The resumption of club football did not bring with it the joy many presumed it would, as Bayern Munich stumbled to a 2-2 draw with fellow Bavarians, FC Augsburg. The game saw Augsburg break the record for the fastest-ever Bundesliga goal and featured an uncharacteristic number of offsides. Bayern’s draw means they sit two points behind league leaders Borussia Dortmund. Here are some observations from the game.
Manuel Neuer needs to pack it up
There is a strong argument to be made that had Neuer not started this game, Bayern would
have come away with all three points. It is no secret that he has been far beyond his best for a long time, but today truly drove the point home. Neuer’s silly (some might say downright foolish) attempt to chip the ball over Robin Fellhauer turned out to be a blunder that will forever remain in the league’s history books as Fellhauer blocked the ball and drove it into an empty net five seconds out from the sound of the whistle. That wasn’t the worst of it, as Augsburg’s second goal came after he parried the ball to an open Rodrigo Ribeiro instead of catching it (granted, not completely his fault).
It is mistakes like these that make you wonder why he is still starting for the club at this level. Bayern has Jonas Urbig, who has proven to be far more consistent and has shown immense potential; there is no longer a reason for Neuer to start games that are of importance to the club. Starting Neuer in big games has already cost Bayern significantly. Games against Real Madrid over the last three seasons immediately come to mind, but there are many more where you can’t help but think that both he and the club are desperately trying to revive a version of him that fans haven’t seen consistently in years.
Forgive the rant, but the unfortunate truth is that he should have retired a few seasons ago. Games like this actively detract from his legacy. Granting him extension after extension has done neither this club nor him any favors. It is time to pack it up. Bayern will not win the Champions League they so desire if Neuer is between the sticks.
The Josip Stanišić question
Josip Stanišić has been mediocre for far too long, and the question on fans’ lips is: Is he good enough to play for this club? This game, and far too many others recently, would suggest otherwise. Stanišić did not combine well with Michael Olise and made too many mistakes going forward and even defensively. He was found offside for Luis Díaz’s disallowed equalizer; then he waited too long to press his man, allowing Hennes Behrens to send a through ball that ended in their second goal. These are just two examples from a game where he was sluggish and uninspired—something that has become somewhat common for him.
Today, he was detrimental to Bayern’s game, and his substitution for Nathaniel Brown saw an instant elevation in tenacity. Brown even ended up scoring, courtesy of one of his well-timed runs for the team. It is hard to make an argument for Stanišić to start given his recent performances. Both Konrad Laimer and Brown are better alternatives at the right-back position, and the latter isn’t even a natural right-back. If an opportunity comes to sell Stanišić, Bayern must take it.
On Augsburg, the midfield, and substitutions
Augsburg played a brilliant game for the most part. They were disciplined and did well to deal with Bayern’s attack in the first half by crowding out both Olise and Kane. They were quick on the counter and contained Bayern’s chance creation. The midfield also seemed to have found their match against the Augsburg pivot, and goalkeeper Finn Dahmen was stellar. Despite conceding twice, he was fantastic and constantly denied Bayern (recording eight saves!)—a stark contrast to the man between the opposite goalposts.
As for Bayern’s midfield, between Joshua Kimmich and Aleksandar Pavlović, the latter was far more on his A-game tonight. Kimmich did well in the buildup to Bayern’s equalizer, but Pavlović was a lot more dynamic and successful at breaking free from Augsburg’s press. It would have been nice to see how the game would have gone with a Pavlović and Tom Bischof pairing.
Regarding the substitutions, Vincent Kompany waited too long to take Stanišić off. Serge Gnabry was a fantastic introduction, and his injury doesn’t seem to have slowed him down. Lennart Karl did okay, but it’s not like the starting wingers were fantastic either. All in all, the in-game changes were not too bad. More crucially, the tactical tweaks on the left flank after the first half were key.
The left flank had an interesting arc
The first half saw the Luis Díaz and Alphonso Davies pairing struggle to find their footing, and Díaz in particular seemed completely out of it. Part of this was because Davies seemed to occupy a position higher up the pitch, with Díaz weirdly not reciprocating with his movement, which led to awkward sequences and Davies having to make rapid recovery runs.
The left flank was instrumental in the second half as Díaz found his footing and the dynamic with Davies returned to normal. Díaz put the ball in the back of the net twice, only for it to be called offside both times, while Davies overlapped well to create chances and come close to scoring himself. The experimentation in the first half was interesting, but not very successful. It remains to be seen if Kompany will try something similar again.
Mandatory Kane Ballon d’Or section
Harry Kane had a difficult start to the game and could not seem to get a shot on target, but he turned it completely around after the break. This was another one of his stellar performances as a playmaker: he created both Bayern goals that stood and even a fair few that didn’t. He made fantastic runs into the final third, delivered perfect passes into the box, and showed great positioning to receive the ball. Even when Kane doesn’t score, he is the best player on the pitch. If Kane had finished like he usually does, Bayern might have won the game. But without him, Bayern wouldn’t have scraped a point.
Give him the Ballon d’Or. There is no one more deserving.
That’s all for today’s observations! Do you agree with them? What are yours? How did you find the game? Tell us everything in the comments below!
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