Die Folgen: Bayern’s 0-0 draw with Schalke 04 (Bavarian Football Works)
Well, Bayern Munich met its match and it was Schalke 04.
Seriously.
The Bavarians battled to a 0-0 draw with Die Königsblauen in a game where Bayern Munich was never seriously threatened. The downside for fans was that the Bavarians just could not solve Schalke’s compact structure and looked confused in trying to do it.
In short, it was not a thrilling 90 minutes of play. Let’s get into it, here are some quick hitters on the match:
- As always, let’s begin with a look at the starting XI:
- For two years, some of us have called for Vincent Kompany to embrace rotation and, dadgumit, the Bayern Munich head coach has done it! Kompany opted to sit Harry Kane and Michael Olise in favor or Ismael Saibari and Lennart Karl. Nathaniel Brown got the nod at the No. 10 spot, while Alphonso Davies and Konrad Laimer manned the outside-back positions.
- The rotation, as expected, was going to take a little time to get going — even against Schalke. The problem was that the team, overall, just never really figured out how to break Schalke 04.
- In the 13th minute, Nathaniel Brown caught a little too much of the middle of the net on a golden opportunity and was denied by Schalke 04 goalkeeper Lorius Karius.
- Bayern Munich was dominant in possession and was clearly thinking through ways to attack the compact Schalke structure. It was a battle of wits in the early going.
- Communication was an issue for Bayern Munich all over the pitch, but that is a growing pain of the commitment to rotate.
- Schalke 04 was super-compact and Bayern Munich was overloading the box, so it made for A LOT of traffic in front of the next, but also choked out some of the space that the Bavarians typically can exploit. That would prove to be a fatal flaw in the game plan.
- So much of the first half was played on Bayern Munich’s left-attacking side. Karl was probably getting bored.
- Saibari had a good look in the 30th minute, but skied his attempt.
- One thing was very clear, Schalke was determined to be very physical with the visitors.
- Luis Díaz missed a golden opportunity in the 41st minute. Wow…he will want that one back in a bad way.
- The Bayern Munich attack struggled to find cohesion and with its creativity. It will be a process when mixing and matching players. Guys like Kane and Olise are not easy to replace, so it will take time. The good thing is that Tah and Upamecano were on-point defensively in holding down the fort as both full-backs pushed way up. Granted, there were some scary rushes at the center-backs, but they ultimately did just enough to keep Schalke at bay.
- Upamecano noticeably looked sluggish and struggled with some of his movements. Even with that, he did not make any big mistakes defensively that hurt the team.
- No doubt, it was a first half that left some Bayern Munich fans frustrated or maybe even worried, but it is all to be expected. Unfortunately, that would not change.
- Kane checked in for Brown to start the second half. Admittedly, Brown at the No. 10 is not something that appeals to this writer (it seems unnecessary), but Kompany has his reasons for experimenting with it and he has earned the right to toy with things. With Musiala back, Gnabry getting closer to a return, and minutes needed for Karl down the line, Brown might settle back in at left-back anyway.
- Bayern Munich did not have the chance to stretch the field much. That likely would have helped things open up, but everything was deliberate.
- The #KaneEffect was real. Bayern Munich immediately looked better when the Englishman entered the match, but still did not result in a breakthrough.
- When Olise and Jamal Musiala entered the match, things were even more crisp for a bit before things would, again, just hit a wall. As for Karl and Saibari — the players Olise and Musiala replaced — neither played well.
- Karl got caught up in a vicious cycle of not being involved enough, clearly feeling the pressure to perform, and trying to do too much — and ultimately making mistakes. It was not a performance that he will want to remember.
- Olise had a good, tough-angle shot after coming on, but it was turned away by Karius.
- In the 64th, minute, Aleksandar Pavlović played a brilliant ball to Laimer, who misfired into the side netting. Yikes.
- At this stage of the game, Bayern Munich was just utterly dominating, but still unable to find much success. It was kind of wild.
- At one point the USA Network feed showed a dad in a Schalke jersey comforting a kid in a Bayern jersey. That was a fitting visual for the day.
- Musiala, who looks a little more stout than previous season, still needs to get stronger on the ball. The Germany international was just getting bullied all over the place.
- Díaz probably had his worst game as a Bayern Munich player. It was not like him at all.
- Kane had a good, long-distance rip in the 87th minute, but Loris Karius was incredible and stopped it.
- Overall, this was not good for Bayern Munich, but it might have been necessary. The coach and the team need to learn how to deal with these tactics and how to work together. Kane, Olise, and Díaz cannot play every game and carry the team again. Kompany and his squad need to develop a level of comfort with the rotation and interchanging. Right now, that is not there, but it will eventually get there — it is just a matter of how long it takes to reach that point.
If you
missed out Initial Analysis, Match Awards, Observations, or Postgame Podcast, give them a look or a listen:
Gunners looking to lock down several key players (ESPN)
Arsenal is seeking to follow the lead of Pari Saint-Germain and get several contracts done:
Arsenal are working on several new contracts for players, according to TEAMtalk, as the club looks to secure the future of some of its key stars. It’s claimed that progress has been made on extensions for club captain Martin Ødegaard, as well as fellow midfielder Declan Rice and defender Jurriën Timber. The trio have been central to Arsenal’s success in recent years, which culminated in last season’s Premier League title triumph. All three of Odegaard, Rice, and Timber have two years remaining on their contracts, with talks advancing towards extensions.
Guerreiro to Roma? (BuLiNews)
Former Bayern Munich player Raphaël Guerreiro could be headed to AS Roma:
According to a report emanating from the Gazzetta dello Sport, AS Roma are considering a move for Raphaël Guerreiro. The club from the Italian capital currently only have one natural left-back in their squad in the form of Anass Salah-Eddine.
Signing Guerreiro could further expand head coach Gian Piero Gasperini’s options for the current 2026-27 seasons. Since the Portuguese international is currently without a club after his Bayern Munich contract expired, he is available on a free transfer.
Celtic turned down Boey loan (Celtic Shorts)
Bayern Munich seeks to find a buyer for right-back Sacha Boey, but one club who walked away from a pursuit was Celtic:
Among the flurry of arrivals at Celtic Park in the last hours of transfer deadline was Feyenoord right back Jordan Lotomba. The Swiss international signed a deal until the end of the season as Martin O’Neill swooped to strengthen the right back area in the midst of Alistair Johnston’s injury which will rule him out the Canadian international for up to eight weeks.
Some interesting news has since emerged, with it being claimed that Celtic turned down a loan transfer opportunity to sign Bayern Munich right back Sacha Boey. The Bundesliga Champions were ‘open’ to talks with Celtic for their defender but the club opted for Lotomba instead – who subsequently signed on a season-long deal from Dutch side Feyenoord.
Milan to extend Rabiot (Gazzetta dello Sportvia ESPN)
AC Milan wants to extend the contract of French midfielder Adrien Rabiot:
AC Milan are working on a new contract for Adrien Rabiot, with the France international midfielder entering the final two years of his contract.
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…
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