Bayern Munich clinched a narrow 1-0 victory against Schalke in the quarter-finals of DFB Pokal.
The unbeaten run continues for Bayern Munich as they round off an important ten days with a 1-0 win against Schalke in DFB Pokal on Tuesday. Joshua Kimmich scored the solitary goal in the game, helping the German team to book their place in the semi-finals of the competition.
Bayern came into this game after two big victories against Chelsea and Hoffenheim in different competitions. Hansi Flick was forced to make few changes to the starting XI that featured on Saturday due to few injuries. Jerome Boateng and Lucas Hernandez stayed in Munich due to minor injuries.
The German manager looks eager to manage Joshua Zirkzee, so he decided to put him on the bench despite his impressive performance against Hoffenheim last weekend. Zirkzee has been garnering a lot of praise for his smooth start to life in the first team.
After the win against Schalke, Die Roten become massive favourites to retain the DFB Pokal as most of the top German teams have been already knocked out of the competition. Although the scoreline may suggest it otherwise, it was a fairly impressive performance from Bayern on Tuesday. Here are the key takeaways from Die Roten’s win at Veltins Arena.
A measured and controlled performance
Flick has made some important changes in Die Roten’s style of play during the winter break. Bayern have been pressing aggressively from the word go. They try to blitz past teams in the first half an hour and then manage the game properly. This approach had reaped the rewards, as defending Bundesliga champions have earned some big victories in Ruckrunde.
However, it was a completely different scenario on Tuesday. The visitors took a back seat and delivered a measured performance over 90 minutes. The main reason behind this approach is likely to be fatigue in players since it was their third game in eight days.
As a consequence of this strategy from Die Roten, Schalke started the game sharply and created some good chances. Die Roten were not fazed by this as they slowly gained control and dictated the tempo of the play.
After going ahead, Bayern did create chances, but they also looked to save energy by managing the game cleverly. It was exactly the right approach from team management as intense pressing in multiple games in a short period of time may lead to injuries. It was nothing spectacular from Bayern on Tuesday as there was no need for it. A controlled and efficient performance that helped them to clinch the victory.
Kimmich coming clutch once again
After Boateng and Hernandez didn’t make it to the matchday squad, Flick decided to start Joshua Kimmich in central defense. The German international, as usual, seamlessly adapted to the positional change by delivering a flawless performance.
Kimmich made sure that his positioning was always on point in the heart of the defense, helping him to read the game well, and always be a step ahead of Schalke forwards. He regularly made some important interceptions to bail out his team from conceding big chances.
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On the ball, Kimmich was his usual self. The German defender was breaking the lines effectively by playing the early pass into the forwards. There was nothing spectacular about his passing against Schalke, but the simplicity helped Bayern to dominate their box and half.
Cometh the hour, cometh the man. The German international came up with goods at the other end of the pitch. Kimmich gave Bayern lead just before the half-time by smashing a volley from the edge of the box. This goal turned to be decisive for Die Roten as it was the solitary goal of the game. Overall, it was yet another clutch performance from Bayern’s Mr. Consistent in a different position.
Coutinho showing promising signs
It has been a disappointing campaign for Philippe Coutinho at Bayern. The Brazilian was eager to kickstart his career in Bavaria after a difficult 18-month spell in Barcelona, but things have not gone the way he would have hoped.
Coutinho has shown glimpses of his talent throughout the season, but there has been no consistency in his performances. The lack of continuity in his performances has forced Flick to use him as an option from the bench. However, the recent injuries for Kingsley Coman and Ivan Perisic have given Coutinho another chance to regain his place in the starting lineup.
The Brazilian playmaker started his second game in a row on Tuesday. He didn’t deliver a man of the match performance, but it was a solid performance. The Brazilian was taking up good positions in the final third, and his decision making was much more accurate. He also came close to doubling Bayern’s lead as he struck the post at the hour effort with a ferocious attempt from the edge of the box.
It will take something special from Coutinho in the next couple of months to convince Die Roten to sign him permanently from Barcelona. However, there have been some promising signs shown by the Brazilian forward in the last two games. This is good news for Bayern as his good form can propel them in the Champions League knockout games.
No minutes for fringe players
Flick has been spot on about his lineups since taking over the job in November. The German manager has quickly found his best starting XI and stuck with it for most of the games. He has also been managing the squad properly by giving fringe players minutes from the bench.
However, the game against Schalke saw a different approach from Flick. He started the best possible team in those circumstances and included four academy players on the bench. Jann-Fiete Arp also made it to the matchday squad after a long time while Mickael Cuisance was also available on the bench.
Some sort of playing time for these players would have boosted their confidence, but Flick decided against making changes in the second half. He only made one substitution at the end of the game as Zirkzee replaced Corentin Tolisso for the final five minutes of the match.
It was a strange move from Flick as his in-game management is generally to the point, making substitutions in the second half. The likes of Cuisance and Arp have been struggling to get playing time in the first team, so this was an ideal opportunity for them. It will be interesting to see what plans Flick has for these players if he ends up getting the job in summer.