Bayern Strikes
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Four Takeaways as Bayern Munich seal victory against FC Koln

By Joshua Bishop

Bayern Munich's French forward Kingsley Coman (3rd L) celebrates scoring with his team-mates German forward Thomas Mueller and Polish forward Robert Lewandowski during the German first division Bundesliga football match 1 FC Cologne v FC Bayern Munich in Cologne, western Germany on February 16, 2020. (Photo by INA FASSBENDER / AFP) / RESTRICTIONS: DFL REGULATIONS PROHIBIT ANY USE OF PHOTOGRAPHS AS IMAGE SEQUENCES AND/OR QUASI-VIDEO (Photo by INA FASSBENDER/AFP via Getty Images)
Bayern Munich's French forward Kingsley Coman (3rd L) celebrates scoring with his team-mates German forward Thomas Mueller and Polish forward Robert Lewandowski during the German first division Bundesliga football match 1 FC Cologne v FC Bayern Munich in Cologne, western Germany on February 16, 2020. (Photo by INA FASSBENDER / AFP) / RESTRICTIONS: DFL REGULATIONS PROHIBIT ANY USE OF PHOTOGRAPHS AS IMAGE SEQUENCES AND/OR QUASI-VIDEO (Photo by INA FASSBENDER/AFP via Getty Images) /
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MUNICH, GERMANY – FEBRUARY 09: (BILD ZEITUNG OUT) goalkeeper Manuel Neuer of FC Bayern Muenchen looks on during the Bundesliga match between FC Bayern Muenchen and RB Leipzig at Allianz Arena on February 9, 2020, in Munich, Germany. (Photo by Roland Krivec/DeFodi Images via Getty Images)
MUNICH, GERMANY – FEBRUARY 09: (BILD ZEITUNG OUT) goalkeeper Manuel Neuer of FC Bayern Muenchen looks on during the Bundesliga match between FC Bayern Muenchen and RB Leipzig at Allianz Arena on February 9, 2020, in Munich, Germany. (Photo by Roland Krivec/DeFodi Images via Getty Images) /

Men of the match

There were a few standout performances from this match. Considering their circumstances, I feel obligated to mention them. The first is Thomas Muller. With both Kingsley Coman and Serge Gnabry returning from injury to the starting lineup, Muller started in his preferred central attacking role. We all know he thrives here, and this match was no exception. For the first goal, Koln turned the ball over in their half, and Muller, after receiving the ball, threaded a ball to Lewandowski in the box, who blasted it into the top of the net.

For the second goal, Lewandowski played in Muller, who then played it squared it to Coman. Muller is indispensable to Bayern right now, and this match once again proved that with him getting two assists.

The second player to mention is Serge Gnabry. While some might say that he was wasteful in front of goal or that he’s too inconsistent, I see a player who constantly posed a threat to the defense and scored a brace.

The first goal was from a corner where he received the ball on the far post, brought it back to the center of the box with two touches, and then fired it into the bottom corner of the goal. The second goal was a result of Gnabry receiving the ball on the left-hand side, dribbling past a couple of defenders, and then slotting it past the keeper.

For me, the most important player wasn’t an attacking player, it was our amazing goalkeeper, Manuel Neuer. The first half largely did not require our sweeper-keeper, but once the second half of the match started, the man between the sticks showed his true quality, and proved why he remains the best goalie in the world. Several times, Koln attackers either were in very advanced positions with the ball or found themselves in one-vs-one situations with Neuer. He stood like a wall and made outstanding saves every time.

Without a keeper that isn’t Neuer, the hosts could have scored four or five goals, but with him, we can have a sense of security at the back. The most impressive play was when the attacker had the ball advancing at Neuer, but he ran out of the box and performed a perfect slide tackle to clear the ball away. It was a play and performance that reminded fans of Neuer before his injury when he was in his prime.