SC Freiburg came to play. And play they did.
Bayern Munich tussled with Europa League contenders SC Freiburg (currently 2nd in the EL table), and it was a hard-fought battle. With Freiburg unafraid to push ahead with full intensity and throw bodies on the line when defending, Kompany faced a problematic foe but overcame the initial struggles brilliantly with a couple of tweaks (looking at you, Goretzka) and by changing the dynamic with which the team attacked in the second half.
Here are the key takeaways
from the game:
Bayern caught snoozing early
Freiburg came out all guns blazing, and Bayern simply wasn’t ready for the initial onslaught. Two unanswered goals, both courtesy of set pieces, showcased the team’s vulnerability to defending set pieces at times, and in this case, it was just poor positioning and ball watching that cost the side. However, this was also the wake-up call that Bayern needed to truly get into the game, and when they did, it was an 11-man symphony. A masterpiece in free-flowing, attacking football ensued.
Absolute annihilation followed.
SC Freiburg played their hearts out
Late in the second half, it was difficult not to feel sorry for Freiburg with the way they played. Every single player played with his heart on the sleeve; and make no mistake—this was an industrious team effort that saw Freiburg score 2 unanswered goals in quick succession…something that hasn’t happened to Bayern all season. However, after Bayern came back with 2 brilliant goals, it certainly seemed to be a more open game until Bayern’s third. After that, Freiburg just bunkered up, which is something they shouldn’t have done.
Freiburg’s chances came when they were more active and pushing forward. This also caused Bayern to play with more caution and led to a more balanced game. With Bayern dominating possession and cranking up the pressure in the second half, it was only a matter of time before Freiburg capitulated. And they did.
Karl of all trades
Lennart Karl started on RW today and gave Freiburg problems from the very beginning. His pressing is relentless, and his nifty dribbling and untraceable movements made him a thorn in Freiburg’s backside. After scoring Bayern’s first with a brilliant first touch (off an otherworldly assist from Olise) and a finish off his weaker foot, he assisted Olise for Bayern’s second with incredible vision.
He continued playing as an attacking midfielder the rest of the game (until he was subbed off with injury concerns) and thrived in that role too! This gives Bayern some interesting options—should he continue playing at RW, or should his versatility be used to Bayern’s advantage? Should Kompany experiment more with him at the 10? With Gnabry thriving in the middle at the moment and Musiala’s return not too far away, Lennart Karl’s positional flexibility offers Bayern a top winger and a top AM option all packaged neatly in a 5”6 bundle.
If fit, he will almost certainly start against Arsenal, although probably not at RW, because Bayern has a better option there.
OLISENSATIONAL
Michael Olise is hands down the best right winger in the world, and he SHOWED OUT. Any concerns over a slump in his performances due to being overworked by both France and Bayern were silenced with a scintillating performance that was capped by an absolute rocket into the top bins from range, Robben style. With 3 assists, 2 goals (5 goal contributions!!!), 5 key passes, and some key interceptions, the SofaScore rating of 10 (!!!) was well deserved.
The nonchalant king is back with a bang, and he will undoubtedly play a major role in any success Bayern enjoys against Arsenal in the UCL midweek fixture. Which begs the question:
Is Arsenal cooked?
Arsenal currently has European football’s best defense, but Bayern Munich’s defending isn’t too shabby either. However, Arsenal have certainly not faced any attack remotely close in strength to that of Bayern’s this season. While this game represents an “unstoppable force vs. immovable object” narrative in the minds of many, Bayern Munich have already dispatched last season’s UCL winners PSG with relative ease, and this attack has never looked better.
This hinges in large part on Lennart Karl’s availability, of course, but one thing is certain—Mikel Arteta will be faced with a herculean challenge: How in the world do you stop this Bayern attack?
Maybe the answer is: you don’t. You have to outscore them instead.
Good luck with that.
If you are looking for more Bayern Munich and German national team coverage, check out the latest episodes of Bavarian Podcast Works, which you can get on Acast, Spotify, Apple, or any leading podcast distributor…
