineupsPeople panicked on Wednesday. The one player who was not allowed to get injured, did get injured. Hansi Flick had <a href="https://miasanrot.de/2020-vorschau-hoffenheim-fcbayern/">multiple options</a> to choose from and ultimately made a decision as obvious as it was daring: The first centre forward Lewandowski was just to be replaced by the second, young Joshua Zirkzee. The starting lineup had no further surprises. Jérôme Boateng was rewarded with another starting spot following his good game in London with Hernández staying on the bench, additionally, Coutinho came into the team replacing the injured Coman. Contrary to the last Bundesliga match, Bayern played with a back four once more, although the formation was more akin to a 4-2-4 with Müller basically playing alongside centre forward Zirkzee. With two new names on the injured list, one also returned as for the first time in 2020, Javi Martínez was back in the squad again.Joshua Zirkzee stretching the consecutive seasons of FC Bayern handing Bundesliga starts to Dutchmen to 17 here. <a href="https://t.co/gNPVJDCRgG">https://t.co/gNPVJDCRgG</a>— Michiel Jongsma (@JongsmaJongsma) <a href="https://twitter.com/JongsmaJongsma/status/1233747417901752322?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 29, 2020</a>Alfred Schreuder’s answer to Bayern’s presumed 4-3-3 was his own 4-3-3. Ex-player Sebastian Rudy was right-back, Nordtveit and Hübner centre-backs with Zuber playing on the left-hand side. Florian Grillitsch played alone in defensive midfield accompanied by Samassékou and Baumgartner. Skov, Bebou and Bruun Larsen made up a flexible three-man-attack with Andrej Kramarić benched.<a href="#the-first-half"></a>The first halfThe game started just like the cup game a few weeks prior: With an own-goal. This time, however, it was Bayern getting the opening goal, not Hoffenheim. They lost possession near their own box, the ball came to Müller who put in a cross over the unorganised defence to a flying Gnabry who in turn shot Baumann with such an impact the keeper had no time to avoid deflecting the ball in his own net (2’). Four minutes later Bayern increased their lead. Boateng played a laserpass to Thomas Müller, who laid it off to Zirkzee. The young Dutchman did not manage to finish the play, but Kimmich standing behind him scored with a precise low shot from 20 meters. To the delight of a certain Madrid benchwarmer, no doubt.A centre-back was also pivotal for the build-up of the third goal. Alaba switched up play across the entire field to Gnabry, who put a low cross inside where Kimmich let the ball pass (presumably involuntarily) to Zirkzee. The youngster stopped the ball with his back to goal, turned, waited deliberately half a second and then scored with a well-considered shot (15’).In the following minutes, Bayern created more chances all the while Hoffenheim barely got a foot out their own half, Bayern was absolutely deserving of this three-goal-lead. Schreuder did not wait for the second half to react and brought on central defender Lucas Ribeiro for striker Bruun Larsen. This stopped the long balls behind their defence but not them conceding. Davies played a one-two with Coutinho, who sent the Canadian on a run only he could make. Davies laid it off precisely to Zirkzee, whose lay-off to Müller was blocked, which in turn initiated first Zirkzee, then Coutinho shooting. Zirkzee’s shot was blocked, while Coutinho’s was deflected and fell into goal. This took a load of the Brazilian’s mind and the entire team was celebrating with him. The goal also showed just how focussed Hoffenheim was…
Following the splendid performance at Stamford Bridge, Bayern showed no signs of fatigue, handily defeating Hoffenheim 6:0. Sadly they were not the only ones bringing the fire, forcing the match to end prematurely and overshadowing Bayern’s first-class sporting performance.<a href="#in-case-you-missed-it"></a>In case you missed it<a href="#the-lineups"></a>The lineupsPeople panicked on Wednesday. The one player who was not allowed to get injured, did get injured. Hansi Flick had <a href="https://miasanrot.de/2020-vorschau-hoffenheim-fcbayern/">multiple options</a> to choose from and ultimately made a decision as obvious as it was daring: The first centre forward Lewandowski was just to be replaced by the second, young Joshua Zirkzee. The starting lineup had no further surprises. Jérôme Boateng was rewarded with another starting spot following his good game in London with Hernández staying on the bench, additionally, Coutinho came into the team replacing the injured Coman. Contrary to the last Bundesliga match, Bayern played with a back four once more, although the formation was more akin to a 4-2-4 with Müller basically playing alongside centre forward Zirkzee. With two new names on the injured list, one also returned as for the first time in 2020, Javi Martínez was back in the squad again.Joshua Zirkzee stretching the consecutive seasons of FC Bayern handing Bundesliga starts to Dutchmen to 17 here. <a href="https://t.co/gNPVJDCRgG">https://t.co/gNPVJDCRgG</a>— Michiel Jongsma (@JongsmaJongsma) <a href="https://twitter.com/JongsmaJongsma/status/1233747417901752322?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 29, 2020</a>Alfred Schreuder’s answer to Bayern’s presumed 4-3-3 was his own 4-3-3. Ex-player Sebastian Rudy was right-back, Nordtveit and Hübner centre-backs with Zuber playing on the left-hand side. Florian Grillitsch played alone in defensive midfield accompanied by Samassékou and Baumgartner. Skov, Bebou and Bruun Larsen made up a flexible three-man-attack with Andrej Kramarić benched.<a href="#the-first-half"></a>The first halfThe game started just like the cup game a few weeks prior: With an own-goal. This time, however, it was Bayern getting the opening goal, not Hoffenheim. They lost possession near their own box, the ball came to Müller who put in a cross over the unorganised defence to a flying Gnabry who in turn shot Baumann with such an impact the keeper had no time to avoid deflecting the ball in his own net (2’). Four minutes later Bayern increased their lead. Boateng played a laserpass to Thomas Müller, who laid it off to Zirkzee. The young Dutchman did not manage to finish the play, but Kimmich standing behind him scored with a precise low shot from 20 meters. To the delight of a certain Madrid benchwarmer, no doubt.A centre-back was also pivotal for the build-up of the third goal. Alaba switched up play across the entire field to Gnabry, who put a low cross inside where Kimmich let the ball pass (presumably involuntarily) to Zirkzee. The youngster stopped the ball with his back to goal, turned, waited deliberately half a second and then scored with a well-considered shot (15’).In the following minutes, Bayern created more chances all the while Hoffenheim barely got a foot out their own half, Bayern was absolutely deserving of this three-goal-lead. Schreuder did not wait for the second half to react and brought on central defender Lucas Ribeiro for striker Bruun Larsen. This stopped the long balls behind their defence but not them conceding. Davies played a one-two with Coutinho, who sent the Canadian on a run only he could make. Davies laid it off precisely to Zirkzee, whose lay-off to Müller was blocked, which in turn initiated first Zirkzee, then Coutinho shooting. Zirkzee’s shot was blocked, while Coutinho’s was deflected and fell into goal. This took a load of the Brazilian’s mind and the entire team was celebrating with him. The goal also showed just how focussed Hoffenheim was…
Miasanrot.de
Vorschau: Wie ersetzt Flick Lewandowski gegen Hoffenheim?
