Bayern Munich: Takeaways from home win against RB Salzburg

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Bayern Munich midfielder Marc Roca showed glimpses of talent against Red Bull Salzburg. (Photo by Alexander Hassenstein/Getty Images) /

Marc Roca had a good CL debut despite the red card

Flick finally gave Marc Roca minutes on the pitch since featuring against FC Duren in October. The Spanish midfielder partnered Leon Goretzka in the center of the park on Wednesday. The Spaniard had the chance to stake a claim for a place in the lineup by delivering a strong performance against RB Salzburg.

Roca did manage to play well in a deeper role. However, the red card midway through the second half did spill water on his plans. Until then, the Spaniard was quietly going about his job. He was dropping between the two center-back to play out from the back and often played line-breaking pass to beat Salzburg’s press.

The former Espanyol midfielder boasted the highest passing range in the starting XI by completing 95 % of his passes. It is a tremendous stat considering he was often playing the risky passes that can concede possession to the opposition. (Stats courtesy: Whoscored)

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Roca was unfortunate with two yellow cards as there was unlikely malicious intent in both challenges. Flick praised his performance during the post-match conference.

However, the red card will now keep Roca out of the game against Atletico Madrid next week. Considering it was a dead rubber for Die Roten, Roca would have got a nice experience by playing for Die Roten against tougher opposition. Nevertheless, keeping the red card out of the picture, Roca had a good CL debut for Bayern.