Four takeaways as Bayern Munich book place in DFB Pokal final

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Hansi Flick, Bayern Munich. (Photo by KAI PFAFFENBACH/POOL/AFP via Getty Images) /

Substitutions hurt Bayern Munich

One common criticism under current coach Hansi Flick is how he uses his substitutions. Using them is a tricky business and one that can either elevate a team over an opponent or cause more problems than there already are. Unfortunately, the latter was the scenario on Wednesday.

In the 61st minute, Flick sent on Lucas Hernandez for Ivan Perisic, which moved Alphonso Davies in the left-wing role. Thiago came on for Kingsley Coman at the same time. Both players that came on struggled to make a positive impact for the Bavarians. One could argue that Javi Martinez made more of an impact after coming on in the 86th minute with his goal-line clearance.

Both Hernandez and Thiago were largely ineffective and even detrimental to the team’s performance. Frankfurt’s goal came from a mistake by Hernandez at the back post. The Frenchman wasn’t marking da Costa and allowed a free ball across the face of goal. The argument could be made that Alphonso Davies makes that interception and clears the ball.

Meanwhile, Thiago is still clearly trying to get back to top form but just isn’t quite there yet. There were several misplaced passes and poor touches on the ball. The player just couldn’t get into a rhythm and wasn’t able to dominate the pitch like his midfield counterpart Goretzka.

The Thiago substitution is understandable since he came on to replace an offensive player and offered more defensive stability. However, the move to bring on Hernandez one was questionable. Bayern’s backline had been playing great for the entire match, until he replaced Davies, and after that things started to falter.

It makes fans wonder why this substitution was made. Why was the backline disrupted with so much time left in the game? It makes sense to have a more defensive approach when closing out a match, but why not carry out that philosophy with the forwards and not the outstanding defensive line? There are some interesting questions to ask in regards to this situation.