Hansi Flick muss mindestens vier Wochen lang auf Robert Lewandowski verzichten. Mit Blick auf die Partie gegen Hoffenheim, wo auch Kingsley Coman den Bayern fehlen wird, schauen wir uns nun seine Optionen an. Ein Kantersieg im Gepäck, die Serie an ungeschlagenen…
<b>Schalke suffocated by possession in a 0-1 Bayern away win</b>
In game one after the “absolute nadir” (quote by President Hainer), all eyes naturally were on how Bayern’s organized supporters would react. But the big explosion some had expected did not happen. Therefore, all sides were able to focus on football: The record cup winners reached the semi-finals thanks to a 0-1 away win.A cup night. FC Schalke against FC Bayern. What often used to be a fiercely contested match in the past has been a rather one-sided affair this season. With 3-0 and 5-0 wins in both league fixtures, Bayern clearly had the better of the men in royal blue this season.<a href="#in-case-you-missed-it"></a>In case you missed it<a href="#the-starting-lineups"></a>The starting lineupsCompared to the match against his former club Hoffenheim last weekend, Bayern coach Hansi Flick changed his team in two positions. Goretzka and Tolisso returned to the starting eleven for Boateng and last week’s goal scorer Zirkzee. The two made up Bayern’s midfield along with Thiago. Kimmich played at center-back for the first time in a long while, as Boateng was out with an illness and Hernández was injured. Interestingly, Pavard remained in the right-back position. Coutinho, Müller and Gnabry formed the attacking trident with Müller in the center, Coutinho on the left and Gnabry on the right.Bayern’s bench was made up mostly of players from the Bayern reserves besides the newly recoverd Martínez and winter arrival Odriozola. And so with Dajaku and Batista-Meier two players were on the bench who are due to help Bayern’s U19 win the game against Dinamo Zagreb in the UEFA Youth League this Wednesday.On Schalke’s part, coach David Wagner decided make extensive changes to his team. Kabak, Harit, Gregoritsch, and Raman had to make due with a place on the bench. The most prominent change was in goal. Here, Schubert replaced his team’s former regular number one Alexander Nübel, whose recent string of errors has lead to several avoidable goals in recent matches. As is well known, the youth international will move to Bayern in the summer and it seems entirely possible that he will not play another game for Schalke before then.<a href="#the-first-half"></a>The first halfThe first chance of the game belonged to the home team, but former Bayern player Alessandro Schöpf’s curled shot from distance went just past the right post.Schalke played a very low 5-4-1 block and managed to draw Bayern very high upfield. By doubling up in defending the wide positions, they managed to pull the sting out of especially Davies’s customary high tempo sprints down the flanks. At the same time, they remained dangerous on counterattacks, frequently managing to play over Bayern’s high press. The biggest chance for Schalke came when Weston McKennie managed to put a high cross to Burgstaller in the penalty area, but Burgstaller’s artistic attempt only hit the crossbar.From a similar situation a little later, Schalke even scored a goal which was rightly called back for offside. Matondo charged down on Bayern’s unorganized back line at pace and managed to put the ball on to Burgstaller, who knocked it in. But the striker was half a meter offside.Bayern’s only chances up to this point came from rebounds from blocked shots. Two of these chances fell to Pavard and Müller, whose strikes from distance were saved by Schubert, however. It seemed fitting that Bayern’s best chance would come from a header by Schalke’s Todibo on his own goal, which Schubert could keep out with a brilliant save. The elementnof chance was Bayern’s best playmaker on the night. It played a vital role, for example, in bringing about their opening goal: Schalke’s defense cleared a corner from Coutinho right into the feet of Kimmich, who struck the ball towards goal with a drop-kick from sixteen metres. His shot went through and past several of Schalke’s players into the back of the net (40′). With a 1-0 lead in the bag, a sobering first half…
In game one after the “absolute nadir” (quote by President Hainer), all eyes naturally were on how Bayern’s organized supporters would react. But the big explosion some had expected did not happen. Therefore, all sides were able to focus on football: The record cup winners reached the semi-finals thanks to a 0-1 away win.A cup night. FC Schalke against FC Bayern. What often used to be a fiercely contested match in the past has been a rather one-sided affair this season. With 3-0 and 5-0 wins in both league fixtures, Bayern clearly had the better of the men in royal blue this season.<a href="#in-case-you-missed-it"></a>In case you missed it<a href="#the-starting-lineups"></a>The starting lineupsCompared to the match against his former club Hoffenheim last weekend, Bayern coach Hansi Flick changed his team in two positions. Goretzka and Tolisso returned to the starting eleven for Boateng and last week’s goal scorer Zirkzee. The two made up Bayern’s midfield along with Thiago. Kimmich played at center-back for the first time in a long while, as Boateng was out with an illness and Hernández was injured. Interestingly, Pavard remained in the right-back position. Coutinho, Müller and Gnabry formed the attacking trident with Müller in the center, Coutinho on the left and Gnabry on the right.Bayern’s bench was made up mostly of players from the Bayern reserves besides the newly recoverd Martínez and winter arrival Odriozola. And so with Dajaku and Batista-Meier two players were on the bench who are due to help Bayern’s U19 win the game against Dinamo Zagreb in the UEFA Youth League this Wednesday.On Schalke’s part, coach David Wagner decided make extensive changes to his team. Kabak, Harit, Gregoritsch, and Raman had to make due with a place on the bench. The most prominent change was in goal. Here, Schubert replaced his team’s former regular number one Alexander Nübel, whose recent string of errors has lead to several avoidable goals in recent matches. As is well known, the youth international will move to Bayern in the summer and it seems entirely possible that he will not play another game for Schalke before then.