Bayern Munich managed to inscribe their name in the history of football by becoming the second team to win a sextuple. The German Champions achieved this feat by clinching a 1-0 win against Tigres in the FIFA Club World Cup final on Thursday.
The German Champions were deserved winner despite the narrow scoreline. They conceded zero big chances to Tigres and remained in control of the game throughout 90 minutes. A comfortable performance in the final of a cup competition bodes well for the rest of the season. Here are few takeaways from the final in Qatar on Thursday.
Alaba dictated the tempo of the game
Due to multiple absentees, Flick decided to field a midfield pivot of David Alaba and Joshua Kimmich against Tigres. The Austrian defender seamlessly settled the midfield and dictated the proceedings, allowing Die Roten to play the majority of the game in Tigres’ half.
Alaba boasted a pass completion of 88% and created two chances from a deeper position. His defensive work also deserves praise as he made 11 recoveries and won three duels. The versatile defender once again proved why he would be a big miss for Die Roten next season. As long as he is at Bayern, it is time to cherish such performances from Alaba in multiple positions. (Stats courtesy: Fotmob)
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Goal will give immense confidence to Pavard
It has been a difficult season for Benjamin Pavard. The Frenchman has found it difficult to deliver consistent performances like last season. Scoring the match-winning goal in a big cup final could prove to be the ideal tonic to Pavard.
Getting on the scoresheet against Tigres will improve Pavard’s confidence and help him to get back to the performance levels that he showed last year. The French international has been taking small steps of improvement in the last few weeks, but the goal on Thursday could facilitate this process and help him to have a great final third of the season.
Sule and Hernandez showed promising signs as defensive partnership
Jerome Boateng returned to Munich due to personal reasons, while Alaba was deployed in the midfield against Tigres. The absence of both first-choice defenders gave the Bavarian faithful a glimpse of the center-back pairing that is likely to feature regularly from next season.
Niklas Sule and Lucas Hernandez enjoyed a comfortable evening against Tigres. This was partly due to inefficiency shown by the forwards of Mexican forwards and authoritative defending from the duo. Sule was always eager to engage in duels, while Hernandez held his position to provide ample cover. The two young defenders have the qualities to complement each other in the heart of the defense. Thursday was a teaser from this center back pairing as they are likely to play a lot together next season.