Bayern Munich continued the recent resurgence in the Bundesliga with a fifth win on the bounce. The latest victory came at Olympiastadion against Hertha Berlin. Kingsley Coman scored the solitary goal in the game on Friday to help his team take all three points back to Munich.
The last two wins in the league were registered with comfortable margins, but Die Roten had to work hard for the victory against Hertha Berlin in adverse weather. Courtesy of this win, Rekordmeister temporarily moved ten points clear at the top of the table.
Considering the final third of the season is about to start, Die Roten is showing positive signs in terms of getting results. These victories will also help them to build momentum for the Champions League campaign. For the time being, the immediate focus for the German club will shift to the Club World Cup that takes place next week.
The German Champions boarded the flight to Qatar on Saturday morning to play in the Club World Cup. They are set to face Al Ahyl in the semi-final of the competition on Monday. Before we look at the big games in that competition, let us look at some of the takeaways from the win against Hertha Berlin.
A controlled and efficient performance from Die Roten
Ever since the last international break in November, it has been a slog in the Bundesliga for Bayern. They have been struggling to have a firm grip on the tempo of play even in the games they won. Manuel Neuer has been delivering top performances to bail them out from tricky situations.
Things have improved in the last couple of weeks as they clinched big wins against Schalke and Hoffenheim. However, the narrow win against Hertha Berlin was probably the most controlled performance from Hansi Flick’s men in the last two months.
The game in Berlin had a chaotic start as early chances fell at both ends. After the initial chaotic ten minutes, Bayern took over and controlled the complete flow of the game. As the first half went on, Hertha took up much deeper positions while defending.
During the second half, Bayern enjoyed a similar level of control. They had few half chances here and there, but they sniffed danger early to reduce chances for Hertha in the second half. The home side did have a big chance at the end of the game, but that is the next step for the team to have faultless performances once again. The scoreline may show a different picture, but Friday was Die Roten’s best performance in the last couple of months.
Leroy Sane looked lively against Hertha Berlin
Leroy Sane got a start on Friday as Flick decided to go ultra-attacking with five forwards, including Robert Lewandowski. The German winger repaid Flick’s faith by delivering a solid performance on the flanks.
Sane did have few moments where he misplaced passes, but apart from that, he looked threatening with every dribble and run in the box. His powerful run down the middle led to the penalty. The German winger attempted the most dribbles for Die Roten with six. He also had one shot on target and completed one out of two crosses. (Stats courtesy: Whoscored)
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His runs are difficult to quantify in stats, but his persistence to hold the width on the right flank helped Die Roten to have an outlet on the break and also create space for other attacking players. As long as he keeps getting in such good positions, it is just a matter of time before goals and assists flow for him.
The German international has been in and out of the team throughout this season. Friday was somewhat his better performances for Die Roten, but there are still multiple gears he can change and become a gamechanger. The patient is working for Sane as the glimpses of his talent are now more visible with every passing game. The Bavarian faithful will be hoping that he will be at his best in the next two-three months.
Robert Lewandowski shows that he is human too
For the past two years, almost every weekend, Robert Lewandowski has been delivering at most at least 7/10 performance. The Polish striker has been scoring at an unreal rate throughout the campaign, but Friday was a poor performance for him after a long time.
The Polish striker uncharacteristically missed the penalty in the 11th minute to put Bayern ahead in the game. Rune Jarstein made a terrific save. Without downplaying the save, it can be said that Lewandowski’s effort was timid and made the job a bit easier for Jarstein. It was Lewandowski’s first penalty saved in Bundesliga since 2013, showing his remarkable consistency.
Apart from the miss from the spot, Lewandowski had a frustrating outing in Berlin. He was not able to be at the end of killer passes played by his teammates. Often, the Polish striker was dragged out wide, and his delivery from that position from those good positions.
Lewandowski had six shots on target (which is a positive stat), but he had only two of these shots on target. By his usual high standards, it was an off day in the office for the prolific goalscorer. He shows that he is a human too and can have an off day after weeks of consistent performances.
Thomas Muller posting ridiculous numbers despite an up and down season
Just like the complete team’s form dipped in December, Thomas Muller also showed signs of sluggishness in his overall play. It is not a surprise that Die Roten’s mini resurgence in the past few weeks has coincided with good performances from Muller.
The German forward was relentless with pressing in the final third. He set up Coman’s goal to become the first player in the Bundesliga to score ten goals and assist ten goals this season. It is a fascinating stat as Muller was finding it difficult to post such ridiculous numbers two seasons ago.
Playing under Flick has been a tremendous boost for the German forward. He epitomises Flick’s philosophy on the pitch. Working hard on and off the ball to maintain a certain level of intensity that eventually leads to domination over the opposition.
Muller was the creative spark for Die Roten last season. As the season progresses, he does look like delivering those numbers again. There is going to be an improvement over his goals scored record too. Last season he managed eight league goals, while this year, he is already on ten. Just like Lewandowski, Muller is ageing like a fine wine, posting stupendous numbers in the final third.