<a href="#the-first-half"></a>The first halfThe first chance of the game belonged to the home team, but former Bayern player Alessandro Schöpf’s curled shot from distance went just past the right post.Schalke played a very low 5-4-1 block and managed to draw Bayern very high upfield. By doubling up in defending the wide positions, they managed to pull the sting out of especially Davies’s customary high tempo sprints down the flanks. At the same time, they remained dangerous on counterattacks, frequently managing to play over Bayern’s high press. The biggest chance for Schalke came when Weston McKennie managed to put a high cross to Burgstaller in the penalty area, but Burgstaller’s artistic attempt only hit the crossbar.From a similar situation a little later, Schalke even scored a goal which was rightly called back for offside. Matondo charged down on Bayern’s unorganized back line at pace and managed to put the ball on to Burgstaller, who knocked it in. But the striker was half a meter offside.Bayern’s only chances up to this point came from rebounds from blocked shots. Two of these chances fell to Pavard and Müller, whose strikes from distance were saved by Schubert, however. It seemed fitting that Bayern’s best chance would come from a header by Schalke’s Todibo on his own goal, which Schubert could keep out with a brilliant save. The elementnof chance was Bayern’s best playmaker on the night. It played a vital role, for example, in bringing about their opening goal: Schalke’s defense cleared a corner from Coutinho right into the feet of Kimmich, who struck the ball towards goal with a drop-kick from sixteen metres. His shot went through and past several of Schalke’s players into the back of the net (40′). With a 1-0 lead in the bag, a sobering first half…
<b>Exhausted Bayern win on anniversary</b>
20 decent minutes in the 2nd half are enough for lackluster Bayern to defeat Augsburg 2:0 on Bayern’s 120th anniversary.
<a href="#in-case-you-missed-it"></a>In case you missed it<a href="#the-lineups"></a>The lineupsBayern got fresh shirts and their defence back for their anniversary. Jérôme Boateng and Joshua Zirkzee came into the team, Tolisso and Goretzka moved out of it, Kimmich returned to partner with Thiago in midfield. Rather surprisingly, Coutinho remained in the starting eleven.Augsburg played in a 4-1-4-1 with the ball and defended in a 4-4-2. Being in impeccable form, Florian Niederlechner played up front, relegating Alfreð Finnbogason to the bench. Additionally, Martin Schmidt swapped his goalkeepers, with Andreas Luthe replacing Tomáš Koubek.<a href="#the-first-half"></a>The first halfFollowing the staggering choreography for Bayern’s 120th anniversary, the game started sluggishly, Augsburg even got the first two (innocuous) shots on target. For 40 straight minutes, Bayern’s game and passes were imprecise and lacked any spark or intensity. Things only improved in the closing five minutes of the first half, but the game remained goalless with Steinhaus ending the half mere seconds after Bayern’s first dangerous attempt on goal.<a href="#the-second-half"></a>The second half Both teams made surprisingly no substitutions for half-time. Initially, the game remained as tough as before, but then Boateng put Bayern on top virtually on his own. After a pinpoint laserpass chipped over the entire Augsburg defence, Müller scored with a volley (53’).Bayern’s game was now better and more focussed, Andreas Luthe denied both Zirkzee and Coutinho from extremely promising positions on two occasions, in between of which Schmidt tried to shake up Bayern’s attacking phase with bringing on striker Vargas for Max. Flick also made his first change, bringing on Goretzka for Zirkzee and putting Gnabry up front, who immediately squandered his first opportunity as centre-forward, missing the target after being free on goal (71’).Bayern’s attacks did not stop coming and Augsburg themselves signalled they were not comfortable with just losing by a single goal and brought on Finnbogason for Löwen. This endeavor almost proved to be successful but Neuer brilliantly saved Niederlechner’s close-ranged attempt (80’). Now Flick reacted and brought on Javi Martínez and Lucas Hernández for Coutinho and Thiago, who had suffered a head injury. Hernández played left-back, Davies shifted a position further up-front, Martínez was to break up Augsburg’s attacks in midfield. Bayern’s defensive tactics were almost counter-productive but Finnbogason’s goal was correctly ruled offside (89’). Subsequently, Bayern decided the game in stoppage time as Gnabry and Goretzka played a double one-two at the end of which Goretzka scored from a tight angle.Thus Bayern utilized Leipzig’s slip-up in Wolfsburg and increased the distance to the “Cans” to five points, the closest pursuer now is Dortmund with four points behind. If COVID-19 does not shake up things too much, the next game should be played in an empty stadium against Union Berlin next Saturday.<a href="#things-that-caught-our-eye"></a>Things that caught our eye<a href="#1-lackluster-bayern"></a>1. Lackluster BayernAt the end of all those exhausting weeks with double fixtures, Bayern seemingly thought that at some point they would score anyway, otherwise it is hard to wrap your head around their first half performance. They were desperately missing the basics of a decent football performance. Neither the passing accuracy, nor the passing intensity was good enough. Whereas the players were up for it against Hoffenheim, ready to make runs to pull the opponent’s defence apart, now the players were satisfied with doing just the bare minimum. But the bare minimum is not enough at this level, oftentimes even leading to completely absurd actions such as crossing the ball…
20 decent minutes in the 2nd half are enough for lackluster Bayern to defeat Augsburg 2:0 on Bayern’s 120th anniversary.
