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Bayern Munich players enjoy a fruitful international break

By Kiran Thakare

24 March 2019, Netherlands, Amsterdam: Soccer: European Championship qualification, Netherlands - Germany, Group stage, Group C, 2nd matchday in the Johan Cruijff ArenA. Serge Gnabry (front) from Germany celebrates his goal to 0:2 with Leon Goretzka (M) and Niklas Süle (2nd from right). IMPORTANT NOTE: In accordance with the requirements of the DFL Deutsche Fußball Liga or the DFB Deutscher Fußball-Bund, it is prohibited to use or have used photographs taken in the stadium and/or the match in the form of sequence images and/or video-like photo sequences. Photo: Christian Charisius/dpa (Photo by Christian Charisius/picture alliance via Getty Images)
24 March 2019, Netherlands, Amsterdam: Soccer: European Championship qualification, Netherlands - Germany, Group stage, Group C, 2nd matchday in the Johan Cruijff ArenA. Serge Gnabry (front) from Germany celebrates his goal to 0:2 with Leon Goretzka (M) and Niklas Süle (2nd from right). IMPORTANT NOTE: In accordance with the requirements of the DFL Deutsche Fußball Liga or the DFB Deutscher Fußball-Bund, it is prohibited to use or have used photographs taken in the stadium and/or the match in the form of sequence images and/or video-like photo sequences. Photo: Christian Charisius/dpa (Photo by Christian Charisius/picture alliance via Getty Images) /
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Several Bayern Munich players represented their club well this past weekend by fulfilling key roles for their national teams.

The final international break of the season came to an end on Tuesday. Bayern Munich had many players training at Sabener Strasse, but they were still very well represented over the international break. The majority of their players will return in a good mood after achieving positive results with their respective countries, and that will hopefully boost them to finish the season strong.

Bayern also survived a few injury scares during the break, with a handful of players withdrawing from games due to injury. Here is a look at how each Bayern representative played over the international break.

Germany

Joachim Low made some tough decisions ahead of this international break, including decided to axe veteran trio Thomas Muller, Jerome Boateng and Mats Hummels from the Germany squad. There were several Bayern players in the German squad, despite the omission of their star trio. Germany were held for a 1-1 draw against Serbia, but they succeeded in clinching a 3-2 win over the Netherlands in Amsterdam in their first Euro 2020 qualifier.

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Manuel Neuer showed his class against the Dutch by making two fantastic saves. The German captain delivered a couple decent performances in these two games, amidst growing pressure on Low to select Marc-Andre ter Stegen ahead of him. Niklas Sule, meanwhile, continued the great form he’s shown at club level with the national team.

Joshua Kimmich played both games in central midfield. He struggled to dominate either game, and he was caught out in possession on numerous occasions. His passing was also just a bit off against both Serbia and the Netherlands. Leon Goretzka made an impact from the bench against Serbia, scoring Germany’s equalizer. He was rewarded with a place in starting lineup against the Netherlands but couldn’t make any significant impact.

Serge Gnabry was given very little time to impress against Serbia. However, he grabbed his opportunity against the Netherlands with both hands, scoring a fine goal to give his team a two-goal advantage and overall putting in an excellent shift alongside Leroy Sane in attack.

Colombia

James Rodriguez endured a quiet international break, as Colombia had mixed results in their two friendly matches. The attacking midfielder almost played the whole 90 minutes in his nation’s narrow 1-0 win over Japan. Carlos Queiroz made many changes for their following game against South Korea, giving many fringe players an opportunity to stake their claim on a spot in the starting eleven ahead of this summer’s Copa America. James eventually came on at half-time against the Koreans, but he couldn’t help his team avoid a 2-1 defeat against the Asian side.

Poland

Robert Lewandowski had a fantastic outing with Poland during this latest international break. Poland won both of their Euro 2020 qualifier games, and Lewandowski played a major role in each win.

The Polish captain played well against Austria but couldn’t find back of the net. He was eventually rewarded in the game against Latvia, though, scoring his country’s first. These two games will be a big boost to Lewandowski’s confidence. It needed some help after the Bayern number nine struggled on international duty for the last nine months.

Austria

Austria endured a disastrous international break, losing both of their games. David Alaba played the whole 90 minutes in their defeat against Poland. He was later sent back to Bayern Munich, as he continues to struggle with a tendon problem. Alaba is doubtful for the weekend’s Bundesliga game against Freiburg.

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Alphonso Davies was called up for the Canadian national team, meanwhile, but he decided to withdraw from the squad after suffering a minor injury against Mainz. The 18-year-old winger is expected to be fit for Bayern’s game against Freiburg this weekend. Kingsley Coman also had a disappointing return to international play, as he didn’t feature for France after feeling stiffness in his back while warming up to start France’s game against Moldova. Like Alaba, Coman returned to Germany, with Didier Deschamps unwilling to risk him injuring him further.

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