Bayern Munich comfortably beat RB Leipzig 2-0 — Player grades

In another match against a 10-man RB Leipzig, Bayern Munich looked hungry this time around and proved to be much improved this time around.

Manager Grade

Jupp Heynckes — A

The not-so-new appointee, Jupp Heycnkes, did not put a foot wrong in this match. The treble winning coach put up an improved, more logical and composed lineup. Namely in his defensive-midfield pivot of Sebastian Rudy and Javi Martinez. In addition, the anticipated inclusion of James Rodriguez after missing out on Wednesday provided a great spark.

Player Grades

GK, Sven Ulreich — C+

Frankly, there’s not much to say for the Bayern Munich backup goalkeeper. However, that’s not really a bad thing. Ulreich simply did not have anything to concern himself over this match, and was kept comfortable. The German maintains this score since he didn’t have any glaring mistakes and was calm in possession.

DEF, David Alaba — B

The Austrian is finally showing strong signs of life again under Jupp Heynckes. It seems David Alaba has finally been instilled the discipline and responsibility he’s been missing for some time. He’s proven a good partner no matter who it is paired with him on the left flank. Alaba and Rodriguez’s combination play looked electric and productive in large part.

DEF, Mats Hummels — B

Hummels, among the rest of his defensive compatriots, looked confident in the back. Mats made the majority of his strong contributions through well-timed and alert interceptions and a couple of aerial duels. Given that early on in the season Bayern Munich looked surprisingly weak in the back, this performance was particularly comforting.

DEF, Jerome Boateng — B+

Jerome Boateng looked more of the center-back we’re used to in a more disciplined showing. The stalwart defender kept a no-nonsense attitude in the back, ushering Leipzig players away from Ulreich’s goal. Boateng also looked very composed on the ball and was rarely wasteful. It appears that the defensive screws are tightening along the back-line.

DEF, Joshua Kimmich — B-

Joshua Kimmich wasn’t as flashy on the day, but he didn’t need to be. The youngster looked looked more organized on the day compared to Wednesday against RB Leipzig. His partnership with with Arjen Robben was decent, and didn’t get himself into compromising situations. Kimmich made better work of tracking back when he was required to help the rest of the defense.

Well, maybe a little flashy.

MID, Sebastian Rudy — B-

Sebastian Rudy’s play-style is noticeably a more subtle one. In this case, that is not a negative point. Unlike the disorganization of Wednesday’s defensive-midfield, Rudy and Martinez did admirably. Rudy did a solid job of policing and shielding the back-line with defensive contributions and bringing stability to central-midfield in general.

MID, Javi Martinez — B+

The Spaniard saw a welcome return to form in his 2013 role in defensive-midfield. While a capable center-back on his day, his biggest strengths are being a contributor and bruiser in midfield. Who else to better recognize that than Jupp Heynckes? Martinez seemed to disrupt most of RB Leipzig’s passes in midfield through interceptions, and his peach of a ball to Robert Lewandowski’s goal was the cherry on top.

MID, James Rodriguez — A-

The Colombian star was simply out for blood in the first half. James displayed his versatility on the left-flank with electric play, drifting into lethal positions throughout. He created chances for himself as well as his teammates, with his combination play with Robben being a sublime highlight. In fact, he’s unlucky to not have notched in a couple of assists on the day. Rodriguez most notably nearly gave Lewandowski and Thiago a goal each, only for the finishing to just be shy of conversion.

MID, Thiago — C+

While this wasn’t Thiago’s best display, he was definitely competent enough. To Thiago’s favor, he hardly put a foot wrong, creating 60/63 successful passes and made good defensive tackles. The aspect that was a bit suspect was some clumsiness in fouling the opposition. This eventually resulted in Naby Keita leaving the team with 9 men due to injury.

MID, Arjen Robben — B+

Robben had a strong first half, and like the team in general, settled down more in the second. Unlike other performances, Arjen Robben looked dangerous and focused coming down the right side. The Dutchman’s fantastic play and subsequent assist to James were examples of vintage Robben. He was unlucky to not bag a goal himself from a free-kick. However, Peter Gulasci proved to be up to the task with an incredible diving save.

FWD, Robert Lewandowski — B

The only reason the Polish goal-machine didn’t score higher was due to his first-half substitution. The highlight for Lewandowski was his focused near-post finish shortly before the end of the first 45 from an exquisite Martinez through-ball. He also had an excellent chance from a James cross, however he may have done a little better from his position.

The scare of the day will surely be his thigh pains forcing him out. Lewy will get further tests tomorrow, but as of now, it looks like this was just precautionary.

Next: Bayern Munich coolly defeat RB Leipzig 2-0, go top of Bundesliga table

Subs

MID, Corentin Tolisso — N/A

Tolisso’s late inclusion and lack of significant impact doesn’t warrant a score.

MID/FWD(?), Arturo Vidal — C-

The Chilean came on just before the end of the first-half for the injured Lewandowski. To his credit, at times he had to play higher up the pitch since Bayern were essentially playing with no actual forwards. Vidal didn’t do anything special, but to his credit, he wasn’t rash like he was on Wednesday and was basically playing in an alien position.

DEF, Rafinha — N/A

As with Corentin Tolisso, Rafinha’s late cameo to give Kimmich a little rest doesn’t merit scoring.