<a href="#in-case-you-missed-it"></a>In case you missed it<a href="#the-lineups"></a>The lineupsBayern got fresh shirts and their defence back for their anniversary. Jérôme Boateng and Joshua Zirkzee came into the team, Tolisso and Goretzka moved out of it, Kimmich returned to partner with Thiago in midfield. Rather surprisingly, Coutinho remained in the starting eleven.Augsburg played in a 4-1-4-1 with the ball and defended in a 4-4-2. Being in impeccable form, Florian Niederlechner played up front, relegating Alfreð Finnbogason to the bench. Additionally, Martin Schmidt swapped his goalkeepers, with Andreas Luthe replacing Tomáš Koubek.<a href="#the-first-half"></a>The first halfFollowing the staggering choreography for Bayern’s 120th anniversary, the game started sluggishly, Augsburg even got the first two (innocuous) shots on target. For 40 straight minutes, Bayern’s game and passes were imprecise and lacked any spark or intensity. Things only improved in the closing five minutes of the first half, but the game remained goalless with Steinhaus ending the half mere seconds after Bayern’s first dangerous attempt on goal.<a href="#the-second-half"></a>The second half Both teams made surprisingly no substitutions for half-time. Initially, the game remained as tough as before, but then Boateng put Bayern on top virtually on his own. After a pinpoint laserpass chipped over the entire Augsburg defence, Müller scored with a volley (53’).Bayern’s game was now better and more focussed, Andreas Luthe denied both Zirkzee and Coutinho from extremely promising positions on two occasions, in between of which Schmidt tried to shake up Bayern’s attacking phase with bringing on striker Vargas for Max. Flick also made his first change, bringing on Goretzka for Zirkzee and putting Gnabry up front, who immediately squandered his first opportunity as centre-forward, missing the target after being free on goal (71’).Bayern’s attacks did not stop coming and Augsburg themselves signalled they were not comfortable with just losing by a single goal and brought on Finnbogason for Löwen. This endeavor almost proved to be successful but Neuer brilliantly saved Niederlechner’s close-ranged attempt (80’). Now Flick reacted and brought on Javi Martínez and Lucas Hernández for Coutinho and Thiago, who had suffered a head injury. Hernández played left-back, Davies shifted a position further up-front, Martínez was to break up Augsburg’s attacks in midfield. Bayern’s defensive tactics were almost counter-productive but Finnbogason’s goal was correctly ruled offside (89’). Subsequently, Bayern decided the game in stoppage time as Gnabry and Goretzka played a double one-two at the end of which Goretzka scored from a tight angle.Thus Bayern utilized Leipzig’s slip-up in Wolfsburg and increased the distance to the “Cans” to five points, the closest pursuer now is Dortmund with four points behind. If COVID-19 does not shake up things too much, the next game should be played in an empty stadium against Union Berlin next Saturday.<a href="#things-that-caught-our-eye"></a>Things that caught our eye<a href="#1-lackluster-bayern"></a>1. Lackluster BayernAt the end of all those exhausting weeks with double fixtures, Bayern seemingly thought that at some point they would score anyway, otherwise it is hard to wrap your head around their first half performance. They were desperately missing the basics of a decent football performance. Neither the passing accuracy, nor the passing intensity was good enough. Whereas the players were up for it against Hoffenheim, ready to make runs to pull the opponent’s defence apart, now the players were satisfied with doing just the bare minimum. But the bare minimum is not enough at this level, oftentimes even leading to completely absurd actions such as crossing the ball…
<b>Tiresome comeback: Bayern wins “away” at Union Berlin 2:0</b>
Bundesliga is back with a rather lackluster Sunday afternoon game. Amidst empty stands Bayern won 2:0 “away” at Union Berlin. A game in between the new and old normal.<a href="#in-case-you-missed-it"></a>In case you missed itThe league actually did the impossible: As the very first professional west European football league they persuaded the federal and various state governments of Germany to allow football to return. The start of this third part of the season was away at Union Berlin, very much to the dismay of half of Miasanrot’s staff.<a href="#the-lineups"></a>The lineupsThe first lineup after the long break packed no surprises. Hansi Flick kept his trust in the same defence that successfully worked before consisting of Pavard, Boateng, Alaba and Davies, Hernández stayed on the bench. In front of midfield-duo Thiago and Kimmich Goretzka got the nod over Coman, moving Müller to right-wing. Flick explained fielding Goretzka with the Union player’s height and strength from set pieces.Without their coach Urs Fischer Union started in a 3-4-3 / 5-2-3 formation. Arjen Robben’s old “friend” Neven Subotić played in defence, while their most prolific goal-scorer Andersson was benched at first, making Bülter on left-wing their most effective forward. <a href="#the-first-half"></a>The first halfIn a patchy start, Bayern gave their opponents lots of spaces defending courageously or naively depending on your outlook as it boiled down to lots of critical defensive one on ones duels, promptly leading to Union getting two good attempts on target. At times they were almost man-marking the Bayern players while repeatedly attacking the space behind Alphonso Davies. Still, against the course of play Bayern almost went ahead, but Müller was called offside by a hair’s breadth (17’). Either way, this scene did serve to wake up Bayern as they now took control of the game, playing more forward and diagonal football. When that phase just about dwindled out, Subotić lost track of Goretzka, fouling him at the edge of the box. Lewandowski’s resulting penalty finish was about as ruthless as ever (40’). Nothing of note happened furthermore and with a 1:0 lead for Bayern, the players went into the dressing room one by one with a reasonably safe distance in between each other.<a href="#the-second-half"></a>The second halfNeither coach made changes to their personnel and the game proceeded to lose itself in a way in various fiery duels in midfield. Around the 60th minute however, it seemed like Bayern pressed higher, tightening their grip around the game and subsequently never proceeding to fully lose it. While they did not in a sense radiate any dangerous vibes, they did not really need to since being a goal ahead occupying Union’s half with typical possession style football was enough. In the 71st minute Andersson and Gentner came on for Ujah and Andrich, additionally, Flick brought on Coman for Goretzka, moving Müller in midfield. A few minutes later Coman could have made an immediate impact, but following a great run by Gnabry, he decided to attempt a cross when shooting was the better option. Fellow Frenchman Pavard did a better job in the 81st minute. He himself got a corner and put Kimmich’s delivery in the net leading to half of the team to conveniently forget the rules for goal celebrations.Perišić came on for Gnabry and a bit later Cuisance for Müller, while Union substituted Ryerson and Felix Kroos for Bülter and Prömel (85’). The game was decided and in its last sequence of note Manuel Neuer denied the younger Kroos with a good save. Bayern won its comeback-game 2:0 and will now play Eintracht Frankfurt “at home” in a week.<a href="#things-that-caught-our-eye"></a>Things that caught our eye<a href="#1-football-without-fans-is-strange-but-okay"></a>1. Football without fans is strange… but okay?Many a fan shuddered at the thought of ‘ghost games’. Football was…
