Lackluster Bayern Munich edge past Sevilla 2-1

Bayern Munich grind out a sloppy 2-1 win over fellow Champions League quarter-finalists Sevilla, head back to Germany with a decent advantage.

Manager grade

Jupp Heynckes — C

Jupp Heynckes made two questionable decisions in his starting XI that proved to be the wrong ones. Starting an injured Arturo Vidal in midfield over James Rodriguez or Corentin Tolisso was unacceptable, as the Chilean left the field early thanks to an aggravated injury. Meanwhile, playing Juan Bernat in place of the injured David Alaba instead of veteran Rafinha was another decision that proved detrimental to Bayern Munich. He mended his wrongs with his substitutions, but nor before the damage had already been done.

Player grades

GK, Sven Ulreich — B+

Ulreich made a few good saves to keep Bayern Munich ahead and was quick off his line to punch away a few crosses. There was nothing he could do about Sevilla’s opener; that goal falls completely on the shoulders of his left-back.

DEF, Juan Bernat — D

Juan Bernat was almost completely responsible for Sevilla’s goal. His horrible marking on Pablo Sarabia left the Spaniard in prime position to control the ball and score his goal. Even if it was a handball, Bernat should have done much, much better. He was pulled from the fray at half-time by Jupp Heynckes in an attempt to minimize the self-inflicted damage.

DEF, Mats Hummels — B+

Mats Hummels made one mistake early in the match and quickly refocused himself for the rest of the match. Hummels was typically calm and collected against the Sevilla press, shutting down any attack that came his way.

DEF, Jerome Boateng — B-

Not as impressive as his partner in defense, Boateng’s typically great passing range was a little off today. The Berlin-born defender couldn’t prove creator from the back.

DEF, Joshua Kimmich — C+

Industrious and hard-working on the right side of the pitch as usual, Kimmich failed to create any goals, but was still a threat to the Sevilla defense.

MID, Javi Martinez — B+

Javi Martinez chased the ball all over the pitch, making several important tackles, interceptions and clearances. Only denied a goal on a well-taken shot by some excellent goalkeeping from David Soria.

MID, Franck Ribery — B

Not quite as effective as in recent matches, Ribery was nevertheless Bayern’s most threatening attacker in his time on the pitch. It was his deflected pass that led to the own goal, and his expertly-placed lob cross that assisted Thiago’s goal.

MID, Arturo Vidal — C+

Vidal was good enough in his short time playing considering he was harboring an injury the whole time he was on the pitch. Why he started in the first place is still a question that’s hard to answer.

MID, Thiago — B+

The Spaniard was a big threat from midfield and capped off his performance with a well-earned goal. It still feels like Thiago is either not quite recovered from his injury or is just searching for his role under Jupp Heynckes. But he’s a world-class player, so even when he is a bit off, he is still impressive.

MID, Thomas Muller — C

The raumdeuter could not prove the difference maker today, but not for lack of effort. He set up a few good chances (including the inch-perfect cross for Javi Martinez’s near miss) but none proved fruiful.

FWD, Robert Lewandowski — C-

In our preview for today’s game, I predicted that Robert Lewandowski would step up and score some important goals for Bayern Munich. I was wrong. The Pole was largely starved of chances and didn’t do anything with the very few he had.

Next: Jupp Heyckes reaffirms that Bayern Munich won't sell Robert Lewandowski

Subs

MID, James Rodriguez — B-

James Rodriguez provided instant impact upon entering the pitch by setting up Ribery’s cross-turned-own goal. Bayern look devoid of spark and creativity when the Colombian is not on the pitch, showing just how important he has become for them over the course of this season.

DEF, Rafinha — C+

Miles better than his predecessor, Juan Bernat, at left-back. Not only provided much more defensive stability but was much more of a threat in attack.

MID, Arjen Robben — N/A

Ushered on to the left wing in place of Franck Ribery, Arjen Robben left little impact on the match in his short time on the pitch.

Lackluster Bayern Munich edge past Sevilla 2-1 — Player grades