Takeaways from Bayern Munich’s monumental win at Werder Bremen.
Bayern Munich went away to Werder Bremen and came away victorious with not only the match but also with the Bundesliga title. The match finished 1-0, with Robert Lewandowski bagging a beautiful goal. The team has been playing games every 3-4 days in the last couple of weeks. With Bremen fighting against relegation, it is understandable that Bayern had to fight for the win.
The lone goal from the match came late in the first half by Robert Lewandowski. In the 43rd minute, Jerome Boateng floated a ball past the Bremen defense onto the chest of Lewandowski, who brought the ball down onto his foot and then put it into the far corner (via whoscored.com). It was a perfectly-timed run that beat the offside trap and a well-timed goal, just before the half-time.
It was a tough start to the season, but Die Roten turned their fortunes around and retained the league title. The obvious turning point was when Hansi Flick took over for Nico Kovac and changed the tactical style of the team.
Moreover, the squad showed the quality and determination that they did not lose after coming back from the corona-virus break. But all that matters is that Bayern Munich are champions of the Bundesliga! Here are some takeaways from the match that secured the title.
Bayern Munich played in first gear against Werder Bremen
This Bayern team is very good. They can move through gears during the game. That is exactly the case in this match. Bayern never shifted to high gear, and frankly, they never had to. Bremen never challenged the champions in any way, and that’s hard to imagine considering their attacking quality.
With players Milot Rashica and Davy Klaassen in their lineup, Bremen should have posed more of a threat than they did, but Bayern’s defense held firm. There was an occasional chance for them, and Neuer had to make a world-class save at the end, but Bayern weren’t consistently tested.
Thomas Muller and Robert Lewandowski looked like their normal selves. After getting rest over the weekend due to suspension, both players were well energized. However, the midfield engine of Bayern Munich was not matching that intensity.
Joshua Kimmich and Leon Goretzka once again manned the midfield. Although they didn’t play poorly, they didn’t offer much in attack. One could attribute this to the fact that both players have started every match since the restart and could be fatigued a bit. They are the driving force for Bayern Munich, and when they are not at their 100 percent, the team looks jaded.
Both of the fullbacks also weren’t fully committed to running up and down the pitch this match, particularly Alphonso Davies. Pavard also looked a little fatigued after playing every game since mid-May. He isn’t making his runs down the field supporting the attack, and most of the time, he stays back, forming a three-man defense. The whole team looked sluggish in this match, but thankfully they didn’t need to go 100 percent to get the win. Hopefully, this form doesn’t continue, and the team can create great momentum going into the DfB Pokal final.
Wingers are inconsistent for Bayern Munich
For the past decade, Die Roten were able to rely on two of the game’s elite wingers in Franck Ribery and Arjen Robben. With both players leaving the club at the end of last season, it was time for the team to move on, and look for their replacements.
Kingsley Coman had been on the roster for a few seasons, while Serge Gnabry had his first season for Bayern last year. Both players are young and dynamic, delivering brilliant performances on their best day. Unfortunately, their best days don’t come often enough.
Kingsley Coman has been under the microscope for some time now with his poor decision-making skills and lack of goal contributions. Every week seems like the same for him where he can easily beat defenders one-on-one, but then has absolutely no final ball, and can’t seem to get a shot on goal. This match was a bit better for him in that he was able to send a couple of good balls across the face of goal, but no one could convert them.
Serge Gnabry has not gotten the kind of negative attention that Coman has, even though his performances haven’t been much better. In this match, Gnabry could not find the rhythm and didn’t offer much in attack. This has been a recurring issue for him, and luckily Bayern have other players to carry the attacking load, or else they wouldn’t be getting much. Like the midfielders, Gnabry has been playing extensively recently, so he could be suffering from fatigue issues.
These issues are a prime reason for why Bayern need Leroy Sane for next season. Coman and Gnabry are currently and will be essential to Bayern’s success in the future, but one more elite player in this position could elevate the team. Sane could provide that creative spark the team needs on the outside while also being an elite goal threat to compliment Lewandowski.
Sound squad planning proves a major factor for Bayern Munich
Over the past few years, Bayern’s new sporting director Hasan “Brazzo” Salihamidzic has been the architect of the current roster and where it will be for the future. One could say his job performance has been quite impressive. Building a squad is incredibly difficult, but Brazzo has done it spectacularly. He has been slowly phasing out the older players who are retiring and replacing them with young, high-quality players.
When Mats Hummels went back to Borussia Dortmund, he was replaced with Benjamin Pavard and Lucas Hernandez. Pavard has been a staple at right-back. Although Hernandez has suffered from injuries, he has shown tons of potential and should be a great player for the years to come. As stated above, he has replaced Ribery and Robben with Coman and Gnabry, and hopefully, Sane will further add quality in that position.
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Alphonso Davies was brought in from MLS side Vancouver Whitecaps to be a winger, but he has transformed himself to become one of the world’s best-left backs. All of this combined with his work on the FC Bayern II squad who are currently in the promotion zone in the third tier of German football, one year after promotion from the fourth tier. Several teenagers are very close to breaking into the first team from the youth ranks, which is very promising for the future of Bayern Munich.
Bayern just won their eighth straight Bundesliga title. With the squad planning currently happening under Salihamidzic, they look to continue that streak for the years to come. With Flick getting the tune of the squad, this team can achieve a lot of success in the coming years. This team has the potential to be a European force for years to come, and credit for that goes to the bosses and specifically Brazzo.
Honorable mentions for Bayern Munich
Alphonso Davies got a red card in the second half and will be suspended for the next match. While the two yellows were soft, he has to be more careful in the future to not lose his temper and make poor decisions late in games.
Davies’ suspension will be a good opportunity for Lucas Hernandez to get playing time at the weekend. The French defender has been heavily linked with a move away from the club, but it is looking unlikely that Die Roten will give up on their record signing without a fight. With more playing time, Hernandez can surely get back to his best.
Thomas Muller needs just one more assist to break the Bundesliga assist record for a season and has two more games to get it. Lewandowski is pretty far away from Gerd Muller’s goal record, but Muller is right there to get the record. Hopefully, he can get that assist over the next two matches. He was unlucky in this game as his two terrific crosses were not finished by Coman and Lewandowski.
The title is wrapped with two league games in hand. Hopefully, Hansi Flick utilizes these two games to give opportunities to some of the youngsters on the roster. Joshua Zirkzee and Mickael Cuisance have gotten decent minutes, but now could be the chance for guys like Oliver Batista Meier and Chris Richards.