Bundesliga is back with a rather lackluster Sunday afternoon game. Amidst empty stands Bayern won 2:0 “away” at Union Berlin. A game in between the new and old normal.<a href="#in-case-you-missed-it"></a>In case you missed itThe league actually did the impossible: As the very first professional west European football league they persuaded the federal and various state governments of Germany to allow football to return. The start of this third part of the season was away at Union Berlin, very much to the dismay of half of Miasanrot’s staff.<a href="#the-lineups"></a>The lineupsThe first lineup after the long break packed no surprises. Hansi Flick kept his trust in the same defence that successfully worked before consisting of Pavard, Boateng, Alaba and Davies, Hernández stayed on the bench. In front of midfield-duo Thiago and Kimmich Goretzka got the nod over Coman, moving Müller to right-wing. Flick explained fielding Goretzka with the Union player’s height and strength from set pieces.Without their coach Urs Fischer Union started in a 3-4-3 / 5-2-3 formation. Arjen Robben’s old “friend” Neven Subotić played in defence, while their most prolific goal-scorer Andersson was benched at first, making Bülter on left-wing their most effective forward. <a href="#the-first-half"></a>The first halfIn a patchy start, Bayern gave their opponents lots of spaces defending courageously or naively depending on your outlook as it boiled down to lots of critical defensive one on ones duels, promptly leading to Union getting two good attempts on target. At times they were almost man-marking the Bayern players while repeatedly attacking the space behind Alphonso Davies. Still, against the course of play Bayern almost went ahead, but Müller was called offside by a hair’s breadth (17’). Either way, this scene did serve to wake up Bayern as they now took control of the game, playing more forward and diagonal football. When that phase just about dwindled out, Subotić lost track of Goretzka, fouling him at the edge of the box. Lewandowski’s resulting penalty finish was about as ruthless as ever (40’). Nothing of note happened furthermore and with a 1:0 lead for Bayern, the players went into the dressing room one by one with a reasonably safe distance in between each other.<a href="#the-second-half"></a>The second halfNeither coach made changes to their personnel and the game proceeded to lose itself in a way in various fiery duels in midfield. Around the 60th minute however, it seemed like Bayern pressed higher, tightening their grip around the game and subsequently never proceeding to fully lose it. While they did not in a sense radiate any dangerous vibes, they did not really need to since being a goal ahead occupying Union’s half with typical possession style football was enough. In the 71st minute Andersson and Gentner came on for Ujah and Andrich, additionally, Flick brought on Coman for Goretzka, moving Müller in midfield. A few minutes later Coman could have made an immediate impact, but following a great run by Gnabry, he decided to attempt a cross when shooting was the better option. Fellow Frenchman Pavard did a better job in the 81st minute. He himself got a corner and put Kimmich’s delivery in the net leading to half of the team to conveniently forget the rules for goal celebrations.Perišić came on for Gnabry and a bit later Cuisance for Müller, while Union substituted Ryerson and Felix Kroos for Bülter and Prömel (85’). The game was decided and in its last sequence of note Manuel Neuer denied the younger Kroos with a good save. Bayern won its comeback-game 2:0 and will now play Eintracht Frankfurt “at home” in a week.<a href="#things-that-caught-our-eye"></a>Things that caught our eye<a href="#1-football-without-fans-is-strange-but-okay"></a>1. Football without fans is strange… but okay?Many a fan shuddered at the thought of ‘ghost games’. Football was…
<b>Bayern in goal scoring spirit before Dortmund</b>
In the first Bundesliga game behind closed doors in the Allianz Arena, FC Bayern faced Eintracht Frankfurt. After a brief spell of disarray in the early minutes of the second half, the record champions ultimately managed a comprehensive 5-2 win against Frankfurt.After the 5-1 defeat in the return fixture, Niko Kovač had to pack his bags at his former club. Since then, Bayern have only lost two games in all competitions under his successor Hansi Flick. The game on Saturday was seen as a reference point before the top match against Borussia Dortmund on Tuesday.<a href="#in-case-you-missed-it"></a>In case you missed it<a href="#the-starting-lineups"></a>The starting lineupsCompared to the victory against Union Berlin in the first game after the coronavirus break, coach Flick had to do without Thiago and Gnabry for his starting lineup. For the Spaniard, who was not part of the squad, Perišić joined the team. Goretzka thus played in the centre. Coman started for for Gnabry, with whom Flick did not want to take unnecessary risks with a view to Tuesday. Once again, record transfer Hernández was left with a place on the bench. Pavard, Boateng, Alaba and Davies made up the back four again.In addition to Hernández and Gnabry as well as Martínez, the substitutes for Bayern were mainly reserve players plus Madrid loaner Odriozola.On the other side, coach Adi Hütter changed things around a bit more and made four changes. Abraham, Sow, Dost and Kamada, all of whom were still playing in the 3-1 defeat to Gladbach, moved to the bench. Captain Abraham was not in the squad due to an injury. Da Costa, Gaćinović, Fernandes and Silva joined the first eleven instead. Despite the personnel changes, Hütter stuck to his customary 4-2-3-1 formation.<a href="#the-first-half"></a>The first halfFrankfurt started with a high press, which at first made it difficult for Bayern to build up the game from the back. In attack, Coman played on the right wing, Perišić on the left. In midfield, Goretzka was positioned a bit deeper than Müller, but interpreted his role much more offensively than Thiago usually does.As the game progressed, Bayern found more and more gaps, especially when Coman or Davies could take on Frankfurt’s defense at speed. After a corner, Lewandowski shot the ball against the crossbar, producing the first big chance of the match (11′). Shortly afterwards, Perišić slid past a beautiful half-field pass from Kimmich. The Croatian would have been free in front of Trapp. Bayern were now in command of the game. Pavard headed a cross from Kimmich straight at goalkeeper Trapp from five meters out (14th).As a result of the pressure, Bayern went ahead 1-0 shortly after. Goretzka made a well-timed late run into the penalty area to connect with a cross from Müller, leaving Trapp with no chance. It was already his fourth goal in the Rückrunde. The gold was a just reward for a very strong five minutes.In the phase after the goal, the intensity of the game diminished for a while. Bayern’s efforts moving forward were not as compelling as before. Attacks were no longer played out consistently, best encapsulated by two unnecessary long-range shots from Kimmich. However, due to their good pressing, Bayern managed to keep disrupting the structure in Frankfurt’s build-up play again and again. The side from Hesse could not find their rhythm.<a href="https://miasanrot.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2020/05/fbl-ger-bundesliga-bayern-munich-frankfurt-2-992x650-1.jpg">Media</a><strong>Ghostly atmosphere in Munich. The arena has not been as empty as this since 1860 times.
