The season came to an early end for Bayern Munich last weekend since they will not be involved in the Champions League. Die Roten did end the season on a strong note by clinching 5-2 win against Augsburg at Allianz Arena. It was an emotional game since the club bid farewell to coaches and three senior players on Saturday.
Retaining the Bundesliga title was not straightforward for Rekordmeister as RB Leipzig was on their toes for the majority of the season. However, Bayern eventually showed their experience to retain the title with a comfortable lead at the top of the points table.
Apart from Bundesliga, Rekordmeister did lift DFL Super Cup, European Super Cup, and Club World Cup this season. Winning these trophies meant that Die Roten became the second European club after Barcelona to complete a sextuple. By winning these trophies, Flick managed to win all possible competitions during his short stay at the club.
There was disappointment about not retaining DFB Pokal and Champions League, but players gave it all in a peculiar and challenging season. Every player had a role to play in the team’s success, but few of them stood out than their teammates. Here are the top three performers for Rekordmeister during the 2020/21 season.
Robert Lewandowski
The first name on the list is too obvious. Robert Lewandowski enjoyed yet another prolific campaign with Rekordmeister. It was his best Bundesliga campaign since arriving in Bavaria. The Poland international managed to break the 50-year-old record of Gerd Muller by scoring 41 league goals in the Bundesliga. He ended the campaign with 48 goals across all competitions.
Lewandowski remained consistent throughout the season, scoring goals and creating chances for his team. His all-round play around the box has been remarkable, showing that he is a much more complete striker than he was few years ago.
The Poland international was seriously missed during the Champions League quarter-final against Paris Saint-Germain. Considering the number of chances Die Roten created in the first leg at Allianz Arena, Lewandowski would have definitely helped them to go deep in the competition.
Lewandowski is a contender for the best striker in the world, let alone the best player at Bayern this season. He also managed to beat the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi for the European Golden boot. Even though he is going to turn 33 next season, the Polish striker is getting better with every passing campaign. Other players also played a big role for Die Roten this season, but Lewandowski is an overwhelming favourite for the player of the year.
Kingsley Coman
Lewandowski was the best player for Die Roten, but Kingsley Coman was the most consistent wide player for the club this season. After scoring the winner against Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League final, things have started clicking for the French winger.
Coman’s decision-making went a level up this season. He was able to manage his shots whenever it was needed, and his crosses were also much more accurate. The French winger ended up with eight goals and 12 assists across all competitions. He averaged 1.6 key passes per game for Die Roten this season. (Stats courtesy: Whoscored)
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The likes of Serge Gnabry and Leroy Sane performed in patches, but Coman was the most consistent winger for the German Champions throughout the season. He has also developed the knack of scoring important goals for Die Roten. Moreover, his versatility also gives a lot of flexibility to the coach.
Coman still has a lot of scope for improvement. However, he was definitely not a frustrating winger this season, who often made the wrong decision in the final third. With prime years of his career in front of him, Coman is going to keep getting better. The 2020/21 campaign surely looked like a turning point for the French winger.
Thomas Muller
The third on this list the Mr. Bayern Munich, Thomas Muller. The German forward continued to maintain an incredible consistency under Hansi Flick. Muller continued to provide a creative spark for Rekordmeister throughout the season.
After breaking the record for most assists in a single Bundesliga campaign last season, Muller ended up with 18 assists this year. His goalscoring numbers were also great, as he managed 15 goals across all competitions. Even though Lewandowski kept scoring goals for fun, the attractive style of football under Flick went through Muller. (Stats courtesy: Whoscored)
Muller was also a key reason for the intensive pressing that Flick was able to implement at Die Roten. Along with providing the final pass, Muller’s work rate helped the team to press better and function better as a team.
The German forward’s great season with Die Roten has been rewarded with a return to the German National team. Muller is every coach’s dream player due to his perfect implementation of the role assigned to him. He has reinvented himself under Flick and delivered two amazing seasons.
Defensively this season, Die Roten has struggled, so there was not a standout defender to make this list. As good as Joshua Kimmich and Leon Goretzka were this season, both had spells on the sidelines due to injury. Since Bayern was one of the high scoring teams this season, it is not surprising to see three attacking players on this list.