<b>Santa Zirkzee brings the gifts! Late 2:0 win over Wolfsburg</b>
Joshua Zirkzee has hardly Santa’s long white beard or shares any other semblance to him, but is just as effective in delivering presents. For the second time in four days he scores the late winner in the closing minutes and gives Bayern happy holidays.<a href="#in-case-you-missed-it"></a>In case you missed it<a href="#the-starting-lineups"></a>The starting lineupsHansi Flick spoke of “eleven fit professional players” the day before thus the lineup was fairly unsurprising. Joshua Kimmich replaced the suspended Thiago in the single pivot of a 4-3-3 which resulted in the usual chain reaction of Pavard moving to right-back and Javi Martínez returning to central defense. With Goretzka and Tolisso injured Müller and Coutinho played in midfield while Perišić, Gnabry and Robert Lewandowski played in the three forward positions.
Oliver Glasner surprisingly preferred Felix Klaus to Wout Weghorst in central attack; other than that, VfL Wolfsburg played in its usual mixture between 4-3-3 and 4-1-4-1.
<a href="#the-first-half"></a>The first halfWolfsburg met Bayern’s attacking game with a high press, which at first lead to an extraordinary amount of offside-calls against Bayern. Wolfsburg defended well all things considered. Bayern might have been the more attacking side but Wolfsburg got the first big chance in the 16th minute. Following a corner lots of Wolfsburg players remained in Bayern’s half where Schlager got the ball after Wolfsburg winning the ball back with a well executed press. He passed the ball to Klaus in the box who was denied by Neuer with a good safe. After Wolfsburg dictated play with intelligent football in the first quarter of the game, Bayern managed to beat Wolfsburg’s press and more and more pushed them into their own half without really getting any promising shots on target. Yet even this somewhat dominant phase faded away thus resulting in a goalless draw for half time. A few seconds before the end of the half Javi Martínez injured himself and had to be replaced with Jérôme Boateng.<a href="#the-second-half"></a>The second halfWith no further substitutions Wolfsburg started the second half vigorously. The wolves now dedicated themselves to attack without really putting Neuer in danger. Coutinho interjected Wolfsburg’s attacking-phase with one of his infamous long-range shots in the top-right corner but the giant Casteels saved it (53´). Following that the game calmed down so much, it practically stood still.From the 66th minute onwards the only notable thing happening were multiple substitutions as first Paulo Otávio came on for Renato Steffen, then Wout Weghorst for Felix Klaus. After Maxi Arnold missed a dangerous shot from the edge of the box, Flick, too, brought on his first attacking player with the hero of Wednesday Zirkzee coming on for Philippe Coutinho (83´). And just in his second game three minutes later the hero practically became a legend. Just like many times before, there was enough space on the wings for a cross, this time Müller put in a low cross to the edge of the box. Zirkzee and Gnabry were basically blocking each other yet the young Dutchman managed to get a hit on the ball. Casteels touched the low shot but failed to keep it out of the net.Just as he did against Freiburg, another three minutes later Serge Gnabry once more wrote the bookend to Zirkee’s match-winning goal. Thomas Müller played a long ball to Lewandowski who pulled the attention of the defenders to himself and away from Gnabry who was running inside the box. The German international scored with a precise shot ending any question who the winner would be. FC Bayern managed to take advantage of Dortmund’s slip-up in Hoffenheim ending the Hinrunde with three points more than their rivals and four points trailing Leipzig on rank 3.<a href="#things-that-caught-our-eye"></a>Things that caught our eye<a href="#1-tiring-christmas-match-against-dedicated-wolves"></a>1.…
Joshua Zirkzee has hardly Santa’s long white beard or shares any other semblance to him, but is just as effective in delivering presents. For the second time in four days he scores the late winner in the closing minutes and gives Bayern happy holidays.<a href="#in-case-you-missed-it"></a>In case you missed it<a href="#the-starting-lineups"></a>The starting lineupsHansi Flick spoke of “eleven fit professional players” the day before thus the lineup was fairly unsurprising. Joshua Kimmich replaced the suspended Thiago in the single pivot of a 4-3-3 which resulted in the usual chain reaction of Pavard moving to right-back and Javi Martínez returning to central defense. With Goretzka and Tolisso injured Müller and Coutinho played in midfield while Perišić, Gnabry and Robert Lewandowski played in the three forward positions.