</strong>(Image: Andreas Gebert/Pool/AFP via Getty Images)After 35 minutes there was a longer break because of an injury. Hinteregger had knocked down Lewandowski with an unintentional punch in the face. The Austrian received the first yellow card of an otherwise fair game. Lewandowski was able to carry…
In the first Bundesliga game behind closed doors in the Allianz Arena, FC Bayern faced Eintracht Frankfurt. After a brief spell of disarray in the early minutes of the second half, the record champions ultimately managed a comprehensive 5-2 win against Frankfurt.After the 5-1 defeat in the return fixture, Niko Kovač had to pack his bags at his former club. Since then, Bayern have only lost two games in all competitions under his successor Hansi Flick. The game on Saturday was seen as a reference point before the top match against Borussia Dortmund on Tuesday.<a href="#in-case-you-missed-it"></a>In case you missed it<a href="#the-starting-lineups"></a>The starting lineupsCompared to the victory against Union Berlin in the first game after the coronavirus break, coach Flick had to do without Thiago and Gnabry for his starting lineup. For the Spaniard, who was not part of the squad, Perišić joined the team. Goretzka thus played in the centre. Coman started for for Gnabry, with whom Flick did not want to take unnecessary risks with a view to Tuesday. Once again, record transfer Hernández was left with a place on the bench. Pavard, Boateng, Alaba and Davies made up the back four again.In addition to Hernández and Gnabry as well as Martínez, the substitutes for Bayern were mainly reserve players plus Madrid loaner Odriozola.On the other side, coach Adi Hütter changed things around a bit more and made four changes. Abraham, Sow, Dost and Kamada, all of whom were still playing in the 3-1 defeat to Gladbach, moved to the bench. Captain Abraham was not in the squad due to an injury. Da Costa, Gaćinović, Fernandes and Silva joined the first eleven instead. Despite the personnel changes, Hütter stuck to his customary 4-2-3-1 formation.<a href="#the-first-half"></a>The first halfFrankfurt started with a high press, which at first made it difficult for Bayern to build up the game from the back. In attack, Coman played on the right wing, Perišić on the left. In midfield, Goretzka was positioned a bit deeper than Müller, but interpreted his role much more offensively than Thiago usually does.As the game progressed, Bayern found more and more gaps, especially when Coman or Davies could take on Frankfurt’s defense at speed. After a corner, Lewandowski shot the ball against the crossbar, producing the first big chance of the match (11′). Shortly afterwards, Perišić slid past a beautiful half-field pass from Kimmich. The Croatian would have been free in front of Trapp. Bayern were now in command of the game. Pavard headed a cross from Kimmich straight at goalkeeper Trapp from five meters out (14th).As a result of the pressure, Bayern went ahead 1-0 shortly after. Goretzka made a well-timed late run into the penalty area to connect with a cross from Müller, leaving Trapp with no chance. It was already his fourth goal in the Rückrunde. The gold was a just reward for a very strong five minutes.In the phase after the goal, the intensity of the game diminished for a while. Bayern’s efforts moving forward were not as compelling as before. Attacks were no longer played out consistently, best encapsulated by two unnecessary long-range shots from Kimmich. However, due to their good pressing, Bayern managed to keep disrupting the structure in Frankfurt’s build-up play again and again. The side from Hesse could not find their rhythm.<a href="https://miasanrot.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2020/05/fbl-ger-bundesliga-bayern-munich-frankfurt-2-992x650-1.jpg">Media</a><strong>Ghostly atmosphere in Munich. The arena has not been as empty as this since 1860 times.
