Bayern Munich came off Der Klassiker even more injury-riddled than they were before, leaving fans worried for their fate in this much-anticipated Champions League away clash against Atlético Madrid. But Bayern, despite a personnel crisis, put every fear to bed and delivered a dominant performance and, for the first time ever, won a Champions League game against Atlético Madrid at the Metropolitano. Our awards from the game:
Jersey Swap: Marc Pubill
Atlético put on a very weak showing tonight and allowed Bayern to control
the game for the most part. They positioned themselves well in the first half to make it difficult for Bayern to get into the right angles to shoot, but began to unravel in the second half, which was a flurry of constant Bayern chances. That said, of the team, Pubill was playing out of position on the flank and delivered a decent showing, orchestrating one of their few attacks early on. He wins this award for stepping up, but truly, the Atlético team did themselves no favours.
(Dis)honorable Mention: Josip Stanišić
Stanišić has been in a seemingly endless run of poor form, and today was no different. Stanišić killed far too many Bayern attacks and seemed confused going forward. There were poor instances from him defensively as well, which had to be cleaned up by Jonathan Tah. When will it end? And when will Bayern stop playing him? Yes, the injury situation is far from ideal — but Stanišić has been more harmful than helpful as of late.
Der Kaiser: Dayot Upamecano
There is an argument to be made that Dayot Upamecano is, at the moment, the most important player to this Bayern team. Tonight was another unbelievable showing both defensively and going forward. There were countless times Upamecano drove forward and started attacks on his own, escaping pressure from a well-structured Atlético team and making the right decision every time. When he had the ball, the tempo of the game would instantly shift in Bayern’s favour. Defensively, it was practically impossible to get past him. He fought for and won almost every ball, tracking back with great speed and putting in tackles that made fans cheer. His header to make it 3-0 should have stood too, as it would have been the cherry atop his performance, but it was bizarrely disallowed.
You’d think performances like his tonight would be rather rare, but Upamecano has shown this level time and time again. He is absolutely up there as one of Bayern’s most important players given the manner in which he influences the entire length of the pitch. He could very well have been MOTM, but was only slightly edged out by tonight’s pick.
Fußballgott: Tom Bischof
There isn’t much to say here. The midfield wasn’t particularly impressive tonight, but Tom Bischof delivered a strong performance, unlocking effective passing ranges and progressing the attack. Joshua Kimmich had a decent showing, particularly when going forward, but was outperformed by Bischof tonight. Bayern missed Aleksandar Pavlović’s physical presence at times as players were easily muscled off the ball (Alexander Sørloth’s little scuffle with Kimmich comes to mind), but regardless, the midfield did its job for the most part.
Der Bomber: Lennart Karl
Again, none of the forwards were particularly impressive tonight. The running theme in the first half was the forwards’ inability to get a shot off, and practically everyone missed a sitter at least once. Michael Olise was clearly off his game tonight, losing the ball countless times on the right flank. He must still be recovering from the injury he picked up over the weekend, because he was far from his best.
Harry Kane missed far too much for a striker of his calibre, and his decision-making was quite off today too. He did deliver a brilliant pass to Konrad Laimer to double the lead, but for much of the game, he wasn’t particularly great. You come to expect more from the Ballon d’Or winner.
Alphonso Davies played left-wing tonight following Serge Gnabry’s injury, and he put in a solid shift, upping the tempo on the left flank and covering for Stanišić as needed. It was a good performance, but again, nothing special.
Karl managed to capitalize on a costly defensive blunder from Atletico Madrid, giving Bayern the lead despite playing poorly prior. He was not adequately involved in the attack and also fluffed many chances in the first half. He did turn things around for himself in the second half, becoming a lot more focused and clinical. Given the goal and the mentality shown to come back, he wins this award.
Meister of the Match: Konrad Laimer
What a footballer. He was everywhere tonight, and the most effective presence going forward. He made the right passes, found the right spaces, and was the most clinical player on the pitch. His goal encapsulated his performance perfectly: a fearless finish that was completely on point. He orchestrated much of Bayern’s chances through the right flank and almost made fans forget that Olise was having an off day. He did all this while tracking back and fighting for balls with his usual engine-like work rate. An inspiring performance that led Bayern to the win, especially in the second half.
What did you think of the picks? Do you agree? Who would you award? What did you think of the game? Tell us everything in the comments below!
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