Bayern Munich: Takeaways from 3-1 defeat against Mainz
Bayern Munich suffered a 3-1 loss at Mainz 05 on Saturday following a toothless appearance, only a week after clinching its 10th straight Bundesliga crown. The home side outclassed the Bayern Munich throughout the game and could have scored more goals, with the Bavarian side in no mood to put up a real fight after winning its only silverware of the season last week.
Mainz took the lead with Jonathan Burkardt’s powerful shot in the 18th minute. They built on their performance by getting two more goals, while Robert Lewandowski scored the consolation goal. Mainz’s playing style was all about tight defense, brutal midfield domination, and switching passes in attacks in this match. Here are some key takeaways from the game in Mainz on Saturday.
Poor Defense
The Bavarian side lacked defensive cohesiveness on Saturday as they consistently conceded big chances. This was probably one of their most overworked games of the season. However, the defenders mostly had to make clearances and blocked a few shots throughout the match.
Bayern’s average finishing coupled with some decent work at the back saw the scoreline remain respectable for Bayern despite Mainz’s 22 shots. Hernandez outshined in the match by winning ten duels and making six clearances in the game, but as a defensive unit, Die Roten struggled on Saturday. They need to improve in this aspect to win more trophies alongside Bundesliga in the upcoming campaign.
Goalkeeping error
Nagelsmann made a few changes in the line-up as Sven Ulreich came in for Manuel Neuer. A poor mistake from Sven Ulreich rewarded the hosts with their first goal in the match. The Bayern goalkeeper played a wrong pass when the team was playing out from the back front.
Mainz took advantage of this poor pass and finished the move to get the lead. Ulreich was not at fault for three goals, but indecisiveness on the ball caused problems for his team. The German goalkeeper will be deputising Manuel Neuer next season after getting a contract extension. His poor performances will definitely lead to a dialogue.
A poor outing for all Bayern forwards
A 33rd-minute goal by Polish striker Lewandowski gave the Bavarian side hope to come back in the match. Unfortunately, the German champions failed to create chances later in the match with a poor performance from the forwards. The German coach hinted about changes in the line-up but his experiment seems to be not up to the mark in this match.
Later on, Leroy Sane and Jamal Musiala came on for Leon Goretzka and Marcel Sabitzer in the second half. The Bavarian side started the second half strongly and created some good chances. However, they struggled as an offensive unit against Mainz on Saturday.
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Bayern Munich will be now looking for their next match against VfB Stuttgart next week. Nagelsmann will be now looking to get the Bavarian side back on the winning track. With 2 games left this season, the Bavarian side will be looking to finish it on a good note.