So Bayern Munich succumbed to their first Bundesliga defeat of the season, ending all hopes of an unbeaten season. FC Augsburg were honestly the superior team, demonstrating better organization, more hustle,
and more desire than their Bavarian neighbors. They come away from this with a deserved three points, which will surely help them in the relegation dogfight happening at the bottom of the table.
Jersey Swap: Han-Noah Massengo
Massengo was a menace, making motoring runs that allowed Augsburg to rapidly progress the ball up the pitch. The midfield battle is where Augsburg really won, regularly supplying their forwards with the passes they needed to get shots on target vs FC Bayern.
Offensively, Massengo was no slouch. His goal to seal the game came from a well-taken shot, but he could have had one as early as the first half had he managed to hit the target. The Frenchman was arguably the player of the game, and only misses out on the MoTM award because we have to give it to a Bayern player.
Der Kaiser: Alphonso Davies
Alphonso Davies can play right-back, who knew? Vincent Kompany trusted the Canadian to play this new role in the absence of all other options, and — while he didn’t quite excel — he was more than solid for the hour or so that he played. It is no coincidence that all the momentum shifted to Augsburg when Davies was taken off. He was providing a strong offensive threat down the right flank that FCA needed to be wary of, keeping them at bay.
Once Davies was replaced by Joshua Kimmich, that threat disappeared. The importance of the Canadian can easily be seen in the goal scored by Massengo, with Kimmich beaten for pace. That kind of thing would not have happened if Phonzie had been kept on the pitch.
Fußballgott: Aleksandar Pavlović
Pavlović had a 6.5/10 performance, which by the standards of this game is enough to earn him an award. Even then, he misplaced a few passes and was overall okay at best. Yes, this was the type of game where an “okay” performance is enough to stand out. Still, not all the blame can go to Pav, his teammates let him down this time.
Der Bomber: Not awarded
Pathetic doesn’t begin to describe the Bayern Munich attack in this game. Everyone was poor, bar none. The only goal came from a set piece, and was scored by a defender. Augsburg outshot Bayern 16 to 15.
Luis Diaz was probably the pick of the bunch. The Colombian was very active in the first half, threatening several key chances, but he faded as Bayern lost momentum in the second. Michael Olise gets credited with the assist for the only goal, and he did hit the woodwork at the death (which is was a valiant attempt) but the Frenchman did not meet his own high standards on the night.
Lennart Karl was rather poor, making tons of misplaced passes including a howler inside the box that Augsburg almost scored from. Harry Kane was invisible. You’d be forgiven for thinking he was given a rest. As for the subs, they did nothing — and in Musiala’s case, had a hand in the goal conceded. Terrible look for an attack that many rate as the best in Europe.
Meister of the Match: Hiroki Ito
Hiroki Ito scored a goal and didn’t make any glaring mistakes in defense, which earns him the coveted MotM award. There is not much to say about the Japanese international’s performance — it was quiet and businesslike. His consistency will be a real boon to Bayern Munich going forward, if Vincent Kompany can sort out the problems elsewhere on the pitch.
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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