Four Takeaways as Bayern Munich stun Chelsea at Bridge

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LONDON, ENGLAND – FEBRUARY 25: Jerome Boateng of Bayern Munich during the UEFA Champions League round of 16 first leg match between Chelsea FC and FC Bayern Muenchen (Bayern Munich) at Stamford Bridge stadium on February 25, 2020, in London, United Kingdom. (Photo by Jean Catuffe/Getty Images) /

Solid Defensive Performance

Chelsea do not have an elite attacking force, and several of their players were injured, but that does not take away anything from the performance of Bayern’s defenders, specifically Jerome Boateng and Alphonso Davies. Boateng’s improvement over the past few months has been incredible to watch. He is starting to look like the world cup winning center back of 5-6 years ago. His ability to win headers off of set pieces and goal kicks was instrumental. The German defender’s instinctual ability to know which passing lanes to step in helped Bayern shut down a couple of Chelsea attacks.

It should also not go without mentioning how Hansi Flick has Boateng deployed on the backline. When the team is pressing ahead, he sits back as the last person before Manuel Neuer in a stopper role, allowing the full-backs and David Alaba, his central defense partner, to push forward into the attack. Putting Boateng in this position also prevents him from being caught on a counter-attack and also keeps a player in the back to potentially slow down counter-attacks when they do happen. It wasn’t too long ago when Boateng was considered to be too slow or an extreme liability for Bayern. Since the winter break, Flick has been able to figure out a way to have Boateng in the lineup and use him correctly.

Would a discussion about Bayern’s defense in 2020 be complete without Alphonso Davies? Just like every game since moving to left-back position, Davies shone in this match. His ability to run the flank and also just flat out run past people was critical for Bayern’s success in this match.

The third goal was 100 percent down to Davies’s ability to run through the right side of Chelsea’s defense. He is getting better with every passing game and has unquestionably become a top-5 left-back in the world. At some point in the next few weeks, he deserves a rest; Alaba can slot back into left-back. And then the question should be asked when everyone on the backline is healthy, who starts at left-back? It is certainly an interesting debate.