Hoffenheim stunned Bayern Munich on matchday two in an emphatic 4-1 win.
It was a polar opposite performance Bayern Munich against Hoffenheim after soundly defeating Schalke just nine days prior. Hoffenheim ran rampant throughout the match and became the first club since November to score three goals or more against Die Roten. Another impressive record came to an end as well as this was the first time since December that Bayern has lost a match.
Manager Rating
Hansi Flick—6/10
This was not the performance Flick would have hoped for even with the short turnaround between fixtures. Bayern looked tired and was not at their best against Hoffenheim. For this reason, it’s hard to be too harsh on Flick as he is working with what he has available. There could be signings to come based on this performance as Bayern’s depth appears to be their greatest weakness entering this season.
Player Ratings
GK, Manuel Neuer—7/10
The Bayern goalkeeper picked the ball out of the net an unusual four times. To be fair, Neuer kept Bayern in this match longer than they should have been as he kept out plenty of high-quality Hoffenheim opportunities. He did concede a late penalty but he was left with little choice but to come out and try and stop on the attacking player. This scoreline could have been greater and Neuer helped ensure this did not turn into a historic defeat to Hoffenheim.
CB, Jerome Boateng—4/10
Hoffenheim’s star player Andrej Kramaric caused Boateng and the Bayern backline problems all match long. Boateng struggled to mark the Croatian playmaker. Kramaric was allowed just enough space to shoot and Boateng failed to close him down on numerous occasions. A total of eight shots were produced by Kramaric, four of which were on target. When Kramaric is taken out of the match Hoffenheim usually struggles to find the back of the net. He was allowed to be at his best and the high line of Bayern was exposed.
CB, David Alaba—5/10
Much like Boateng, Alaba was unable to contain Kramaric and the Hoffenheim attackers. After playing the majority of the match against Sevilla in the UEFA Super Cup on Thursday, Alaba looked to be on tired legs and allowed Hoffenheim to get in behind the Bayern backline. It was a tough match for the veteran defender.
RB, Benjamin Pavard—4/10
The French right-back had a costly error in the 24th minute that led to Mu’nas Dabbur’s wonderful goal. He was another Bayern defender who looked to be fatigued. Pavard played the entire match against Sevilla including the two extra time periods.
LB, Alphonso Davies—5/10
Davies made his way into the starting XI for the first time this season. The Canadian left-back struggled to defend the Hoffenheim attack as was the trend with the other members of the Bayern defensive unit. This performance may just turn out to be an anomaly this season.
Midfielders struggled to impose themselves in the game
MID, Joshua Kimmich—6/10
Kimmich had the one golden moment of the match for Bayern. He produced a high-quality finish to bring Bayern within one in the first half. However, his effort would turn out to be a consolation goal as he too was unable to provide a solution to stopping Hoffenheim. Kimmich nearly gifted his opponents a goal in the 51st minute when he turned the ball over at the edge of the box. The German looked tired as he was poor defensively when Flick decided to move him to the right-back position.
MID, Corentin Tolisso—5/10
This was the first appearance in the starting XI this season for Tolisso. He would be replaced in the 71st minute and was unable to generate many chances as well as stop the Hoffenheim attacking. The French midfielder was often careless on the ball, giving away the ball even when there was no pressure from them. However, Tolisso’s passing from deep was promising. It will be interesting to see whether Hansi Flick decides to deploy them in the future. Overall, he had an average game, so there were no qualms when he was substituted late in the game as Die Roten looked for a goal to make a comeback into the game.
Forwards looked devoid of ideas against Hoffenheim
CAM, Thomas Müller—6/10
Müller was one of the better-attacking players for Bayern. He picked up an assist on Kimmich’s goal and produced four key passes throughout the match. There were few opportunities for Müller as he only had two shots and neither were on target. This was another player who played the entire match against Sevilla and it showed.
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LW, Serge Gnabry—5/10
After a fantastic performance against Schalke, Gnabry was unable to create a repeat performance against Hoffenheim. He was only able to record one shot which pales in comparison to his five in the first Bundesliga match of the season. Hoffenheim did an excellent job of taking Gnabry out of the match and not allowing him to have an impact in the final third.
RW, Leroy Sane—4/10
Hoffenheim were able to keep both Gnabry and Sane quiet for the majority of the match. Sane had been deadly against Schalke and used his pace to create all sorts of problems. He had five key passes in the previous Bundesliga fixture but only managed one against Hoffenheim. With a passing accuracy of 65%, it was never going to be a stellar match from Sane.
A poor day in the office for strikers
ST, Joshua Zirkzee—5/10
This was not the best match for Zirkzee as he stepped in to replace Robert Lewandowski in the starting XI. He managed to get off four shots and one hit the crossbar from a tight angle. There were chances but none were taken clinically.
Substitutes
ST, Robert Lewandowski—6/10
The prolific goal scorer could not even save Bayern in this fixture. Lewandowski replaced Zirkzee and was not able to get his club back on level terms. There was little choice for Flick here as Lewandowski had played the entire match against Sevilla. Bayern may need to bring in another quality striker to help take the responsibility off Lewandowski’s shoulders for being the sole source of goals at striker.
MID, Leon Goretzka—6/10
Goretzka entered the match in the second half. The midfielder was unable to provide the spark Bayern needed in the middle of the pitch. He did complete 94% of his passes which helped limit turnovers.
RW, Jamal Musiala—6/10
The 17-year-old rising star made another appearance for Bayern. Although he did not generate any goals or assist off the bench, there’s reason to believe he can continue to be a top player for Bayern as a substitute as the season progresses.
MID, Kingsley Coman—6/10
Coman appeared for Bayern for the first time this season. His quarantine came to an end which allowed him to be selected. Hopefully, Coman can find good form as he begins his season.