Bayern Munich managed to stitch two wins in a row in the Bundesliga since December on Wednesday when they clinched a narrow 1-0 win against Augsburg. It was a classic away performance. The German Champions dominated the first half, and then they had to fight hard to get all three points.
Courtesy of this win, Bayern maintained four points lead over RB Leipzig at the top of the league table. It does not paint a good picture about rival teams in the Bundesliga that they have failed to capitalise on Die Roten’s poor run of form since the last international break in November.
Hansi Flick would have been pleased with the first-half performance and equally worried about the drop in the intensity levels as the game went on. Augsburg grew into the game, created enough decent chances to take at least one point from the game.
There is no point dwelling on the good as well as bad results during this part of this season as games are coming thick and fast. However, there will be some key takeaways from the win in Augsburg that can be noted from this game and keep them in mind during the upcoming league games.
Finally, a clean sheet for Bayern Munich
Manuel Neuer has probably forgotten the feeling of keeping a clean sheet this season as Die Roten continues to concede cheap goals every game. However, the German goalkeeper finally got to keep a clean sheet in the league since the end of October. It was also a monumental clean sheet for Neuer as he equalled Oliver Kahn’s record of 196 clean sheets in the Bundesliga.
The back four worked hard in keeping this clean sheet as they put their bodies on the line to deny Augsburg a well-deserved equaliser in the second half. There was a bit of fortune for Die Roten as the home side failed to convert the penalty in the 76th minute when Benjamin Pavard was penalised for handling the ball in the box.
Despite that one error, the overall performance from the defense was positive in this game. They still look vulnerable when the opposition is executing swift counter-attacks, but those errors can be ironed out by getting confidence from such type of performances.
Neuer will be hoping that there will not be another three-month-long wait for the next clean sheet. Bayern needs to build on this performance and become a defensive wall that concedes very few chances every game. The attack will bail them out even if they keep conceding goals, but the bigger objectives can be met if the foundation of the team is strong.
Promising performance from Serge Gnabry
Serge Gnabry was unfortunate against Freiburg as he was withdrawn around half an hour mark due to injury. He looked promising in that game, but his performance against Augsburg was even better. Flick will be hoping that Gnabry now goes on a good run of form and starts scoring freely once again.
Gnabry was not on the scoresheet against Augsburg, but he was very lively in the final third. He attempted three shots (two on target) during his hour-long stay on the pitch. His passing was also crisp, avoiding turnovers by keeping a healthy pass completion of 89.1 percent without sacrificing the volume of creative passes. (Stats courtesy: Whoscored)
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The German winger’s biggest contribution came in the 13th minute when he linked up brilliantly with Lucas Hernandez on the left flank. A crisp move between the duo led to the penalty that was calmly slotted past the goalkeeper by Robert Lewandowski. His runs in the final third also opened up spaces for his teammates.
Gnabry added a cutting edge in the final third on Wednesday as he kept running at defenders while consistently swapping flanks with Kingsley Coman. The German international will soon get goals as he is doing the basics right after going through a rough patch of form.
Lucas Hernandez continues to give selection headache to Flick
One of the possible solutions for Flick to improve the defense was to maintain continuity in selection. However, players such as Lucas Hernandez deserve playing time, and it is a very long season. The Frenchman was the only change in the back four against Augsburg. By the end of the final whistle, Hernandez made sure that Flick has a good selection headache in the left-back position.
Hernandez excelled defensively and offensively in Augsburg. He won the penalty in the first half, which eventually turned out to be the winner for the German Champions. The French international was consistently making marauding runs when his team was on top during the first half.
When the intensity levels of the team dropped, Hernandez also valiantly defended to keep the home side quiet. He made four tackles, three clearances (most in the team for both metrics) against Augsburg. (Stats courtesy: Whoscored)
Davies does provide more pace and trickery in the final third, but Hernandez does look more defensively solid when he is played in the left-back position. Flick is spoilt for choices in this position as both players are making strong cases for getting a sustained run in the team. It is a good dilemma to have rather than having one player having no competition at all.