Bayern Munich kick-off their Champions League campaign with win over Anderlecht — Player grades

Bayern Munich jumpstarted their ’17-18 Champions League campaign in the best way possible: with a convincing win and a clean sheet. Here’s a look at how the team performed against RSC Anderlecht at the Allianz Arena.

Manager Grade

Carlo Ancelotti — C

Reverting to a 4-2-3-1 formation after this weekend’s 4-3-3 failure, Ancelotti made several changes to his starting XI. Arjen Robben and Franck Ribery resumed their posts on the flanks and James Rodriguez occupied the number 10 spot. It’s hard to judge a manager who leads his team to a 3-0 win on a European night, but this still wasn’t an entirely convincing performance from Ancelotti’s men. Too often the attack looked lifeless and bereft of any tactical nuance. The Italian was already on the hot seat following this past weekend’s loss, and this game won’t do him any favors.

Player Grades

GK, Manuel Neuer — C+

Hardly tested between the sticks, but did exactly what he’s there to do whenever his number was called.

DEF, Rafinha — B

Though not naturally a left-sided player, the Brazilian-German did wonderfully in the role on the evening. Joined Franck Ribery in relentlessly attacking the Anderlecht right flank, and registered a match-high six interceptions.

DEF, Niklas Sule — B

A rock at the heart of Bayern’s defense, Sule expertly proved his worth in his first ever Champions League match. As usual, the German was a constant threat in the air, winning four aerial duels. He had one goal narrowly prevented by Matz Seis and another wrongly disallowed by the ref.

DEF, Javi Martinez — C+

Solid if not spectacular, Javi Martinez did what was expected of him against the Belgians for most of the match. However, there were a few moments when Martinez was bailed out by poor finishing on the behalf of his opposition.

DEF, Joshua Kimmich — A-

A goal and an assist just about tell the story for Bayern’s wunderkind right-back. He was excellent going forward, providing a peach of a cross for Thiago’s goal and completely fooling the keeper before scoring his own. Perhaps he could have been a little better in defense, but he stepped up when it mattered and helped his team secure a clean-sheet. You can hardly ask for more from the Kid, who might have saved Bayern from what could have been an another embarrassing scoreline.

MID, Thiago — A

He’s back. Thiago dominated this match from start to finish. Appearing all over the pitch, Thiago firmly stamped his authority on the midfield from the get-go. The Spaniard not only orchestrated Bayern’s attack, but put in some excellent defensive work as well. His 11 total tackles and 115 passes were both a match high by quite some margin.

MID, Corentin Tolisso — A-

Refusing to be overshadowed by his midfield partner, Corentin Tolisso showed he too can be a vital element in Bayern Munich’s success. Ran tirelessly around the pitch and put in work on both the offensive and defensive ends. Coco is well on his way to contesting Arturo Vidal for the title of world’s best box-to-box midfielder.

MID, Franck Ribery — B-

The Frenchman ran circles around the right hand side of Anderlecht’s defense. Unfortunate not to have picked up an assist with any of his match-high five key passes. Ribery did nothing to hide his disappointment when replaced in the 77th minute by Thomas Muller.

MID, James Rodriguez — B

Overall a solid performance from the Colombian on his Champions League debut with Bayern Munich. Deployed as a free-roaming attacking midfielder, James played in cross after cross and — like Ribery — is unlucky not to have picked up an assist. Might have even grabbed a goal on another day. Promising signs from Bayern’s new Colombian superstar.

MID, Arjen Robben — C

On a day were so many stepped up for the German champions, Arjen Robben wass surprisingly disappointing. Both his decision making and touch let him down as he failed to make a positive impact on match proceedings.

FWD, Robert Lewandowski — C+

The Pole made an excellent run to set himself up for the foul that led to his penalty (which he coolly tucked away — no surprise there). Consistently double-teamed by the Anderlecht defense, Lewandowski did well to still find space for himself and create it for others. His finishing and decision making though — dare I say it — still left just a little to be desired. Furthermore, his attitude was questionable at best.

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Subs

DEF, Jerome Boateng (76′) — N/A

Boateng was not quite on the pitch long enough to receive a grade, but if he was he’d be receiving high marks. Historically regarded for his passing ability, Boateng played an expertly weighted through ball to Joshua Kimmich to set up the right-back’s goal. It’s good to have you back, Jerome. Now STAY HEALTHY!

MID, Thomas Muller (77′) — N/A

Muller’s cameo was short and left little impact on the match.

MID, Kingsley Coman (84′) — N/A

See above.

*Note: All statistics taken from WhoScored.com