Bayern Munich played out a boring 2-2 draw against Wolfsburg on Friday. What went wrong for Carlo Ancelotti and co. in what should have been an easy win?
Sven Ulreich doesn’t inspire confidence
Let’s just get this one out of the way. What was Sven Ulreich doing for Wolfsburg’s first goal? A far-range free-kick from Max Arnold was blasted straight at Sven Ulreich. It should have been an easy save for Manuel Neuer’s deputy. Instead, Ulreich opted to parry it with one hand and only knocked it into the back of his own net.
He was hardly to blame for Wolfsburg’s second after his defense let him down severely, but his mistake was still crucial in the outcome of the match. He handed the wolves a lifeline when their attack seemed completely toothless.
With a massive Champions League match looming midweek, Ulreich will be all to eager to put Friday’s woes behind him. He was great for die Roten in their demolition of Schalke midweek; hopefully he can return to that vein of form. However, Guido Burgstaller is not quite on the same level as Neymar, Cavani and friends. Ulreich must step up big time or Bayern Munich could find themselves in serious trouble.
A lifeless attack
It may seem a bit harsh to criticize an attack that scored two first-half goals, but this match was the exception. A weakly awarded penalty and a supremely lucky deflection helped hide the fact that Bayern’s attack was dull at best against Wolfsburg.
This was particularly true in the second half and for veteran wingers Arjen Robben and Franck Ribery. The duo still have much of their own individual brilliance, but there’s something lacking when they’re deployed together in the Bayern XI.
Contrast their performances today with those of James Rodriguez and Kingsley Coman over the past two matches. Bayern’s demolition of Schalke was by far their best game of the season, and it featured neither veteran winger.
Instead, a trio of Coman, Muller and James played behind Robert Lewandowski. The three attacking midfielders interchanged seemlessly with one another, constantly changing their approach of the Schalke defense. As the results showed, this line-up worked wonders for Carlo Ancelotti.
It will be interesting to see who the Italian opts to play in the upcoming match vs. Paris Saint-Germain.
Robert Lewandowski simply doesn’t miss from the spot
For the third time this season, Robert Lewandowski opened Bayern Munich’s scoring with a coolly converted spot-kick. He never looks at the ball after starting his run-up, takes a slight pause in his final step and never fails to put the ball in the back of the net.
Although each of the calls have been a bit questionable, three of Lewy’s Bundesliga goals (and his only Champions League goal) have come from penalties. Oddly enough, the last time he failed to convert a penalty in the German top flight was back in his Borussia Dortmund days facing none other than Bayern Munich.
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Whereas Sven Ulreich could prove a liability for Bayern Munich over the next few weeks, Lewandowski’s supreme ability from the penalty spot could prove a major asset.