</strong>(Image: Andreas Gebert/Pool/AFP via Getty Images)After 35 minutes there was a longer break because of an injury. Hinteregger had knocked down Lewandowski with an unintentional punch in the face. The Austrian received the first yellow card of an otherwise fair game. Lewandowski was able to carry…
<b>FC Bayern Clinch at Bremen</b>
On the back of a very short rest, Bayern traveled to Werder Bremen and clinched the Bundesliga title on Tuesday night! Both teams came out playing with a lot of energy and desire. Bayern obviously wanted to clinch the title. Werder wanted to make their way out of the relegation battle.However, despite an impressive showing, Bayern were the team who came out top, thanks to a fantastic Jerome Boateng chip over the top of the Bremen defense to a waiting Robert Lewandowski who brought the ball down with ease and calmly put it in the back of the net. Alphonso Davies was sent off for a second yellow card in the 79th minute which gave Bremen a few chances, the most dangerous of which was a flicked on header that produced a superb diving save by Manuel Neuer.<a href="#another-struggle"></a>Another StruggleFor the third consecutive match, Bayern were not at their best. Whether it was the short rest, the rain, the pressure that Bremen put on them or something else, Bayern struggled to dominate this match the way that you would expect them to given their relative table positions.Once again there seemed to be a bit more disconnection between players. Passes were not as sharp as they were prior to the Frankfurt match. The wings look pedestrian. They struggled to break down the defense through the middle. It is not coincidence that the lone goal was the result of a pass over the Bremen defense. Most of the big chances in this game came from similar balls and Bremen deserves a lot of credit for that. They did a great job of applying pressure and blocking the passing lanes, but it does not explain quite as well the lack of dynamism on the wings.I can only assume that Gnabry is not yet fully healthy. He has not looked anything like his normal self since returning from a back injury last week. Coman was more involved but still did not break down the Bremen defense the way he can when he’s at his peak.Davies and Pavard are equally culpable here though. Neither of them had what I would call a brilliant match though Pavard was certainly much better than Davies who of course got sent off. Their defensive work was generally decent to strong, but there were only a few times where either played a significant role in the attack.<a href="#in-with-the-old"></a>In With The OldIn recent weeks, the younger players in the squad have been some of the most important in each match. Joshua Kimmich, Leon Goretzka and Alphonso Davies have all had huge games where they seemed to carry the team on their backs at times. Today however was all about the older generation.Manuel Neuer, Jerome Boateng and Robert Lewandowski were the unquestioned stars and leaders of this match. Each of them had all around solid matches even outside of the big moments. It was especially noticeable as several of those younger players were surprisingly quiet. Davies did not have a great game even ignoring his two yellows. As mentioned above, Gnabry and Coman were hardly involved at all. Kimmich and Goretzka were solid, but struggled to impact the game the same way they had over recent weeks.However, the veterans picked up the slack. Lewandowski was excellent in front of goal and had one or two chances that he just missed getting on the end of. Manuel Neuer made some very important clearances and saves while roaming all over the field as is his wont.However, Jerome Boateng once again stood out deserves heaps of praise. He has been a revelation since the return of Hansi Flick and a rock at the back along side David Alaba. The chemistry between the two of them has been incredible and has resulted in the most stable back line we’ve seen in a few years. To top it off, his pass to Lewandowski for the goal was perfection. Given his status within the club back in November, this turn around is nothing short of remarkable.<a href="#celebrate-eight-straight"></a>Celebrate Eight StraightAs mentioned above, this victory clinched the Meisterschale for the eighth consecutive…
On the back of a very short rest, Bayern traveled to Werder Bremen and clinched the Bundesliga title on Tuesday night! Both teams came out playing with a lot of energy and desire. Bayern obviously wanted to clinch the title. Werder wanted to make their way out of the relegation battle.However, despite an impressive showing, Bayern were the team who came out top, thanks to a fantastic Jerome Boateng chip over the top of the Bremen defense to a waiting Robert Lewandowski who brought the ball down with ease and calmly put it in the back of the net. Alphonso Davies was sent off for a second yellow card in the 79th minute which gave Bremen a few chances, the most dangerous of which was a flicked on header that produced a superb diving save by Manuel Neuer.<a href="#another-struggle"></a>Another StruggleFor the third consecutive match, Bayern were not at their best. Whether it was the short rest, the rain, the pressure that Bremen put on them or something else, Bayern struggled to dominate this match the way that you would expect them to given their relative table positions.Once again there seemed to be a bit more disconnection between players. Passes were not as sharp as they were prior to the Frankfurt match. The wings look pedestrian. They struggled to break down the defense through the middle. It is not coincidence that the lone goal was the result of a pass over the Bremen defense. Most of the big chances in this game came from similar balls and Bremen deserves a lot of credit for that. They did a great job of applying pressure and blocking the passing lanes, but it does not explain quite as well the lack of dynamism on the wings.I can only assume that Gnabry is not yet fully healthy. He has not looked anything like his normal self since returning from a back injury last week. Coman was more involved but still did not break down the Bremen defense the way he can when he’s at his peak.Davies and Pavard are equally culpable here though. Neither of them had what I would call a brilliant match though Pavard was certainly much better than Davies who of course got sent off. Their defensive work was generally decent to strong, but there were only a few times where either played a significant role in the attack.<a href="#in-with-the-old"></a>In With The OldIn recent weeks, the younger players in the squad have been some of the most important in each match. Joshua Kimmich, Leon Goretzka and Alphonso Davies have all had huge games where they seemed to carry the team on their backs at times. Today however was all about the older generation.Manuel Neuer, Jerome Boateng and Robert Lewandowski were the unquestioned stars and leaders of this match. Each of them had all around solid matches even outside of the big moments. It was especially noticeable as several of those younger players were surprisingly quiet. Davies did not have a great game even ignoring his two yellows. As mentioned above, Gnabry and Coman were hardly involved at all. Kimmich and Goretzka were solid, but struggled to impact the game the same way they had over recent weeks.However, the veterans picked up the slack. Lewandowski was excellent in front of goal and had one or two chances that he just missed getting on the end of. Manuel Neuer made some very important clearances and saves while roaming all over the field as is his wont.However, Jerome Boateng once again stood out deserves heaps of praise. He has been a revelation since the return of Hansi Flick and a rock at the back along side David Alaba. The chemistry between the two of them has been incredible and has resulted in the most stable back line we’ve seen in a few years. To top it off, his pass to Lewandowski for the goal was perfection. Given his status within the club back in November, this turn around is nothing short of remarkable.<a href="#celebrate-eight-straight"></a>Celebrate Eight StraightAs mentioned above, this victory clinched the Meisterschale for the eighth consecutive…
