Takeaways as Bayern Munich claim victory against Bayer Leverkusen

Honorable mentions for Bayern Munich

Speaking of Lewandowski and Muller, both will miss next weekend’s match against rivals Borussia Monchengladbach due to accumulation of yellow cards. It will certainly be interesting to see the direction Hansi Flick goes in when replacing the two players.

Will Gnabry play striker, or will youngster Joshua Zirkzee get the nod to start? And do Bayern go to a three-man midfield instead of a 2 plus 1 attacking midfield? The German manager has been flexible with his team selection when key players have missed games. Next weekend will be a good challenge for Flick to experiment with different systems.

It was great to see Javi Martinez and Thiago back in action. Both are returning from injury and slowly integrated into the first team. Hopefully, Thiago can reach full fitness soon and add an elite option to the first team. With Martinez’s future is likely to be away from the club next season, it will be good to see him get some playing time in the remaining games of the Bundesliga.

This was a good wakeup call for Die Roten. A stronger team, like one they’ll face in Europe, won’t let them back into the match so easily. Leverkusen likes to press, so this was a good challenge and a change of pace from teams that just back off and invite pressure. The current squad doesn’t let their heads go down after conceding one goal. This trait will help them to win big trophies in Europe.