Bayern Munich down Celtic 3-0 in solid UCL comeback

Bayern Munich carry over their form from their weekend victory into the UEFA Champions League, where they rolled over Scottish champions Celtic 3-0 at home.

So far, so good for Jupp Heynckes on his return to Bayern Munich. The squad has found a resurgence of motivation under the treble-winning coach, and the players seem to be finally enjoying themselves, while simultaneously having more intense training sessions. The season is still young, and even younger under Jupp Heynckes, but their two performances so far have looked promising.

Bayern Munich came into this match with something to prove. The club’s disastrous 3-0 battering at the hands of PSG in their last UCL match left a sour taste in their mouth. Facing Celtic might not be as difficult as having to deal with Neymar and co., but this was nonetheless a crucial game.

Overall, the Bavarians gave a significantly more intense performance, showing that they were in it to win from minute one.

More intensity in pressing

As mentioned, Bayern did not give the limp show they did in Paris weeks ago. There was a noticeable rise in the quickness and intensity in their pressing when Celtic were on the ball. Whenever a Celtic man was in possession, the Bayern offensive collectively pressured the ball back, whether by forcing errors or making tackles/interceptions.

Things looked promising for Bayern Munich from the get-go. Robert Lewandowski put himself into lethal situations, just missing out on a potential goal and assist.

Upon review, Lewandowski’s pass to Thiago was wrongly stripped of a goal; the ball hadn’t completely crossed the line. However, it didn’t take long for Bayern to rectify the situation. Joshua Kimmich lobbed a wonderful left-footed pass into Lewandowski who placed a fine header on goal for Craig Gordon to save. However, thanks to some classic Thomas Müller raumdeuter -ing, the captain anticipated the spilled save and fired the ball into the roof of the net. 1-0 Bayern.

It only got harder for Celtic from then on. It was clear that most of the game would be played in their half of the pitch. Bayern held the lions share of possession and opened the Scottish club’s defense time after time. With the exception of a drop in energy in the second half, Celtic were largely pushed into their penalty area forcing some strained defending.

Efficiency on the offensive

Kingsley Coman was perhaps the most dangerous of the lineup’s attacking players. The young Frenchman clearly showed his intent to build on the confidence from playing Freiburg on the weekend. Coman’s efforts didn’t go unnoticed and were promptly rewarded yet again.

At the 29′ mark, Coman blistered down the left-flank — giving Cristian Gamboa nightmares all night long — and whipped in a pin-point cross to Joshua Kimmich. The Kid followed met the cross with a lofted and precise header from long-range to make it 2-0. Coman seems to be learning from his mistakes by slowing down to pick his head up in the penalty area.

Lewandowski, despite not scoring, didn’t have a poor match. The Pole was lively throughout the game and was unlucky to leave empty-handed. He constantly found himself in dangerous positions from the beginning. He forced that excellent save from Gordon to lead to Muller’s goal, and  had the referee made the right call — or if UEFA would finally implement VAR into the Champions League — he would have walked out with an assist and Thiago a goal.

Muller had an overall solid game as well. Just when you lose sight of him, he shows up in the right spot to notch a goal. The lanky German seemed more quiet in the second half and had some issues with passing. However, like in his first goal, he popped up out of nowhere to nearly double his tally. His bullet-header was fantastically saved by Gordon.

Gradual tightening in defense

Jupp Heynckes took note of Bayern Munich’s recent defensive frailty. Surely, much of Jupp’s rigorous training methods are focused on whipping that back-line into shape. The defense looked fairly composed, despite some blips in focus. Namely, Mats Hummels looked as solid as ever in the center-back pairing.

Hummels policed the back-line with interceptions, tackles, aerial duels, you name it. To reward his great defensive efforts, Mats knocked in a header from a well-placed Arjen Robben corner. Mats Hummels surely has been the squad’s most consistent defender.

Jerome Boateng had a generally good showing and is proving to be on his way to his prime form. With Heynckes drilling him and the squad, it all must come in due time. The big German looked mostly strong in unison with Mats Hummels. However, he had two noticeable scares that led, or nearly led, to a shot on goal. On the second instance after some dreadful positioning, Boateng did admirably well to drop back and strip the ball away from danger in the last second.

While for the most part comfortable, the weakest links would be the flanks. Kimmich had another strong showing, but Scott Sinclair gave the youngster problems on the right too often. We all know Kimmich has the talent in attack and defense; he’s shown examples of both. However, the main area of improvement at this point in his early development is one-on-one defending.

David Alaba showed about the same gradual increase in discipline as against Freiburg on the weekend. On the offensive, his chemistry with Coman looked great and his crosses have improved. On defense, he’s making sure to be more aware and present when needed. Hopefully the Austrian shows some more assertiveness in the back.

Jupp Heynckes the key again?

It can’t be said enough that it’s too early to declare the true return of Bayern Munich. But, with Jupp’s injection of energy, focus and discipline, the squad is looking fresh again. Against Celtic and Freiburg, Bayern Munich displayed a hunger that has been missing for what seems too painfully long.

Next: Bayern Munich: James confident with Heynckes

With the exception of the lackadaisical nature and drop in energy in the second half, Bayern certainly looked hungry this time. If the German squad can retain and build on this, then any trophy could be possible again. With an away trip to Hamburg on Saturday, this could be another opportunity to adjust before the season thickens again.