Oliver Glasner surprisingly preferred Felix Klaus to Wout Weghorst in central attack; other than that, VfL Wolfsburg played in its usual mixture between 4-3-3 and 4-1-4-1.
<a href="#the-first-half"></a>The first halfWolfsburg met Bayern’s attacking game with a high press, which at first lead to an extraordinary amount of offside-calls against Bayern. Wolfsburg defended well all things considered. Bayern might have been the more attacking side but Wolfsburg got the first big chance in the 16th minute. Following a corner lots of Wolfsburg players remained in Bayern’s half where Schlager got the ball after Wolfsburg winning the ball back with a well executed press. He passed the ball to Klaus in the box who was denied by Neuer with a good safe. After Wolfsburg dictated play with intelligent football in the first quarter of the game, Bayern managed to beat Wolfsburg’s press and more and more pushed them into their own half without really getting any promising shots on target. Yet even this somewhat dominant phase faded away thus resulting in a goalless draw for half time. A few seconds before the end of the half Javi Martínez injured himself and had to be replaced with Jérôme Boateng.<a href="#the-second-half"></a>The second halfWith no further substitutions Wolfsburg started the second half vigorously. The wolves now dedicated themselves to attack without really putting Neuer in danger. Coutinho interjected Wolfsburg’s attacking-phase with one of his infamous long-range shots in the top-right corner but the giant Casteels saved it (53´). Following that the game calmed down so much, it practically stood still.From the 66th minute onwards the only notable thing happening were multiple substitutions as first Paulo Otávio came on for Renato Steffen, then Wout Weghorst for Felix Klaus. After Maxi Arnold missed a dangerous shot from the edge of the box, Flick, too, brought on his first attacking player with the hero of Wednesday Zirkzee coming on for Philippe Coutinho (83´). And just in his second game three minutes later the hero practically became a legend. Just like many times before, there was enough space on the wings for a cross, this time Müller put in a low cross to the edge of the box. Zirkzee and Gnabry were basically blocking each other yet the young Dutchman managed to get a hit on the ball. Casteels touched the low shot but failed to keep it out of the net.Just as he did against Freiburg, another three minutes later Serge Gnabry once more wrote the bookend to Zirkee’s match-winning goal. Thomas Müller played a long ball to Lewandowski who pulled the attention of the defenders to himself and away from Gnabry who was running inside the box. The German international scored with a precise shot ending any question who the winner would be. FC Bayern managed to take advantage of Dortmund’s slip-up in Hoffenheim ending the Hinrunde with three points more than their rivals and four points trailing Leipzig on rank 3.<a href="#things-that-caught-our-eye"></a>Things that caught our eye<a href="#1-tiring-christmas-match-against-dedicated-wolves"></a>1.…
<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>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>Bayern and Leipzig’s goalless draw leaves the title race open</b>
Matchday 21’s Bundesliga top game ended in a 0-0 draw. Neither a good first half from Bayern nor a very good 25 minutes from Leipzig in the second half were enough for either team to win.Due to Leipzig’s recent dip in form, Bayern were able to take 1st place in the Bundesliga table last week. A win in the fixture now would allow them to further distance the competition.<a href="#the-starting-lineups"></a>The starting lineupsHansi Flick made no experiments and started the game with his team lining up very much as expected. He made two changes from the 4-3 victory against Hoffenheim: Thiago and Goretzka returned to the team while Coutinho and Tolisso dropped to the bench. Gnabry switched to left wing with Müller taking his place on the right. As per usual, he would interpret his position in his own, particular way.As for Leipzig, Julian Nagelsmann opted for making a few more changes. Compared to the 3-1 defeat in Frankfurt, Gulácsi, Adams, Olmo and, of course, Werner came in. Tactically, the team played in a 5-4-1 formation against the ball, a very conservative approach. In possession, it changed to a 4-1-2-3.