Bayern Munich: Four takeaways from five-goal Freiburg demolition

Bayern Munich smashed Freiburg in Jupp Heynckes’ fourth first-game with the club. Here’s four takeaways from the emphatic win.

Bayern’s Spanish midfield: a match made in Heaven

Heynckes lined his men up in a classic 4-2-3-1 formation. Sitting in the deeper midfield roles were Spaniards Javi Martinez and Thiago Alcantara. The duo had never before featured together in the double pivot role, but you couldn’t tell by watching Bayern Munich on Saturday.

Javi and Thiago worked expertly together, completing each other near-perfectly. Martinez provided defensive stability and an intensity in midfield only rivaled by Arturo Vidal. His tackling was — as ever — completely on point, as was his positioning.

This paired excellently with Thiago’s creative genius. The midfield maestro danced around the pitch, spraying perfectly-placed passes everywhere he went. His work was perhaps most impressive in the opposition’s third of the pitch, where he completed a jaw-dropping 69 passes.

Thiago also put in a defensive shift to rival his midfield partner. Although not as imposing as Javi Martinez, Thiago can always be counted on to come up with a few big interceptions and tackles, which is exactly what he did against Freiburg.

Martinez left the match early with a slight knock, but won’t be sidelined for long. And Jupp Heynckes will be all too happy for this. Speaking after the match, Jupp described the midfield partnership as “impressive” and “excellent.” It seems as if at least two places in Jupp’s preferred starting XI have been claimed.

High press and sturdy defense

One of the most welcome implications of Heynckes’ return to Bayern was the solid defensive shape he promised. Well, he didn’t let anyone down on Saturday. Bayern Munich pressed high and were solid at the back.

Thomas Muller, Robert Lewandowski, Kingsley Coman and Arjen Robben all pressed high up the pitch. Javi Martinez broke up Freiburg play with ease, and Thiago was quick to intercept any stray passes. Joshua Kimmich and David Alaba kept their respective flanks secure, and Jerome Boateng and Mats Hummels looked at least partially like the world-class partnership they are.

It’s been a while since Bayern looked composed at the back. Are we finally witnessing a defensive resurgence in Bavaria? It’s still too early to tell. But if Saturday’s match is any indication, then Heynckes at least has his squad on the right track.

Possession not just for possession’s sake

Bayern Munich are no strangers to finishing a match with the majority of possession. Since Pep Guardiola took over as club manager in 2013, Bayern have largely been a possession-focused team.

In recent times, they have become complacent in their possession. Rather than showing any sort of attacking bite, the Bavarians have oft looked bereft of ideas, simply content to keep the ball and occasionally send in some less-than-threatening crosses.

That was not the case on Saturday. Bayern controlled 68% of the possession, but the difference between this match and other recent displays is that they didn’t simply keep possession for the sake of it. They had a gameplan and they stuck to it.

Heynckes’ previous Bayern sides were by no means possession-focused teams. However, the club has undergone serious changes since his last stint in charge. Rather than seeking to immediately flip the way his team plays, Jupp simply adapted his men to what they were already used to and implemented some of his own tactics.

As the result showed, this paid dividends. For the first time in a long time, Bayern Munich looked like a team with a plan, an identity. On a tactical level, there’s only so much that can be taken from a home win over a rather weak Freiburg side. But it’s still nice to see Bayern playing with enthusiasm, intensity and — above all — a clear direction once again.

Young guns come up big

Joshua Kimmich and Kingsley Coman have been rays of sunshine in what’s been an otherwise dreary ’17-18 season for Bayern Munich. The former has arguably been die Roten’s best player this campaign, and the latter has been exciting to watch anytime he’s on the pitch.

Joshua Kimmich has taken over Bayern’s right-back role and completely made it his own. He’s no Philipp Lahm, but that’s because he’s his own player. Kingsley Coman has not started quite as often as his German teammate, but that could soon change thanks to Franck Ribery’s recent injury.

Both youngsters were handed starts against Freiburg, and both stepped up big time. Kimmich gave a typical solid display, marauding up and down the right-flank and capping Bayern’s dominant display with an expertly taken backheel goal.

What’s more, Kimmich’s goal was assisted by none other than young Kingsley Coman. The Frenchman grabbed both a goal and an assist in a fantastic display. He might have even had a couple more of each if his final ball hadn’t let him down too often.

Next: Bayern Munich: Franck Ribery eyeing an early return from injury

If Thiago was Saturday’s man-of-the-match, these two weren’t far behind. They’re both developing into players of real quality. Joshua Kimmich is probably already there, but it won’t be long before Kingsley Coman too is a vital cog in the Bavarian machine.

*Note: Stats taken from WhoScored.com