Bayern Munich lacked composure against Villarreal
The narrow defeat against Villarreal on Wednesday summed up the form of Bayern Munich in 2022. They have struggled for consistency in performances, which will eventually catch up with results. However, the most disappointing aspect of the 1-0 defeat against Villarreal was the lack of composure from Bayern players.
The German club started slowly on Wednesday but ended up conceding on the first counter-attack from Villarreal. Since the goal was conceded early, there was a lot of time for Die Roten to recover and eventually dominate the proceedings against Unai Emery’s side.
With so much time left in the game, one would have expected Bayern to not panic and get a hold of the game. However, they couldn’t gather themselves and show patience to break down a resilient defensive side.
Bayern managed 22 shots in the game, but they had only four shots on the target. The attacking players were struggling to move the ball precisely in the final third. On various occasions, Die Roten lost the ball in a promising situation. Villarreal also deserves credit for not giving the visitors enough time on the ball in and around the box.
Apart from struggling in the final third, Die Roten was also poor defensively against Villarreal. The midfielders provide very little shielding to the back four, which gave Villarreal numerical superiority in the counter-attacking situations.
Along with issues with the collective defending, there were some uncharacteristic errors from Bayern players. Manuel Neuer giving the ball straight to Gerrard Moreno when he was under no pressure to release the ball quickly summed up the evening for the defending German Champions.
Villarreal ended up recording a superior xG (1.52) from open play than Bayern (1.33). This stat may suggest that it was an even game, but Unai Emery’s team had accumulated this xG with fewer shots. The Spanish club had more clear-cut chances than the German club. The scoreline doesn’t do justice to Emery’s team. The home side should have scored at least one more goal. (Stats courtesy: Fotmob)
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Bayern will be relieved that they are still very much in the tie. However, Nagelsmann needs to bring order to the system to book a place in the semi-final of the Champions League. The Bavarian players also need to step up and show more composure in a tricky situation. Villarreal is capable of keeping a clean sheet away from home in Europe, so the second leg in Munich is going to be very tricky for Nagelsmann’s team.