Vier observaties van de saaie 2-1 overwinning van Bayern München op SC Freiburg
Vier observaties van de saaie 2-1 overwinning van Bayern München op SC Freiburg
Bayern Munich scraped together a win against a tough SC Freiburg side thanks to a Harry Kane goal from open play (yes, you read that right) and a cheeky Kim Min-jae header following a magnificent Joshua Kimmich corner. Freiburg got one back thanks to Matthias Ginter’s header from a corner of their own, but it simply wasn’t enough.
A note on the players
Before we go any further, there were certainly a few positives worth highlighting today. Harry Kane had a solid game on both ends of the pitch, finally scoring a non-penalty goal, and what a goal it was! The movement prior to the shot was stunning, outdone only by the comet-esque shot itself. A goal like this speaks volumes about Kane’s caliber and fans will hope there’s more where that came from, especially after his relative silence in recent games. Jamal Musiala was brilliant as always.
Aleksandar Pavlović had a great game in his own right, while Joshua Kimmich’s brilliance in those right half-spaces shone through once again. The pair are great together and rebounded well following Leon Goretzka’s injury. Eric Dier put in a proper shift in his own right, picking up an assist to his long-time buddy Kane.
Yet the standout performer was Josip Stanišić, who came on to compensate for Kimmich moving into a more advanced role. He defended flawlessly without any negative impact while advancing the ball. Stanišić’s comeback was a defensive masterclass. He was everywhere he needed to be.
Change creation and constriction
Bayern, particularly in the first half, failed to create enough chances, atypical of a Bayern team. One can cite Freiburg’s constricting tactical setup as a possible reason. The home side surrendered control of the ball in exchange for an effective out-of-possession setup that caught Bayern at the right moments while maintaining a fairly steady stream of their own chances.
Yet Bayern needs to do better. The attack was scrambling and there seemed to be very few ideas on how to escape the Freiburg players. The second half was a little more open but allowed for Freiburg to have their chances at the Bayern goal. Bayern seemed inadequately prepared to respond to Freiburg’s antics aimed at preventing Bayern from shooting. And that brings us to the next point.
Winger woes
There is little that tactics can do when the wingers are unwilling to cooperate. More often than not, Bayern’s wingers disappoint, and today was no different. Serge Gnabry was handed a questionable start and returned that favor with a terrible performance. He seems to have lost that spark and that unstoppable shot he had many, many moons ago, and you can’t help but feel he is often a liability on the pitch. Leroy Sané wasn’t any better, but did have a few good moments. Olise wasn’t too special this evening either.
What’s even more puzzling is that both of them seem likely to remain at the club. The club’s unwillingness to seriously up the competition on the wings and sign another winger simply shows a lack of ambition.
Kompany: lineup and subs
Head coach Vincent Kompany fielded what was arguably the most puzzling lineup of his tenure thus far. It had mixed results, with some choices paying off while others, not so much. His substitutions were a hit-and-miss too, and a highlight remains Mathys Tel sitting on the bench, unused, for the third game in a row. That is a situation the club will have to work out alongside both player and coach to prevent inhibiting Tel’s development.
Kompany will get there as soon as his players do. But there will be tough tests ahead, made tougher following the injury of star Alphonso Davies (who was certainly missed on the pitch today) — which looked eerily similar to Goretzka’s injury this game. It will be interesting to see how Kompany handles the team leading up to the much-awaited clash against Bayer Leverkusen.
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