<a href="#the-first-half"></a>The first halfThe game started without a long phase of hesitation on either side. Bayern started the better team and immediately got the majority of possession. They were able to create some half chances in the first 15 minutes. Leipzig opted for a midfield press and wanted to hit Bayern on the break.After the very lively early stages, the game calmed down a bit and became more balanced. Leipzig managed to execute their pressing better. As a consequence, Leipzig got a few chances, most notably through Werner. On the other side of the pitch, Bayern failed mainly on the final pass, regardless of whether they broke through on the left or right wing. Sometimes more would have been possible.In the final phase of the first half, Bayern looked more dominant again. After a cross from Müller, Lewandowski had the best chance of the game. Unfortunately, Upamecano was able to block his shot for a corner (39.).And so the game remained goalless at half-time. Both sides invested a lot without finding a way to really cause problems for the other side.<a href="#the-second-half"></a>The second halfBoth teams returned to the pitch without a change in personnel. Immediately after the restart, Leipzig had some of the best chances of the game. First Sabitzer missed, then Werner after a mistake by Neuer. On the opposite side, the VAR correctly brought back a penalty for Bayern. The game picked up speed and both sides made more mistakes – mostly, however, on the part of Bayern.Flick reacted very early for his standards and brought Coutinho for Gnabry, who clearly was not yet back to his 100% after his injury. Little later, Leipzig broke through again on the left wing, but Werner missed scoring the lead alone in front of Neuer. For Flick this was the signal to make another change. He brought Hernández for Boateng.The change calmed the game down from Bayern’s perspective. Defense and midfield became more compact and Hernández was able to clear some situations with his physical presence. As a result, the balance of the game tilted back towards Bayern. In the 79th minute, Goretzka had had the best chance for Bayern until that point after a combination with Lewandowski, but he failed to get the ball past Gulácsi.In the end, both teams parted ways in a 0-0 draw and both teams can be satisfied. Bayern, because they could just as well have lost the game considering Leipzig’s surplus of chances in the second half. On the other hand, the visitors were all at sea in the first 45 minutes, although Bayern did not manage to use their superiority to create a plethora of chances.<a href="#things-that-caught-our-eye"></a>Things that caught our eye<a href="#final-pass-where-art-thou"></a>Final pass, where art thou?The one thing that has to be singled out for criticism…
Matchday 21’s Bundesliga top game ended in a 0-0 draw. Neither a good first half from Bayern nor a very good 25 minutes from Leipzig in the second half were enough for either team to win.Due to Leipzig’s recent dip in form, Bayern were able to take 1st place in the Bundesliga table last week. A win in the fixture now would allow them to further distance the competition.<a href="#the-starting-lineups"></a>The starting lineupsHansi Flick made no experiments and started the game with his team lining up very much as expected. He made two changes from the 4-3 victory against Hoffenheim: Thiago and Goretzka returned to the team while Coutinho and Tolisso dropped to the bench. Gnabry switched to left wing with Müller taking his place on the right. As per usual, he would interpret his position in his own, particular way.As for Leipzig, Julian Nagelsmann opted for making a few more changes. Compared to the 3-1 defeat in Frankfurt, Gulácsi, Adams, Olmo and, of course, Werner came in. Tactically, the team played in a 5-4-1 formation against the ball, a very conservative approach. In possession, it changed to a 4-1-2-3.<a href="#the-first-half"></a>The first halfThe game started without a long phase of hesitation on either side. Bayern started the better team and immediately got the majority of possession. They were able to create some half chances in the first 15 minutes. Leipzig opted for a midfield press and wanted to hit Bayern on the break.After the very lively early stages, the game calmed down a bit and became more balanced. Leipzig managed to execute their pressing better. As a consequence, Leipzig got a few chances, most notably through Werner. On the other side of the pitch, Bayern failed mainly on the final pass, regardless of whether they broke through on the left or right wing. Sometimes more would have been possible.In the final phase of the first half, Bayern looked more dominant again. After a cross from Müller, Lewandowski had the best chance of the game. Unfortunately, Upamecano was able to block his shot for a corner (39.).And so the game remained goalless at half-time. Both sides invested a lot without finding a way to really cause problems for the other side.