Bayern Munich suffer their first defeat of the season under Jupp Heynckes, falling 2-1 to an inspired Borussia Monchengladbach.
Manager Grade
Jupp Heynckes — C
To be fair, there wasn’t much the Bayern Munich manager could do given his team’s injury crisis. However, the decision to leave Kingsley Coman out of the starting XI and play Sebastian Rudy so high up the pitch were baffling ones to say the least and certainly did not pay off.
Player Grades
GK, Sven Ulreich — C+
Not to be blamed for either Glabdach goal, Ulreich did all he could on both. The goalkeeper was let down by the defensive unit before him.
DEF, Juan Bernat — C
Enjoyed a lively start to the match, but was caught out of position for Gladbach’s second. Removed from the fray just before halftime to make room for Kingsley Coman. It’s a shame too; it would have been nice to see them working together on the left flank.
DEF, Mats Hummels — C+
Bayern Munich’s best defender, Hummels was not quite up to his very best against the foals. Should have done better with a few chances at goal, but couldn’t find the back of the net.
DEF, Niklas Sule — C-
The first of two ex-Hoffenheim under-performers, Sule should have done much better at the center of defense. Played a part in both Gladbach goals, the German giant would have hoped for much better on the day.
DEF, Joshua Kimmich — C+
Kimmich started the game slow, but quickly grew into it. His teammates relied heavily on the Kid to be their creative force in the second-half, but the right-back just couldn’t save Bayern from their first loss of the season under Heynckes.
MID, Javi Martinez — B-
Filling the role of captain in
Neuer’s
Muller’s
Robben’s stead, Javi put in a typical shift at defensive midfield. The Spaniard was a bit of a bright spot in an otherwise dull first-half from the Bavarians.
MID, James Rodriguez — C
A player used to doing it all on his own with the Colombian national team, James just couldn’t give Bayern the creative spark they so desperately needed. Made an early exit from play, leaving the game at halftime apparently hurt from a knock suffered to the head earlier in the match.
MID, Arturo Vidal — B
Bayern’s warrior ran himself ragged all match, putting in an industrious performance. He gave die Roten a glimmer of hope in the 73rd minute with an excellent left-footed volley from outside the box, but couldn’t urge his team to grab one more.
MID, Sebastian Rudy — C-
This was easily Rudy’s worst performance in red since joining Bayern Munich in the summer. Forced to play much further up than he prefers, Rudy was largely ineffective and almost even poor. The German has seen his minutes drop significantly since Heynckes moved Javi Martinez back into midfield. It’s hard to see that changing anytime soon.
MID, Corentin Tolisso — C
Another disappointing match from Bayern’s record signing. The Frenchman simply doesn’t seem to have settled entirely into his new club. Give him time.
FWD, Robert Lewandowski — C
Isolated at the front of Bayern’s attack, Lewandowski was starved of chances, but didn’t do much with the ones given him. The Pole can only be too anxious for the return of his partner in crime, Thomas Muller.
Next: Bayern Munich confirm Douglas Costa will join Juventus permanently at season's end
Subs
MID, Kingsley Coman — C+
Brought on to provide more pace into the Bayern attack, Coman did just that. It took him a little bit to find his feet, but the Frenchman became an attacking threat once it happened. Denied a goal by an excellent Sommer save.
DEF, Marco Friedl — C
Having only gathered his first Bayern start midweek, Friedl was actually pretty good for the Bavarians, especially considering the circumstances in which he was thrown into the game.