Five takeaways as Bayern Munich scrape a point against Ajax

Bayern Munich fell short for their third consecutive match, grinding out a disappointing 1-1 draw against Ajax at the Allianz Arena.

Manuel Neuer is still the world’s best

First things first: Bayern Munich would have been utterly embarrassed by a side that should have had no business even coming close to beating them if it wasn’t for Manuel Neuer. The German was a giant between the sticks, parrying (almost) anything and everything that came his way.

Neuer — who spent almost the entirety of last season sidelined with injury — made save after save to keep his team in the competition. These didn’t come on tame efforts from the visitors either. With basically any other goalkeeper between the sticks, Bayern would have lost by a goal or two. But when the rest of his team let him down, Neuer stepped up in true captain fashion and rescued his side a point.

Let’s talk about Kovac’s subs

All things considered, Niko Kovac has done well so far in his new managerial role. His team’s past three disappointing performances are hardly his fault, but that doesn’t mean he’s entirely excused from shouldering some of the blame.

Something that has become a bit of a theme since Kovac took over as Bayern manager is his tendency to make some confusing substitutions, as was the case yesterday. Franck Ribery looked particularly dreadful on the left flank, and it was pretty clear he was never going to threaten the Ajax defense. He should have been removed at half-time, but was instead given 30 extra minutes of playing time in the second half, only to become less and less of a threat.

The one change, prior to his eventual removal of Ribery, that Kovac did make was almost as confusing as his decision to leave the Frenchman on the pitch. James Rodriguez came on to replace Arjen Robben (arguably Bayern’s most threatening offensive player). Bringing the Colombian into the fray was the right move, but taking offen Robben certainly wasn’t.

James Rodriguez and Serge Gnabry need to play more

Speaking of Ribery and Robben, there’s really no reason the once dynamic duo should feature together in the starting XI anymore. They’re nowhere near the level they were in the past. Conversely, James Rodriguez and Serge Gnabry must be given more minutes.

James was Bayern’s best player last season. Their attack looked a completely different unit each time the Colombian took the pitch. Though he hasn’t been quite so impressive with his performances this season, James has still been one of the club’s most threatening attackers.

Serge Gnabry, meanwhile, is yet to play a full match at his new club. Apart from two starts that saw him leave the pitch before the final whistle, he’s been limited to only late substitute appearances. That needs to change soon. He was already more effective in his fifteen minutes yesterday than Franck Ribery was throughout the entire match.

With Kingsley Coman out injured, Niko Kovac has to trust the young German to provide on the left flank. And giving more minutes to James as a makeshift right-winger might be better than continually relying on the aged Arjen Robben.

Patience

Yes, Bayern have had three disappointing results in a row. Yes, there are plenty of things that must be addressed. But the sky isn’t falling. It’s normal for a club to experience some growing pains shortly after a new manager takes over, so Bayern’s current “crisis” shouldn’t be seen as the end of the world.

This is especially true considering Kovac was given a squad over-reliant on wingers well into their 30s and had zero budget with which to make improvements. His best winger is out injured and so is one of his better midfielders.

Even if these performances are indicative of some greater problems at the club, that’s not such a bad thing either. Bayern’s board could use a wake-up call to show them their outdated methods aren’t going to cut it. But let’s not get ahead of ourselves.

Niko Kovac still has lost only one match since joining Bayern and only dropped points in two others. If things haven’t improved by December, then we can talk about crisis. But for now, we have to be patient and give the Croatian his chance.

Buy Matthijs De Ligt, like now

There’s really not much to add to this one. The young Dutchman bossed Bayern’s attack on Tuesday. He’s clearly set for bigger and better things and will no doubt make his move soon. Bayern should do all in their power to make sure that move is to Munich.