<a href="#the-second-half"></a>The second halfBoth teams returned to the pitch without a change in personnel. Immediately after the restart, Leipzig had some of the best chances of the game. First Sabitzer missed, then Werner after a mistake by Neuer. On the opposite side, the VAR correctly brought back a penalty for Bayern. The game picked up speed and both sides made more mistakes – mostly, however, on the part of Bayern.Flick reacted very early for his standards and brought Coutinho for Gnabry, who clearly was not yet back to his 100% after his injury. Little later, Leipzig broke through again on the left wing, but Werner missed scoring the lead alone in front of Neuer. For Flick this was the signal to make another change. He brought Hernández for Boateng.The change calmed the game down from Bayern’s perspective. Defense and midfield became more compact and Hernández was able to clear some situations with his physical presence. As a result, the balance of the game tilted back towards Bayern. In the 79th minute, Goretzka had had the best chance for Bayern until that point after a combination with Lewandowski, but he failed to get the ball past Gulácsi.In the end, both teams parted ways in a 0-0 draw and both teams can be satisfied. Bayern, because they could just as well have lost the game considering Leipzig’s surplus of chances in the second half. On the other hand, the visitors were all at sea in the first 45 minutes, although Bayern did not manage to use their superiority to create a plethora of chances.<a href="#things-that-caught-our-eye"></a>Things that caught our eye<a href="#final-pass-where-art-thou"></a>Final pass, where art thou?The one thing that has to be singled out for criticism…
<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>Champions League MD 01 Match report: Bayern vs. Atlético</b>
There was football after all. FC Bayern Munich beat Atletico Madrid 4-0. Before the game, a positive corona test by Serge Gnabry was the center of attention.Just under 24 hours before kick-off, FC Bayern announced that Gnabry tested positive for COVID-19. The German international was sent home for self-isolation and is reported to show no symptoms. The best news.<a href="#things-that-stood-out"></a>Things that stood out<a href="#1-a-shortage-on-the-wings"></a>1. A shortage on the wingsHansi Flick decided against Costa as his first choice replacement for Gnabry. The Bayern coach emphasised to Sky Germany that he considered the Brazilian not ready yet. As a result, winger number 5 in the Bayern squad Thomas Müller took on the job. Tolisso replaced Müller in the center. This had advantages and disadvantages. On the one hand, Müller was able to intermittently shift in from the outside, on the other hand his team was deprived of the capacity to create danger with one-on-one dribbles on the right flank. As a result, FC Bayern’s right side game was very easy for Atletico to calculate.<a href="#2-football-tactics-300-please"></a>2. Football tactics 300, please‘Atletico Madrid – What is midfield pressing?’ In the football version of Jeopardy, Atletico would certainly be appreciated for their tactical acumen. The guests knew almost perfectly how to allow Bayern possession only where it did not hurt them. Time and again Madrid set up pressing traps into which the Bavarians were only to eager to step. However, the Spaniards generated too few chances from their ball wins.<a href="#3-kimmich-the-subtle-difference"></a>3 Kimmich – the subtle differenceIn the 29th minute Kimmich showed how Atletico could be opened up despite their tight organization. After a blocked shot from Goretzka, Kimmich recovered the ball with a sliding tackle against Joao Felix, regaining possession for Bayern. He looked up and played a perfectly weighted chipped ball to Coman. The rest is history. Kimmich needed some time to get into the game, but after 20 minutes he started dominating the midfield and as a result FC Bayern dominated the game.<a href="#4-coman-king-of-europe"></a>4. Coman – King of EuropeKingsley Coman scored the first and last goal in the 2019/2020 Champions League season, and Coman scored the first goal again in the new season. Nearly every of his actions in the first half had substance to it. Clever dribbles, strong finish and with a great vision before the 2-0. The 4-0 showed the whole class of the Frenchman. With his performance Coman made clear that he will not surrender his claim to a place in the first team to Gnabry, Sané and Costa without a fight.<a href="#5-bayern-with-a-clever-attacking-press"></a>5. Bayern with a clever attacking pressBayern’s game was not without mistakes. Due to a number of enforced misplaced passes in build-up play, Atlético at times had promising moments in transition. Away from Suárez’s big chance in the 3rd minute of the game, Bayern were able to prevent Atlético’s transition game through very aggressive pressing. When they did not succeed in forcing Atlético to make a mistake, Bayern trusted in their defensive line to bail them out in the penalty area. This approach did not always appear the most convincing, but it was enough on the night.