Bayern Munich looked rusty against Werder Bremen- Player Ratings

Kiran Thakare

Bayern Munich midfielder Leon Goretzka and his teammates looked off the pace against Werder Bremen. (Photo by Lukas Barth-Tuttas - Pool/Getty Images)

Bayern Munich had a tough afternoon against a resolute Werder Bremen side.

Bayern Munich dropped two points on matchday eight of the Bundesliga. The defending champions were held for a 1-1 draw by Werder Bremen at Allianz Arena on Saturday. It was an underwhelming performance from the hosts, but they remain at the top of the Bundesliga table. Here are complete ratings from a closely fought contest at Allianz Arena.

Manager Rating

Hansi Flick—7 /10

Flick decided to give a breather to international players, so the team selection was justified. The system had only one midfielder, so it left them vulnerable on the counter. He got substitutes right in the second half. The German manager will have to come up with a better system to improve the buildup from the back in the absence of Joshua Kimmich.

Player Ratings

GK, Manuel Neuer— 9/10

Manuel Neuer was probably the best player for Die Roten. The German international was at the top of his game, helping the hosts to avoid defeat in this game. In the first half, he made an outstanding double save to deny Joshua Sargent. He pulled off another brilliant save late in the game to help Bayern get one point from this game.

DEF, Benjamin Pavard— 6/10

Pavard looked threatening while going forward as he provided the width on the right flank. As the game went on and Die Roten looked for a winner, Pavard’s eagerness did leave acres of space behind him and expose Martinez in a one vs one duel against Bremen forwards.

DEF, Jerome Boateng— 7/10

Boateng commanded the area brilliantly and made some crucial challenges to keep Bremen’s attack at the bay. His wide passing range was on display as Bremen sat further deep in the second half, allowing Die Roten’s central defenders to station at the halfway line.

DEF, David Alaba— 7 /10

After ages, Alaba got a chance to play in the left-back position. He didn’t look rusty at all in this position. The Austrian defender made good overlapping and underlapping runs to support Costa or Coman on the left flank. He also delivered some dangerous crosses in the box. At times, Alaba was breaking the lines from a deeper position. It was a solid performance from the 28-year-old defender.

DEF, Lucas Hernandez— 6/10

Hernandez looked good during his short stay on the pitch. He is comfortable for Die Roten in the left-back position. The Frenchman looked certain to build upon the good start to the game, but an awkward fall while contesting an aerial duel forced him off the pitch in the 19th minute.

MID, Javi Martinez— 6/10

Martinez started in the defensive midfield position as Flick decided to give Goretzka some rest after two successive games for Germany. The Spaniard looked tidy and secure in possession when he was operating in the midfield. However, the injury to Lucas Hernandez forced Martinez to move in central defense.

The Spaniard was good on the ball while playing as a central defender, but his lack of pace was consistently exploited by Werder Bremen. He was culpable in the goal. Joshua Sargent managed to beat him with a clever turn and then squared the ball for Maximilian Eggestein for putting it past Neuer.

Martinez looked more comfortable in the second half, but Milot Rashica got better off him on a few occasions. The Spaniard is a useful squad player. However, the central defense is no longer his best position on the pitch. He can still do a fairly good job in the center of the park.

On the setpieces, Martinez did look threatening as he was making the right runs and making contact with the deliveries. However, he was not able to test the goalkeeper frequently. It was a mixed bag for the Spaniard on Saturday, but certainly, Die Roten cannot play him consistently in central defense.

FWD, Douglas Costa— 6/10

Costa looked dangerous whenever he was crossing in the box. The crosses were dangerous, but they were not accurate, slightly faster than the runs made by his teammates. He hit the crossbar from 25 yards early in the second half. It was an average performance from the Brazilian has the quality to do much better than what he did on Saturday.

FWD, Jamal Musiala— 7/10

The first start in the Bundesliga was promising for Jamal Musiala. The youngster operated slightly deeper but showed great touches around the box. He showed great determination to win the ball whenever he was losing it while trying to make things happen in the final third. Musiala came close to scoring in the first half as his shot was blocked brilliantly by Marco Friedl. A solid outing for the teenager.

FWD, Thomas Muller— 6/10

There was suspicion whether Muller will drop a bit deeper. He kinda did and also didn’t. Musiala and Muller kept swapping roles. The German forward did make some good runs in the final third, but it was not his day as only a handful of things were coming off. However, his ball retention was very good and he did regain possession by winning individual duels on numerous occasions.

FWD, Kingsley Coman— 8 /10

Best forward for Bayern against Bremen. Kingsley Coman has made a habit of scoring when his team desperately needs a goal. The French winger was dangerous in the final third throughout the hour he stayed on the pitch. His linkup play with Lewandowski was also crisp. For the goal, he made a good run and made a brilliant contact to the cross at the back post.

ST, Robert Lewandowski— 6/10

Like the majority of his teammates, Lewandowski also delivered a rare poor performance. The Polish striker was good at linking up the play in and around the box, but lacking the finishing touch. He had a late chance to win it for the team. However, his header was over the target, summing up his frustrating afternoon at Allianz Arena.

Substitutes

MID, Leon Goretzka— 6/10

Goretzka came in and slotted in the number six position. He didn’t track the run of Maximilian Eggestein for Bremen’s goal. Apart from that mistake, Goretzka was tidy with the ball for the majority of the game. He rectified his error by delivering a great cross from the right side of the pitch for Coman’s equalizers.

FWD, Leroy Sane— 6/10

Sane kept on switching flanks when he came on and often found himself in promising central positions. The German winger had a poor spell of 30 minutes in terms of decision making.

FWD, Serge Gnabry— 6 /10

Gnabry huffed and puffed, made some decent runs on both flanks, but he couldn’t get himself in clear cut goalscoring positions. Similar to other forwards, he also looked completely out of sync against a resolute Bremen side.

FWD, Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting— 6 /10

Choupo-Moting came on the hour mark as Flick tried to play two upfront. Largely isolated upfront but he had the golden chance to score the winner, but he couldn’t sort his feet.