<b>From resilience to depression – how racism affects the psyche of football players</b>
The violent death of George Floyd in the US has led to demonstrations and anti-racism protests worldwide – also in the Bundesliga.Both clubs and players are taking a stand against racism by publicly voicing their support for the Black Lives Matter movement, which originated in the US and fights against police brutality against Afro-Americans and People of Color.Showing solidarity is extremely important – and long overdue. Unfortunately, racism in football isn’t exactly a new phenomenon either: abusive chants and insults on the pitch and in the stadium are not unusual. There certainly has been progress in recent years, such as the numerous “fan projects” that see football fans working together with professional social workers.Nevertheless, the footballers who publicly spoke out against racism in the past were mainly players who had become victims of racial discrimination and abuse themselves, either in their daily lives or on the football pitch.Berlin-based sports psychologist <a href="https://twitter.com/UweKnepel">Uwe Knepel</a>, who is actively involved in the youth academy of Hertha BSC, says that the effects on a player’s psyche who has been exposed to racist insults or abuse depend on various factors.<em>“One one hand, you have to consider the matter of frequency, meaning the number of incidents they experience, and on the other hand, it is about their own psychological resistance, the so-called resilience,” he explains. “A player’s individual background always plays an important part.”</em>So, what happens to a footballer when he is racially abused on the pitch?<em>“In a situation like this, in the short-term, it is first and foremost a huge distraction for the player, who carries this incident with him in his mind and perhaps can’t fully focus anymore on the game,” Knepel says.</em><em>“Some players might be annoyed or feel emotional pain and look for ways to unload. For instance, it may cause the footballer to play rough, commit more fouls than usual or throw around a crate with drinks. Sometimes it happens that they’re not in the game anymore. The worst case scenario is that nothing they try on the pitch works anymore or that they are red-carded for a foul – as we know, this actually happened recently.”</em><a href="#in-extreme-cases-it-can-also-lead-to-a-depression"></a>In extreme cases, it can also lead to a depressionIn the long run, however, the consequences can be even more serious. According to Knepel, studies have shown that young people often show behavioural problems after experiencing prolonged and recurring discriminatory incidents.<em>“There are changes in their general behaviour, but depression symptoms, such as persistent fatigue, increased irritability or sleep disorders can also occur,” Knepel explains. “In extreme cases, it can also lead to a depression – for an athlete or football player, this could even mean that they have to end their career.”</em>When football players are exposed to racial discrimination during a match and recognize this outside stimulus, they have to evaluate it for themselves first – this is something that usually happens quickly and automatically.<em>“It’s not as if the player consciously decides to get angry, sad or scared in that moment, it happens automatically,” Knepel says. “Sports psychology offers a variety of measures and techniques to repeat certain processes and work out behavioural goals with the athletes, so they themselves are clear about how they want to deal with a situation like this. This is something that can be trained.”</em><a href="#theres-more-at-stake-here-than-just-fair-play"></a>There’s more at stake here than just fair playThe victims also have the opportunity to address the referee either directly or through their team captain. This would be the first step of UEFA’s three-step procedure that aims to help tackle racist incidents in the stadiums – the procedure includes…
The violent death of George Floyd in the US has led to demonstrations and anti-racism protests worldwide – also in the Bundesliga.Both clubs and players are taking a stand against racism by publicly voicing their support for the Black Lives Matter movement, which originated in the US and fights against police brutality against Afro-Americans and People of Color.Showing solidarity is extremely important – and long overdue. Unfortunately, racism in football isn’t exactly a new phenomenon either: abusive chants and insults on the pitch and in the stadium are not unusual. There certainly has been progress in recent years, such as the numerous “fan projects” that see football fans working together with professional social workers.Nevertheless, the footballers who publicly spoke out against racism in the past were mainly players who had become victims of racial discrimination and abuse themselves, either in their daily lives or on the football pitch.Berlin-based sports psychologist <a href="https://twitter.com/UweKnepel">Uwe Knepel</a>, who is actively involved in the youth academy of Hertha BSC, says that the effects on a player’s psyche who has been exposed to racist insults or abuse depend on various factors.<em>“One one hand, you have to consider the matter of frequency, meaning the number of incidents they experience, and on the other hand, it is about their own psychological resistance, the so-called resilience,” he explains. “A player’s individual background always plays an important part.”</em>So, what happens to a footballer when he is racially abused on the pitch?<em>“In a situation like this, in the short-term, it is first and foremost a huge distraction for the player, who carries this incident with him in his mind and perhaps can’t fully focus anymore on the game,” Knepel says.</em><em>“Some players might be annoyed or feel emotional pain and look for ways to unload. For instance, it may cause the footballer to play rough, commit more fouls than usual or throw around a crate with drinks. Sometimes it happens that they’re not in the game anymore. The worst case scenario is that nothing they try on the pitch works anymore or that they are red-carded for a foul – as we know, this actually happened recently.”</em><a href="#in-extreme-cases-it-can-also-lead-to-a-depression"></a>In extreme cases, it can also lead to a depressionIn the long run, however, the consequences can be even more serious. According to Knepel, studies have shown that young people often show behavioural problems after experiencing prolonged and recurring discriminatory incidents.<em>“There are changes in their general behaviour, but depression symptoms, such as persistent fatigue, increased irritability or sleep disorders can also occur,” Knepel explains. “In extreme cases, it can also lead to a depression – for an athlete or football player, this could even mean that they have to end their career.”</em>When football players are exposed to racial discrimination during a match and recognize this outside stimulus, they have to evaluate it for themselves first – this is something that usually happens quickly and automatically.<em>“It’s not as if the player consciously decides to get angry, sad or scared in that moment, it happens automatically,” Knepel says. “Sports psychology offers a variety of measures and techniques to repeat certain processes and work out behavioural goals with the athletes, so they themselves are clear about how they want to deal with a situation like this. This is something that can be trained.”</em><a href="#theres-more-at-stake-here-than-just-fair-play"></a>There’s more at stake here than just fair playThe victims also have the opportunity to address the referee either directly or through their team captain. This would be the first step of UEFA’s three-step procedure that aims to help tackle racist incidents in the stadiums – the procedure includes…
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