<a href="#6-a-controlled-second-half"></a>6. A controlled second halfAfter a shaky start to the second half that saw Atlético failing to get a goal back, Bayern quickly stepped up their game again and retook control. Atlético became dangerous only when Felix was able to run at speed at the Bayern defense. In these moments, the otherwise effective pressing by Bayern was not enough against Atlético’s 4-5-1 shape, but they were rare ones. On the other hand, Bayern also created a number of good opportunities through Müller. Tolisso’s wonder strike and the great dribble by Coman decided the game 15 minutes from time.<a href="#7…
There was football after all. FC Bayern Munich beat Atletico Madrid 4-0. Before the game, a positive corona test by Serge Gnabry was the center of attention.Just under 24 hours before kick-off, FC Bayern announced that Gnabry tested positive for COVID-19. The German international was sent home for self-isolation and is reported to show no symptoms. The best news.<a href="#things-that-stood-out"></a>Things that stood out<a href="#1-a-shortage-on-the-wings"></a>1. A shortage on the wingsHansi Flick decided against Costa as his first choice replacement for Gnabry. The Bayern coach emphasised to Sky Germany that he considered the Brazilian not ready yet. As a result, winger number 5 in the Bayern squad Thomas Müller took on the job. Tolisso replaced Müller in the center. This had advantages and disadvantages. On the one hand, Müller was able to intermittently shift in from the outside, on the other hand his team was deprived of the capacity to create danger with one-on-one dribbles on the right flank. As a result, FC Bayern’s right side game was very easy for Atletico to calculate.<a href="#2-football-tactics-300-please"></a>2. Football tactics 300, please‘Atletico Madrid – What is midfield pressing?’ In the football version of Jeopardy, Atletico would certainly be appreciated for their tactical acumen. The guests knew almost perfectly how to allow Bayern possession only where it did not hurt them. Time and again Madrid set up pressing traps into which the Bavarians were only to eager to step. However, the Spaniards generated too few chances from their ball wins.<a href="#3-kimmich-the-subtle-difference"></a>3 Kimmich – the subtle differenceIn the 29th minute Kimmich showed how Atletico could be opened up despite their tight organization. After a blocked shot from Goretzka, Kimmich recovered the ball with a sliding tackle against Joao Felix, regaining possession for Bayern. He looked up and played a perfectly weighted chipped ball to Coman. The rest is history. Kimmich needed some time to get into the game, but after 20 minutes he started dominating the midfield and as a result FC Bayern dominated the game.<a href="#4-coman-king-of-europe"></a>4. Coman – King of EuropeKingsley Coman scored the first and last goal in the 2019/2020 Champions League season, and Coman scored the first goal again in the new season. Nearly every of his actions in the first half had substance to it. Clever dribbles, strong finish and with a great vision before the 2-0. The 4-0 showed the whole class of the Frenchman. With his performance Coman made clear that he will not surrender his claim to a place in the first team to Gnabry, Sané and Costa without a fight.<a href="#5-bayern-with-a-clever-attacking-press"></a>5. Bayern with a clever attacking pressBayern’s game was not without mistakes. Due to a number of enforced misplaced passes in build-up play, Atlético at times had promising moments in transition. Away from Suárez’s big chance in the 3rd minute of the game, Bayern were able to prevent Atlético’s transition game through very aggressive pressing. When they did not succeed in forcing Atlético to make a mistake, Bayern trusted in their defensive line to bail them out in the penalty area. This approach did not always appear the most convincing, but it was enough on the night.<a href="#6-a-controlled-second-half"></a>6. A controlled second halfAfter a shaky start to the second half that saw Atlético failing to get a goal back, Bayern quickly stepped up their game again and retook control. Atlético became dangerous only when Felix was able to run at speed at the Bayern defense. In these moments, the otherwise effective pressing by Bayern was not enough against Atlético’s 4-5-1 shape, but they were rare ones. On the other hand, Bayern also created a number of good opportunities through Müller. Tolisso’s wonder strike and the great dribble by Coman decided the game 15 minutes from time.<a href="#7…