TSG Hoffenheim caused Bayern Munich plenty of problems for a half before ultimately succumbing to a 4-1 home defeat to the defending Bundesliga champions. Reactions from the Hoffenheim camp were captured via FCBayern.com
“It was a clear result in the end because of the second half. At the end of the day, we’ve lost a match – every defeat hurts. That doesn’t mean we didn’t play well,” said head coach Christian Ilzer. “We started very well and caused Bayern Munich problems. You have to convert those
few moments you get into goals, which we didn’t manage to do. We played against by far the best team in Germany today.”
Hoffenheim had an early chance or two to score, but found themselves on the wrong end of a set piece goal when Harry Kane struck first time on Lennart Karl’s low delivery into the box. From there it unraveled, and it did not help that Vincent Kompany brought on the big guns at the hour mark.
“We were generally very brave but at the end we just couldn’t get up the pitch,” lamented goalkeeper and captain Oliver Baumann. “They penned us in. We were well in it in the first half, though, and actually should’ve taken the lead. Then the sheer individual quality comes into it. In the second half they brought on fresh legs, we know them — and then it comes even harder.”
“The 4-1 loss hurts because we put in a really good performance in the first half,” agreed forward Fisnik Asllani, who hit the post on a golden opportunity after Manuel Neuer’s first half error. “Often the final pass was lacking or the decision-making wasn’t the best, but we can take a lot from the game. We saw again what tremendous quality Harry Kane has. During a period in which Bayern weren’t on top, he gets one ball and sticks it in. That shows what a world-class striker he is.”
When Bayern Munich traveled to Sinsheim on a short week after taking down Chelsea FC in the Champions League, it was never going to be easy.
Hoffenheim is well-coached, motivated, and playing with a real fire. For a weary Bayern Munich side, that meant trouble, but Vincent Kompany heavily rotated his men and while it was not always dominant or even pretty, the Bavarians showed their grit once again in a 4-1 win.
Let’s get into all of the details right here on the Bavarian Podcast Works — Postgame Show:
- A look at the starting XI and why it was absolutely the right move to rotated so much.
- A rundown of the scoring and substitutions — and why that scary first half told us so much about where the squad stands.
- Some final thoughts and takeaways on the match.
Also, be sure to stay tuned to Bavarian Podcast Works for all of your up to date coverage on Bayern Munich and Germany. Check us out on Patreon and follow us on Twitter @BavarianFBWorks, @BavarianPodcast @TheBarrelBlog, @BFWCyler, @2012nonexistent, @TommyAdams71 and more.
