Takeaways from Bayern Munich’s victory against rivals Borussia Dortmund.
In an exciting encounter at Signal Iduna Park, Bayern Munich came out on top with a 1-0 win against Borussia Dortmund. This was the big match in determining the Bundesliga champions at the end of the season. It will be tough for Dortmund to catch up Die Roten in the league after this result. The victory for Munich opened up a seven-point lead at the top of the table with only six matches left to go.
The game was fast-paced and very entertaining, even though only one goal was scored in the game. Dortmund started the match very confident and pressed Bayern. Die Roten were made to work hard in the first quarter of the game as BVB surged ahead consistently to find the breakthrough.
The away side steadied that pressure and were able to get a beautiful goal by Joshua Kimmich late in the first half. After receiving the ball at the edge of the box, he decided to chip it over the goalkeeper into the far corner. It was a wonderful goal that gave the Bavarians the confidence to go on and win the match.
Bayern will have to keep up their concentration for the rest of the season if they want to win the title. Dortmund are a very talented side, so they will do their best to push the Rekordmeister until the very end. Here are some takeaways from this weekend’s match.
Key Bayern Munich players
Bayern had a few standout performers in this performance that earned recognition. Both are from the defensive side of the ball. The first player is Alphonso Davies. It seems these days that Davies is always putting in a man-of-the-match performance, and this match was no different.
At one instance, while defending, Phonzie showed his trademark approach. Dortmund striker was running in on goal. Davies raced back and got in front of the player to deny him a shooting chance. Such types of crunch interventions help Die Roten to collect clean sheets. This wasn’t the only instance of his dominance. Several times the left-back made key tackles or used his pace and technical skills to beat defenders. It was a joy to watch the teenager play effortlessly. Davies continued the upward trajectory as he locked down the left flank.
The second player of note is Joshua Kimmich. As stated above, the midfielder scored what would become the winning goal, but his overall contribution was much greater. His presence helped steady the ship in the first half when Dortmund were controlling possession. In the second half, as Bayern were increasing their pressure, Kimmich was at the heart of the flow, spreading passes around all over the field.
Having a partner, like Leon Goretzka, was incredibly beneficial for Kimmich. Goretzka acted as an enforcer, allowing Kimmich to use his complete passing range to full effect. It should also be noted the effort that Kimmich puts out on the pitch. Much like Bayern legend Bastien Schweinsteiger, Kimmich wears his heart on his sleeve, giving his blood and sweat on the pitch. He will eventually make a wonderful Bayern Munich captain in the future.
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Lastly, Jerome Boateng played one of the best matches of the season. Once a liability on the Bayern team-sheet, the German defender has completely flipped his reputation among fans and media, becoming a consistent, reliable defender. He was able to completely stifle Dortmund’s strikers and showed composure on the ball when pressured.
Boateng also showed off his extreme passing range, launching balls downfield to attackers to run at the defense. If it wasn’t for Boateng, who also made a goal-line clearance in the first minute, Bayern would have conceded at least a goal in this match. It was an elite performance against a team that boasts a lot of attackers.
Second half tactical change for Bayern Munich
Bayern played a nice first half, even getting a goal in the 43rd minute. But there were moments when it looked like Dortmund would break through and get themselves a goal. Their midfielders were able to get on the ball and spread passes all across the field. It was their attack, along with Die Roten’s great defensive performance, that let them down. However, Dortmund looked well trained and knew what they wanted to do in attack and defense.
The second half was a different story. Although there weren’t any goals, Bayern amped up the pressure and started attacking Dortmund when they were on the ball. While Leon Goretzka didn’t get on the scoresheet, his effort deserves a grade of an A+, as does Thomas Muller. These two plus Kimmich were instrumental in disrupting the Dortmund attack, greatly reducing the danger by the home side.
One could assume that coach Hansi Flick told the team to just run harder, but it was clear that the goal was to put more effort into the defensive side of the game and then just control the game when on offense. This took Dortmund out of their rhythm, allowing Bayern to just see out the game. The team had a few chances, but because of their defensive effort, it didn’t matter that they didn’t take them.
There has been some criticism directed towards Flick recently, some of it just, and this was one of them. The ability to make a change in a game and have it make a positive impact. Going to a more controlling and defensive approach, along with the substitution of Javi Martinez at the end, showed that Flick knows what he’s doing in this department. The team adjusted accordingly and came away with a comfortable victory.
The decline of Kingsley Coman
Just a few years ago, Kingsley Coman looked good to become one of the world’s best wingers. With blistering pace and mesmerizing footwork, the Frenchmen had all the makings of a world-class player. Injuries and an overall lack of development have made Coman look out of place in this Bayern side. Almost every other player in the team has improved under Flick except Coman.
The winger isn’t detrimental to the team, and they aren’t losing because of his performances. He tracks back and works hard in defense, always willing to take defenders on. But that’s about it. When every other player poses some sort of danger in attack, his performances become that much more noticeable, negatively. This past weekend against Eintracht Frankfurt, backup winger Ivan Perisic looked more dangerous and involved as the starter.
The issues in this match were nothing new in terms of normal performance, and when it’s against a team of the caliber of Dortmund, those become exaggerated. Several times Coman would be one-on-one with a defender, taking his time to beat the defender and deliver a cross, but that hardly worked as his cross was blocked by the defender.
Several times he would be in a great position to shoot or cross the ball and would blast the ball over everyone’s head or drive the ball straight at the keeper. There is absolutely no final product to his game and against Bundesliga opposition that can be overlooked.
However, with Bayern’s aspirations of winning the Champions League, the team needs elite production from that position, and right now, Coman looks incapable of giving that. Despite his consistent injury issues, the Bayern board has put faith in him. If these performances continue, then the club hierarchy should look to sell Coman and move on. Especially with the acquisition of Leroy Sane looking more and more like a done deal.
Honorable Mentions for Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund
Dortmund is a much-improved team from the side that got annihilated by Bayern back in the fall. The team has made a few acquisitions since then. Along with more time under coach Lucien Favre, they have become a well-oiled machine. It’s a shame they lost in the Round of 16 in the Champions League because they have the talent to go a long way in the competition.
Manuel Neuer got lucky a couple of times at the beginning of the match, but as everyone calmed down, he locked down the goal and looked impenetrable. It’s been great to see him return to this level after his injury. His form right now puts him in the discussion for best in the world.
With a seven-point lead in the Bundesliga, it would be great to see some of the Bayern youngsters get playing time with the first team. Mickael Cuisance has shown improvement in the limited time he has gotten. More opportunities for Frenchman in the coming weeks will boost his confidence. All Bayern fans love seeing Joshua Zirkzee on the field with his clutch performances.
Two more names for consideration should be Lars Lukas Mai and Chris Richards. Bayern has already seen Mai with the first team, while Richards has received enough hype for this decision to be taken seriously. Hopefully, at least one of these players will get considerable game time soon.