Bayern Strikes
Fansided

Four takeaways as Bayern Munich drop points against RB Leipzig

By Joshua Bishop

MUNICH, GERMANY - FEBRUARY 09: (BILD ZEITUNG OUT) Dayot Upamecanoof RB Leipzig, Robert Lewandowski of FC Bayern Muenchen and Lukas Klostermann of RB Leipzig controls the ball during the Bundesliga match between FC Bayern Muenchen and RB Leipzig at Allianz Arena on February 9, 2020 in Munich, Germany. (Photo by TF-Images/Getty Images)
MUNICH, GERMANY - FEBRUARY 09: (BILD ZEITUNG OUT) Dayot Upamecanoof RB Leipzig, Robert Lewandowski of FC Bayern Muenchen and Lukas Klostermann of RB Leipzig controls the ball during the Bundesliga match between FC Bayern Muenchen and RB Leipzig at Allianz Arena on February 9, 2020 in Munich, Germany. (Photo by TF-Images/Getty Images) /
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MUNICH, GERMANY – FEBRUARY 09: (BILD ZEITUNG OUT) Lukas Klostermann of RB Leipzig and Serge Gnabry of FC Bayern Muenchen battle for the ball during the Bundesliga match between FC Bayern Muenchen and RB Leipzig at Allianz Arena on February 9, 2020 in Munich, Germany. (Photo by TF-Images/Getty Images)
MUNICH, GERMANY – FEBRUARY 09: (BILD ZEITUNG OUT) Lukas Klostermann of RB Leipzig and Serge Gnabry of FC Bayern Muenchen battle for the ball during the Bundesliga match between FC Bayern Muenchen and RB Leipzig at Allianz Arena on February 9, 2020 in Munich, Germany. (Photo by TF-Images/Getty Images) /

Bayern struggle against a stubborn defense

As stated above, Bayern’s attack was not as potent as they have been in recent weeks, but that was in large part due to Leipzig’s impressive defensive performance. The man of the match this week wasn’t a Bayern player, but rather from the opponent’s side. This player was Dayot Upamecano, and the defender was specifically tasked with shutting down our main attacker.

The French defender made several crucial tackles and often shut down a cross with his long legs and even made a goal-line clearance to keep the match scoreless. It was an incredible performance to watch and was fitting of a man of the match performance. Leipzig would do very well if they could keep Upamecano from other interested parties in the summer because he is a very talented player.

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As I mentioned in the paragraph above, this was important for Bayern in as they needed a game of this caliber to understand to judge their progress under Flick. The offense couldn’t generate much of anything, and a large part of that is down to the way Leipzig defended.

Playing with three center backs and two wing-backs, Leipzig were able to bottle up Bayern’s attack, and then when timed right, hit us on the counter-attack. This could be something similar to what Bayern see in the Champions League against Chelsea. Personally, I think Leipzig’s defense is better than Chelsea’s, so this should prepare Die Roten well for future big matches.

This also shows that Bayern need to develop ways to break down a stubborn defense with an elite center back. Hansi Flick brought on Philippe Coutinho and Kingsley Coman as substitutes to try a different way to break down the defense. Neither worked and Bayern were left goalless at the end of the match. Maybe this was a case where you take out a midfielder and bring on another forward like Joshua Zirkzee while chasing the winner. Whatever way you go, a change of formation was needed if Bayern were to break down that defense, and Flick couldn’t figure that one out.