Bayern Munich: Top performers from disappointing defeat in Mainz
By Isaac Rivers
On Matchday 32, recently-crown German Champions Bayern Munich was hosted by 11th-place Mainz 05. After officially winning the league last week, Bayern manager Julian Nagelsmann made a few changes to the starting lineup with the likes of Thomas Muller and Manuel Neuer getting rest. The changes didn’t make the desired impact as it proved to be troublesome for his side considering the crushing scoreline. Here are Bayern Munich’s top performers from their 3-1 defeat against Mainz 05.
Joshua Kimmich
Even though the team as a whole had a disappointing match, Joshua Kimmich was the lone midfield player to truly show his worth on Saturday. It wasn’t his best game by any means, but his strength and vision still showed strong. In both offensive and defensive play, it was clear that Joshua Kimmich was putting his heart into this game to try to take back control of the midfield.
Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting
With Thomas Muller not being named to the line-up, that made room for Eric Choupo-Moting to get his start. A player who is often seen as a super-sub for the likes of Muller, Choupo-Moting did not disappoint in this long-awaited start.
Even though his passing was not perfect the entire game, he made it count when it mattered most. In the 33rd minute, Choupo-Moting set up Bayern’s lone goal with a brilliant slide-rule pass to find Robert Lewandowski. Honestly, it was the most precise pass Bayern had in the final third all game. For his first start in some time, Eric Choupo-Moting made it count when no one else could.
Robert Lewandowski
Would it be a true Bayern Munich game if it didn’t involve Robert Lewandowski finding the back of the net? Just because the rest of the Bayern side was playing with very little intensity did not mean that Lewandowski felt the same. His job was to score, and that is exactly what he did. In the 33rd minute, after a lovely bit of skill, Lewandowski fired a perfectly-placed shot into the bottom right of the net.
Despite having a quiet performance throughout the rest of the game, he still did his part to give Bayern some hope in the game. Although nobody had an impressive performance by any means, Robert Lewandowski should still serve as Bayern’s Man of the Match.
Next. Bayern working on deal to sign Hertha midfielder. dark
Want your voice heard? Join the Bayern Strikes team!
Bayern fans will be hopeful that Nagelsmann and company come up with better performances in the remaining two league games. We will be waiting to see if they bring more intensity in next game against VfB Stuttgart on May 8.