The first game for Bayern Munich after becoming World Champions was not a happy one, but certainly an entertaining one for neutrals. Die Roten had to come back from a two-goal deficit in the second half to salvage a point against Arminia Bielefeld at Allianz Arena on Monday.
The hosts scored three goals in the second half against Bielefeld to clinch a 3-3 draw. Rekordmeister dropped points in the Bundesliga after winning five games in a row since the defeat against Borussia Monchengladbach at the start of January. Courtesy of the result, Bayern’s lead at the top of the league has been trimmed to five points.
Hansi Flick will be disappointed with the performance, but surely, he will be pleased with the character shown by the team to mount a comeback in the second half. The German Champions have been flawless in the past few weeks, so an odd average performance when the team is heavily rotated is understandable.
The German Champions will have enough rest ahead of a busy next week when Champions League football also returns for them with the first leg of the knockout clash against Lazio. Flick will have many things to ponder after the performance against Arminia Bielefeld. In an eventful game at Allianz Arena, here are our key takeaways.
Defensive lapses need to be cut ahead of CL clash against Lazio
Bayern Munich has not been at their best defensively this season. They have conceded 29 goals in the Bundesliga this season, which is a fairly high number after 21 matchdays for a team that is sitting at the top of the table.
Die Roten has been conceding goals consistently due to individual and collective errors. On Monday, all three goals could have been avoided. As good as Bielefeld was on Monday, all three goals were caused due to lapses in concentration at the back for Die Roten.
The first goal was caused due to miscommunication between Niklas Sule and Bouna Sarr. They both failed to close down Michel Vlap quickly. For the second goal, the defensive organisation on the set-piece allowed Amos Pieper a free run at the header. The whole backline switched off, including Manuel Neuer, for the third goal just when Bayern was turning on the pressure on visitors.
Die Roten’s approach of maintaining a high line of defense can help the team to play on the front foot and dominate the opposition, but they are suspect to counter-attacks with a simple ball over the top. The German Champions need to buckle up and reduce the number of chances for the opposition to have a chance of doing well in the Champions League. The first knockout test in their bid to retain the European title will be against Lazio next week.
Bouna Sarr fails to capitalise on a rare opportunity
Hansi Flick decided to give Benjamin Pavard a breather on Monday and an opportunity to Bouna Sarr. The former Marseille defender has struggled to impose himself in Bavaria since the summer transfer move. Monday was another opportunity that went begging for Sarr.
The French full-back struggled to perform at optimum levels of a good full-back against Arminia Bielefeld. This is likely due to a lack of match rhythm as his first season has been ravaged by injuries and less playing time. However, Sarr needs to provide some sort of impetus to give Flick some selection headache since Pavard has not exactly been at his best this season.
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Sarr gave away the ball thrice in a dangerous situation on Monday. His contribution in the final third was not significant. Leroy Sane and Sarr hardly combined on the right flank. Sarr only had a passing completion of 79% on Monday, which was way below the success rate of most Bayern players on the pitch. (Stats courtesy: Whoscored)
There have been consistent reports in Germany suggesting that Bayern is contemplating the future of Sarr despite signing him just six months ago. If he continues to deliver underwhelming performances, then it will be difficult for him to stay in Munich after the end of this season.
Bayern’s attack is irresistible while chasing games
There are some issues at the back for Bayern, but the current group of attacking players are relentless. The intensity of wide players increases further when Die Roten is chasing games as they did on Monday during the second half of the game.
Kingsley Coman is a nightmare for every full-back as he can cut inside and unleash a venomous shot. At the same time, he can turn the defender inside and outside to go towards the byline and deliver a dangerous cross. He was doing all of these against Bielefeld on Monday. The Frenchman was unlucky to not get on the scoresheet as it was another impressive performance from him.
On the other flank, Leroy Sane was also relentless. The German forward has endured difficult 18 months since 2019 due to a serious knee injury. Since the start of 2021, Sane has somehow looked back to his best. He was providing a similar threat to Coman on the right flank. He had a ferocious shot saved by the goalkeeper, while his dangerous cross was brilliantly converted by Corentin Tolisso for Die Roten’s second goal.
Alphonso Davies is the third component of the devastating attack on the flank. The Canadian plays as a left-back for Bayern, but his contribution in the final third is telling. He helps Bayern to sustain attacks and pins the opposition back in the attack. His thunderous strike on Monday helped the team to salvage a draw. These three rapid wingers/full-back and veteran duo of Robert Lewandowski and Thomas Muller make Bayern a scary proposition when they have to chase games.