Bayern Munich seem to have lost fear factor this season

MUNICH, GERMANY - NOVEMBER 30: Leon Goretzka of FC Bayern Muenchen looks dejected during the Bundesliga match between FC Bayern Muenchen and Bayer 04 Leverkusen at Allianz Arena on November 30, 2019 in Munich, Germany. (Photo by TF-Images/Getty Images)
MUNICH, GERMANY - NOVEMBER 30: Leon Goretzka of FC Bayern Muenchen looks dejected during the Bundesliga match between FC Bayern Muenchen and Bayer 04 Leverkusen at Allianz Arena on November 30, 2019 in Munich, Germany. (Photo by TF-Images/Getty Images)

Lothar Matthaus believes that teams are not fearing Bayern Munich this season and go toe to toe with the defending champions.

Bayern Munich is going through a tough phase in the Bundesliga this season. The defending champions are currently seventh in the table, seven points behind league leaders Borussia Monchengladbach. In the past couple of gameweeks, Die Roten suffered agonizing defeats against Monchengladbach and Bayer Leverkusen.

The Bavarians have been inconsistent throughout the season. They are not able to string a good run of games, which is very pivotal for retaining the Bundesliga title. The inconsistency in performances and results eventually led to the departure of Niko Kovac.

Things looked to be moving under Hansi Flick, caretaker manager, as they won four games in a row across all competitions. Flick improved the team’s style of play, but two league defeats in the last ten days further highlighted deficiencies of the team.

Lothar Matthaus admits that the current Bayern team has lost its fear factor. In his column for Sky Sports, Matthaus insisted that Bundesliga teams are confident that they can get a positive result against Bayern this season even when they are not leading in the game.

"“The opponents have lost the fear and reverence for Bayern Munich.”“Even if teams fall behind they still believe in victory and some can do it. Something like that was rare in the past. Except for the Bayern and their fans, everyone is happy. Everyone should know that you can never write off the record champion.”"

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Matthaus insists that the current team lacks balance, and the injuries to Niklas Sule and Lucas Hernandez has disrupted the defensive shape of the team. Die Roten have been consistently conceding goals due to individual mistakes at the back in the Bundesliga.

Along with defensive issues, Bayern have also looked stale in the final third. Robert Lewandowski is enjoying the best season of his career, scoring 27 goals across all competition before the halfway stage of the season. The Pole has not been supported well by other forwards, and their over-reliance on him has made them inefficient in front of the goal.

Surprisingly, Bayern has been a much better team in cup competitions. The Bundesliga champions are through to the third round of DFB Pokal and sealed the top spot in their Champions League group by the end of the fifth matchday.

Die Roten needs to bring their cup form to the Bundesliga. The defending league champions need to win all their remaining before the winter break. After the break, Hernandez is expected to return, which will make them a much more solid defensive team. Right now, Bayern just have to make sure that they are a difficult team to beat and grind out wins, before going for the kill in the second half of the season.