Bayern Munich were largely unimpressive as they ground out an important Champions League victory in Greece against AEK Athens.
Bayern Munich traveled to AEK Athens on Tuesday, coming off an important victory against Wolfsburg over the weekend that snapped their four-game winless streak. The Bavarians were no doubt hoping to impose themselves over their Greek opposition, further proving that they had broken out of their disappointing rut.
Instead, Die Roten did the opposite, unequivocally confirming that their woes are far from behind them. Though they did ultimately leave the match with three points after a two-goal flurry in the second half, Bayern were nowhere near their best in Athens.
Their midfield trio in particular — this time composed of Thiago, Javi Martinez and James Rodriguez — failed to impress, thanks to dull showings from each involved. Despite his goal, Javi Martinez was more a liability than a help for the majority of the match, while James Rodriguez failed to provide his typical bite in attack. Thiago, arguably the best of the three, failed to really make his mark on the match as well.
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The Bavarian attack was hardly better. Robert Lewandowski did eventually get his goal to put him in the top ten Champions League scorers in history, but only after wasting many chances and failing to contribute much positive in with his build-up. Arjen Robben had yet another shocker, further cementing the belief that the Flying Dutchman has lost a bit of wind from his sails.
Serge Gnabry, who still hasn’t completed a full 90 minutes with Bayern, was a rare bright spot for Bayern’s attack. The young German was industrious and elegant for his 75 minutes of play. Despite neither registering a goal or assist of his own, it was Gnabry’s brilliant play that created Lewandowski’s goal to seal the Athenian’s fate.
The Bayern back line, at least, came to play. Youngsters Niklas Sule and Joshua Kimmich both put in excellent shifts, while Brazilian Rafinha gave a man of the match performance from left-back. In a season that has so far been bereft of many clean sheets, it was nice to a solid defensive performance. Let’s hope they can do it against stronger opposition than AEK Athens, though.
Ultimately, Bayern Munich’s midweek display did little by way of convincing either their fans or critics that the worst of the season is in the past. Niko Kovac and Co. still have much work to do before facing Bundesliga leaders Borussia Dortmund in two-and-a-half weeks time.