A wounded Bayern Munich side travelled to the Black Forest to take on a formidable SC Freiburg.
Die Rekordmeister, led by Aaron Danks in Vincent Kompany’s absence, maintained control for the vast majority of the game but survived a late-game hiccup to emerge 3-1 victors!
Here are the biggest takeaways from the game.
Bayern Munich have a weird depth issue
Water is wet, the sky is blue, and Bayern are in the midst of another injury and absentee crisis. Season upon season, Bayern suffer the same fate, but at least the squad is deeper this season, right?
Yes, but there’s a strange issue.
Don’t get me wrong, the players who came in today did a fantastic job at covering the absentees. But Die Rekordmeister are a Kane, Olise, or Upamecano injury short of a nightmare—a real possibility given the trio’s increased workload.
While Bayern have a replacement in nearly every position, the issue is that the backups aren’t like-for-like. I’m not saying Luis Díaz should have a backup of equal quality; I’m saying that Díaz should have a replacement whose best position is left wing. No disrespect to Serge Gnabry, who did a fine job bagging a goal from that position, but he simply isn’t at his best on the wing. The same goes for Lennart Karl on the right and Ismael Saibari up top. They can all play those positions, but they are not their best positions.
I appreciate Bayern’s value on players who can play several positions, but at some point, you need players who can maintain the level in the position they are meant to cover. In this way, Bayern are still lacking.
Jonas Urbig IS Neuer’s heir
Two weeks ago, German goalkeeping legends Jens Lehmann and Oliver Kahn expressed doubts in Jonas Urbig’s ability to replace Manuel Neuer as Bayern’s number one. I wonder what they think after this game?
Urbig’s ability on the ball is fantastic, but tonight, it was his shot-stopping that earned Bayern three points.
Towards the end of the game, Freiburg were threatening the 23-year-old keeper’s goal, but Urbig pulled off a few world-class saves to deny Julian Schuster’s side an equalizer.
It wasn’t just the quality of the saves; it was the context. Despite the criticism from Lehmann and Kahn, Urbig brushed it off and stepped up when Bayern needed him most.
Tonight, Urbig didn’t just prove that he has the ability—he proved he has the mentality.
Vincent Kompany’s team is in safe hands
Bayern entered their Bundesliga clash against Freiburg without the cornerstone of their success over the last two seasons: Vincent Kompany. But despite the Belgian manager’s absence, one of his most important philosophies shone through.
Bayern’s quality is a product of teamwork. Nothing works alone. From upper management to the coaching staff, from the players to the groundskeepers, Bayern is a unit.
Even without the coach responsible for instilling this mentality and a notable list of absentees, Aaron Danks and the rest of Kompany’s coaching staff stepped up, and so did the players.
Rest up, Vinnie. Your team is in safe hands!
But can you do it on a rainy night against Die Rekordmeister?
Excuse the cliché, but behind every expression, there is an underlying truth.
Freiburg enjoyed a strong start to the season, but after losing consecutive games to two Bundesliga heavyweights, one remembers why the Breisgau-Brasilianer are still short of such status themselves. When it comes down to it, they simply struggle to replicate their best form against the league’s top sides.
Their defeat to Bayern was a great example. The Bavarians were vulnerable coming into the game, presenting a rare opportunity for Julian Schuster’s men. But a few lapses in concentration in the first half cost Freiburg the game. Last week’s loss to a Leverkusen side not in their brightest moment presented a similar storyline.
If Freiburg want to be consistently recognized amongst the Bundesliga’s top dogs, they have to show up in the big moments.
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