Bayern Munich players experience a decent international break with their respective countries.
The final international break of 2018 came to an end earlier this week. The next round of international games is not until March, so Bayern Munich will spend the next few months uninterrupted.
The inaugural round of UEFA Nations League matches came to an end over this international break. The majority of Bayern’s representatives will be disappointed in how their nations fared, but the individual performances from most Bayern players were fairly decent in these games.
Germany
Germany’s two games over the international break really summed up their poor 2018. They were relegated from Nations League A after the Netherlands defeated France. Germany showed glimpses of hope for the future in their friendly against Russia, but their draw against the Netherlands showed that there is still a long way to go for this generation of Germans to taste success.
Manuel Neuer started both games in this int’l break. He kept a clean sheet against Russia and conceded two goals in the final five minutes against the Netherlands. The poor form of Mats Hummels was highlighted at the international stage, too, as he struggled against the Dutch after being rested against Russia.
Niklas Sule had a memorable outing for Germany as he clinched his first goal for the national team against the Russians. Sule delivered decent performances in both these games to further strengthen his claim for a regular place in Jogi Low’s starting lineup. Joshua Kimmich, meanwhile, featured in midfield for Germany in these games. The 23-year old was tidy on the ball and his good passing range was on full display against Russia and the Netherlands. It looks like his national team future lies in midfield as long as Low is in charge.
Serge Gnabry scored one and set up another against Russia, and his link-up with Leroy Sane and Timo Werner was a delight to watch. He was solid against the Dutch as well, assisting Germany’s first goal with a cheeky pass to Timo Werner. Leon Goretzka and Thomas Muller came off the bench in both the games but couldn’t make any significant impact. The latter made his 100th appearance for Germany in the game against the Netherlands.
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Portugal
Portugal confirmed their place in the semifinals of the UEFA Nations League after clinching two points against Italy and Poland. Renato Sanches didn’t start against Italy and remained an unused substitute in this game. The young midfielder, however, got his opportunity in the second game against Poland.
Sanches grabbed an assist, delivering a pinpoint cross for Andre Silva to head home from a corner. The former Benfica midfielder delivered a man of the match performance from right midfield, moving the ball with great efficiency and creating chances for attacking players.
Poland
Robert Lewandowski’s troubles with Poland continued in this round of international fixtures. The prolific number nine started in the defeat against the Czech Republic.
Lewandowski was isolated at the top and struggled to find the net for his national team yet again. He was ruled out of Poland’s final group game against Portugal due to injury. Poland’s failure to get a victory against Portugal led to their relegation to the second tier of the Nations League.
Austria
David Alaba missed the last round of games for Austria due to injury. The left-back was fit for this international break, though, and he featured in both games for his country. Alaba started in the left-back role in Austria’s must-win game against Bosnia and Herzegovina.
He helped his side in keeping a clean sheet, but Austria couldn’t find the net in this game, ending Austria’s chances of getting promoted to the first tier of the Nations League. Alaba started on the left side of the attack, meanwhile, in the 2-1 win over Northern Ireland. The performances from Alaba were satisfactory in these two games, but the overall outcome of this round of fixtures was not good enough for Austria.
Canada
Alphonso Davies started training with Bayern Munich yesterday ahead of his winter move to the Bavarian capital. The teenager will start playing competitive games for Bayern in January. Davies played a complete 90 minutes for Canada against Saint Kitts and Nevis on Sunday. Canada clinched a narrow 1-0 victory and Davies delivered a decent performance for his country in this game.