Improvement in defense for Bayern
The win against RB Leipzig showed the best and worse of Bayern. The second half of last season was dominated by the defensive problems of Die Roten. In the Supercup win against Leipzig, similar problems at the back were visible.
At half-time against Leipzig, Bayern was cruising to victory. They managed to score thrice and took the sting out of the home side’s attack. However, the second half was the complete opposite for Die Roten defensively. They managed to give Leipzig a pathway to get back in the game thrice. There was a collective sigh of relief amongst fans and dugout when Leroy Sane scored the fifth goal to seal the victory.
Nagelsmann needs to find a way to make Die Roten a much more robust team defensively. They faltered in cup competitions last season due to poor collective performances at the back. The German coach cannot afford to have similar lapses in concentration from the team while defending if he wants to make Bayern a force to reckon in Europe.
Frankfurt will test Bayern’s defense to a great extent on Friday. Nagelsmann will be hoping that his team will show much better defensive resolve and come back home with a clean sheet. A solid defensive performance on Friday will be the first step in the right direction for Bayern to become a team difficult to score against.