Bayern Munich needs to eradicate errors on the pitch

Bayern Munich manager Hansi Flick wants the team to improve defensively and offensively.

After the enormous high of last season, any dip in form for Bayern Munich was set to be magnified. The German Champions clinched a treble last season by going unbeaten in the Champions League, winning all 11 games in the competition. The defensive solidity that helped the German team has been lately shaken by the opposition.

Hoffenheim exploited Bayern’s high line of defense in September. The German Champions suffered the first defeat in that game, and it was quite a heavy loss. Last weekend, Werder Bremen also looked to execute the same game plan that Hoffenheim had used two months ago. They did create a lot of chances, but poor finishing only helped them to take one point from the game.

Red Bull Salzburg also exploited the weakness of Die Roten’s defense on Wednesday, but they couldn’t convert those chances, or Manuel Neuer was making wonderful saves. The European Champions took their chances, and the game ended with a 3-1 victory for them.

The defensive vulnerabilities are a cause of concern as bigger sides will punish them severely if they don’t improve soon. While speaking to the media on Friday (via Goal), Hansi Flick did express concerns about Bayern’s defense. The German manager wants players at the back to cut down mistakes that often give a sniff to the opposition.

"“When we have the ball, we make too many mistakes.”“We have to play more patiently from time to time and get more pressure on the ball. The defence, like the attack, is a team effort; everyone has to participate.”"

More from Bayern Strikes

• Bayern Munich: Tactical takeaways from 2-2 draw against Bayer Leverkusen
• Bayern Munich: Kingsley Coman set to be fit for Manchester United clash
• Bayern Munich unlikely to move for Trevoh Chalobah in January
• Bayern Munich: Key lessons from draw against Bayer Leverkusen
• Bayern Munich remains keen on hiring Max Eberl

The outstanding attacking option at Flick’s disposal often helps in masking defensive issues at the back. However, the team looked very predictable against Bremen at Allianz Arena when the visitors were defending deep and giving no space in central areas. The desperation to create chances often lead to the concession of possession at the wrong time.

Against Bremen, it often felt that players were showing no patience while building up attacking moves. Losing the ball at the wrong time does make the team vulnerable to dangerous counterattacks as the whole defense is stretched since full-backs are staying higher up the pitch in those situations.

Flick did mention that fatigue due to congestion of fixtures is one of the reasons behind simple mistakes that the team is making. Moreover, the absence of Joshua Kimmich in the midfield also plays a big role as the German midfielder is very secure in possession.

As of now, getting points on the board is very important for Die Roten. They cannot deliver top-class performance every game as it is impossible to do it every three days. Grinding out the result is key, and that can happen when errors are reduced. The German manager will be hoping that Die Roten will concede fewer chances against VfB Stuttgart on Saturday.