Bayern Munich faced Sporting CP at home in the UEFA Champions League and following its away defeat at Arsenal, this game was crucial to hold a position in the top eight. What ensued was a tight game —
Sporting employing a low block and Bayern’s inability to score was the result. Mistakes were made— Joshua Kimmich scored an uncharacteristic own-goal, but amends made right after, as the team bounced back to win 3-1. Here are the observations from the game.
Bayern still struggle with low blocks and it’s not necessarily a personnel issue
The kinds of players Bayern has are more than sufficient to deal with low blocks. Take players like Serge Gnabry and Raphael Guerreiro. At CAM, Gnabry or Guerriero would be perfect to face any team with a low-block. In instances tonight, Joshua Kimmich too was able to bypass lanes and push the ball into attacking spaces. This, paired with players with attacking potency and pressing abilities such as Luis Díaz and Jamal Musiala, is ideal for a low-block team. Lastly, there is a role for centre-backs and Aleksander Pavlovic in providing long-balls to bypass.
So, despite having such players, why was Bayern still struggling in the first half?
The first half featured valiant efforts from every attacker – Lennart Karl put up an extraordinary outing, so did the pairing of Konrad Laimer and Michael Olise. There were twenty-five attempts in this girl, of which nearly 50% were from the first half. The attacking efforts were, however, not translated into goals. Whether it was the compact and organised setup Sporting employed or the phenomenal game goalkeeper Rui Silva put up, there was always something to keep Bayern from scoring.
The answer comes down to a multitude of factors:
- There were compromises made.
Gnabry’s ideal position is at CAM, but so is Lennart Karl’s. The youngster, earlier touted to be a perfect winger, has dominated the position and played extraordinary football. If there are faults to his game, they are merely facts that any young player would have and are due to change in time. For a low-block team, Gnabry would have been ideal at CAM, but Karl is simply too good a talent to be forced to the wings.
- Selfishness?
Nearly every player had an attempt at heading the ball in, even in instances where someone else was open. The likes of Stanisic and Kimmich took their attempts at scoring tonight. Wanting to add to one’s tally is a fair desire but not when someone else is more suited to the job.
The second half showed a glimpse into what works, with Bayern having scored three goals in twelve minutes. That being said, with the right personnel returning soon; i.e. Musiala from injury and Diaz from suspension, we could potentially see how the full-strength squad would work against such teams.
Side note: Bayern with headers frankly felt like a kid learning a new word and proceeding to use it everywhere. Worked in some places, and didn’t work in most.
Teamwork was the key on each goal
Goal #1 (65th)
Scorer: Gnabry
Assist: Olise
Following Kimmich’s shambolic own-goal, Olise took over the corner kick, and gave a delivery towards the far post, wherein Gnabry was a lone man, open and ready to score. He received the ball and tapped it in. Perfection.
Goal #2 (69th)
Scorer: Karl
Assist: Olise
Olise bagged his second assist of the day with this. Following a defensive third battle for the ball, Jonathan Tah won it from Hjulmand, following what was a slightly reckless challenge. Joshua Kimmich took up the ball, and made a pass to Laimer. The Austrian promptly identified Olise who made a run to spot an open Karl who then took a breathtakingly perfect touch to score.
Goal #3 (77th)
Scorer: Tah
Assist: Gnabry
Following a Kimmich corner kick, Gnabry from the far post, gave a lethal header in towards the box, which was promptly taken by Tah and slotted into the net.
Karl is outstanding
Lennart Karl is a sensation. It is hard to believe it at this stage of his career, but he is phenomenal at every position he plays. The attacker seems to make an impact in each appearance and his ability to just make things happen in uncanny. Karl’s goal vs. Sporting CP was a product of his instincts, skill, and incredible ability to time his runs and burst past his defender.
Karl has become near-impossible to mark in the final third and could be a key figure for Bayern Munich as the season goes on. The more we see of him, the more special he appears to be.
Some miscellaneous observations
- Alphonso Davies has returned and it is clear — there is not a single player on this team that can make a recovery run like him.
- Olise should probably start taking all the corners. That was perfect.
- The centre-backs did an amazing job tonight, leaving Neuer mostly free.
- Laimer will be sorely missed next game.
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…
