The international break came at the right time for Bayern Munich since the first team was going through a rough patch of form. Julian Nagelsmann had two weeks to analyse the problems and come up with suitable solutions. Meanwhile, players got a break from club football. Here is a brief overview of what happened with each player during the international break.
Germany
Germany had a very poor international break as they suffered defeat against Hungary and surrendered a two-goal lead against England. It was far from ideal preparations for the World Cup in November, but better have these results now and work on weaknesses instead of facing the issue in the main event.
The entire German team struggled against Hungary, including Bayern players. Jamal Musiala shone for Germany against England, while Leroy Sane and Serge Gnabry struggled to make an impact in the final third across two games. Musiala won the penalty against England through his intensity and quick feet. Joshua Kimmich had a very good outing in the center of the park against England as he was used in a deeper role. Thomas Muller had an uncharacteristic poor evening against Hungary, but he looked sharp against England. Manuel Neuer and Leon Goretzka missed both games after testing positive for coronavirus.
Canada
Canada also had a mixed international break. They clinched a comfortable win against Qatar, but Uruguay managed to get a win against them. Alphonso Davies didn’t have eye-catching performances in both games. However, he did survive an injury scare against Qatar, which is a big relief for the Bavarian club.
Morocco
Morocco will be going to World Cup in Qatar next month on the back of two solid performances in the last international break. They clinched a 2-0 win against Chile and held Paraguay for a goalless draw. Noussair Mazraoui played the entire 90 minutes in both games and helped his team to keep clean sheets.
Senegal
Sadio Mane ended his goal drought by scoring from the spot for Senegal against Bolivia. The 30-year-old couldn’t score against Iran, but getting the goal in the international break for Senegal will help in boosting his confidence.
Austria
Austria had a terrible international break as they suffered defeats against France and Croatia. The silver lining for Marcel Sabitzer was his assist against Croatia for Austria’s only goal during the break. He will be looking to maintain the form for Die Roten that he has shown over the past couple of months.
Netherlands
Netherlands won both of their games during the international break, which included an impressive 1-0 win against Belgium. However, Bayern’s Dutch boys had a disappointing break. Matthijs de Ligt was an unused substitute in both games. Ryan Gravenberch was promoted to the senior team from the U-21 squad after Frenkie de Jong suffered an injury against Poland. The Dutch midfielder managed to get only two minutes of playing time as he came on in added time against Belgium.
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France
France had a mixed international break. They defeated Austria but suffered a 2-0 defeat against Denmark. Dayot Upamecano and Benjamin Pavard didn’t play against Austria. However, the French duo was part of the starting XI against Denmark. It was a game to forget for the French defensive unit since they conceded two poor goals.
Croatia
Croatia had a perfect international break as they clinched convincing wins against Austria and Denmark. Josip Stanisic played the entire 90 minutes against Austria and delivered a solid performance. The 22-year-old defender will be hoping to get more playing time with Bayern during a busy October after a promising display for Croatia in the international break.