Bayern Munich were all over the place today. Having started strong, they lost their sense of rhythm in a few moments and had to overcompensate with a low block towards the end of the game. With the visitors rushing the box often in the second half, Bayern were caught poorly leading to an embarrassing second goal in what should have been a fairly comfortable victory. Regardless, Vincent Kompany got his men across the line and has some tinkering to do, especially in the midfield. Without further ado,
here are the match awards:
Jersey Swap — Jonathan Burkardt
Burkardt was undoubtedly a machine for the visitors. A wily centre forward with a razor sharp shot, he narrowly missed scoring against the Bavarians. The woodwork having denied him, saved face and points for Bayern Munich.
To highlight the threat this man is, he had only two touches in the box and took shots with both of them with a ridiculous individual xG of 1.36. Of course, one of them being a penalty did help, but the German striker took that shot to perfection. Jonas Urbig was beaten fair square as Burkardt slotted it perfectly into the bottom corner. The Bavarian defence did superbly to keep Burkardt away from the ball or this fixture could have seen the visitors return home with all 3 points.
Der Kaiser — Josip Stanišić
Stanišić has locked himself down on the backline in Kompany’s books. The lad just does so much. He is not the best at anything in his team or on the pitch, but one thing that makes Stani stand out is that he keeps contributing. Over time it builds up to an impactful performance where his presence benefits the attack and the defence.
Against Frankfurt, Stani created two chances, made 4 tackles and sent 6 passes into the final third as he was a key attacking cog in the first half. Being dribbled past remains a vulnerability as he was once again passed twice by the opposition attackers. While this is a terrible weakness against pacey wingers, Stanišić manages to cover it up with good anticipation and using his physicality.
Fußballgott — Aleksander Pavlović
With Joshua Kimmich battling poor form, Pavlović picked up the pace and handled midfield duties with aplomb.While Kimmich was not having his best of days, Pavlo dished out a 95 percent pass rate game. He turned into the main distributor as Kimmich played more direct passes aiming to penetrate the defence. The volley to score the first goal was sensational and should instill more confidence in the young man to play a tad more directly than he currently does.
Der Bomber — Michael Olise
The Frenchman is the best right winger in the world at the moment. He just has to be. The sheer ability and audacity of Olise to create chances is a major reason why Jamal Musiala’s absence and return has been a peaceful process.
With four chances created, five successful dribbles out of six attempted and six shots taken, Olise will be kicking himself for missing out today. Even with no assist or goal, Olise left his mark on the game with another creative performance. His lobbed pass to Gnabry after Frankfurt’s second goal was another beautiful example of how quickly he can change the course of the game, creating chances in a flash.
Meister of the Match — Harry Kane
What a season the Englishman is having in Munich. Keeping up with the record-breaking goal season of Robert Lewandowski, Kane has shown why he is the best striker in the world once again.
Kane’s all round ability has taken nothing away from his prowess as a number 9. This was underscored by his brace against Frankfurt. Both the goals were straight out of the striker’s book. The first, a deft header to deflect a corner from the forward post right across the face of the goal.
The second was a world class hit from outside the box that flew into the side-netting. A picture perfect finish that Kaua Santos was never going to reach. Although Kane did give away a pen, it is a rare mistake compared to how poor attackers are at defending in crowded boxes. Regardless, burying his chances when called upon and creating the odd chance summarises the best that Kane can bring to a game, which was on display today.
Honorable mentions:
- Luis Diaz and Jamal Musiala were on the money. The Bayern attack was totally unstoppable with each one deserving a lot of praise.
- Dayot Upamecano at the back was solid as a rock and has found the next level to his ball playing abilities. His runs and long passes are vital to maintaining the pace and pressure of the Bayern attack despite switching flanks often.
- Jonathan Tah for some kung-fu high flying blocks that were not only very aesthetic to watch but also very important to keep Frankfurt from equalizing in the final minutes of the 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…
Join the conversation!
Sign up for a user account and get:
- New, improved notifications system!
- Fewer ads
- Create community posts
- Comment on articles, community posts
- Rec comments, community posts
