Bayern Munich have reasons for optimism despite draw with Augsburg

Despite dropping points against Augsburg at the Allianz Arena, there are a few reasons for Bayern Munich to be optimistic, but also some causes for concern.

Obviously no one is thrilled with coming away from the Augsburg match with just one point. The game started with a dark cloud over it, as the fans staged a protest for the first 20 minutes of the match, which led to a flat atmosphere and did seem to cause the players to take longer to find the rhythm of the match.

The entire first half was a bit of a drag, though Bayern managed to get off nine total shots, seven of which were inside the box. Just four of those shots were on target, though, and die Roten couldn’t find the back of the net, squandering their chances.

Niko Kovac started out with a line-up that included Leon Goretzka at left-back and left the Bayern midfield without Thiago, who has been the creative spark for this club in this young season. Perhaps it was just enough experimentation to throw the whole thing off, as Bayern dominated possession with 65 percent, but never really felt like they could get to the next gear.

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Creativity was lacking without the aforementioned Thiago, and though Goretzka wasn’t awful at left-back, he certainly didn’t look comfortable.

Perhaps the most disappointing performance came from Sandro Wagner, however. In his chance to show the club the value he can bring and how much they have in the event something were to happen to Robert Lewandowski, he failed to impress. Wagner rarely, if ever, looked threatening. His presence on the field did nothing to scare Augsburg out of a very high press, either. Without a playmaker or two on the pitch to deliver the ball directly to him, he struggled to do anything once he received any passes, completing just 63 percent of his passes and registering just two shots on target.

All that left me with the following takeaways:

• Bayern needs Thiago to stay healthy, or they need a creative midfielder to emerge in the coming months.
• Goretzka at full-back is an interesting idea that, with time, could provide better depth behind David Alaba. We didn’t see it today, but with Goretzka’s talent, I’d like to see him try a few more times.
• Wagner is a fine option off the bench, but he’ll need to do quite a bit to redeem himself before the winter transfer window, or Bayern may need to look for someone better suited to mitigate the risk of losing Lewandowski for any length of time.

It wasn’t all negative, though. Yes, the late goal was a major gut-punch and scoring just one goal at home against Augsburg is a disappointment. However, I was really pleased to see Kovac continue to rotate the lineup. With the way injuries, fatigue, and disinterest have seemed to plague Bayern when the later stages of the UEFA Champions League come around, it is refreshing to see him using Bundesliga matches as a place to experiment with lineup combinations and get more match experience for normally benched players.

The benefit of resting important legs such as those of Lewandowski, Boateng, Thiago or Ribery is obvious. The growth of trust in younger players by the end of the season as a result of getting them minutes in matches that actually mean something will be an added bonus. Here’s hoping the rotations continue, at least on this side of the winter break.

Also, the continued growth of confidence in Renato Sanches is a major positive. Sanches looked confident and aggressive in the midfield, and his growth under Niko Kovac is going to be a delight to witness.

Maybe the top takeaway for me in this match was the play of Serge Gnabry, who was constantly putting pressure on the Augsburg defenders with his runs and pace. He forced the keeper to make a fine save in the first half and his assist on the goal by Arjen Robben was a thing of beauty.

The presence of mind he displayed in not throwing a shot or trying to chip the keeper on his breakaway, opting instead to pull the keeper out of the net and then drop it across to Robben, was brilliant. His play in this match, and flashes from other matches, has me sure he will continue to be a more than adequate fill-in for Kingsley Coman in the first half of this season. As he gains experience, maybe he could push for a starting role even when Coman returns.

Again, though the result was upsetting, Bayern fans can take heart in the fact that they gave the reigns over to some of the younger players, found some things out about them, struggled a bit at times and still came away with a point. The growing pains are evident, but the end-result should make it all well worth it.