Bayern Munich: Matthijs de Ligt pinpoints key reason behind recent draws
For the second time this season, Bayern Munich finds themselves in a difficult run of form in the Bundesliga. The Bavarian club has endured a difficult start to the new year as they have dropped points in three consecutive games.
Eintracht Frankfurt managed to get the point against Die Roten on Saturday. After getting the lead in the first half, Bayern took the foot off the pedal in the second half. Frankfurt capitalised on the indecisiveness of Rekordmeister and scored a well-worked goal midway through the second half to get the point at Allianz Arena.
Die Roten never looked closer to getting the winning goal in the final 20 minutes of the game. Frankfurt looked much more threatening on the break. If the visitors had shown more composure in the final third, Bayern would have left Allianz Arena empty-handed on Saturday.
The drop in performance of the Bavarian club during the second half was alarming. While talking to Sky Sports after the game (via iMiaSanMia), Matthijs de Ligt insisted that Bayern needs to maintain consistency in performance during the entire game. The Dutch defender believes that the team has played well in only one half against Koln and Frankfurt.
"“We had a good attitude in the first half today and had chances that we didn’t convert. The first half was better than against Köln. But in the second half, we didn’t always defend well and allowed them back into the game. We have to do it over 90 mins.”"
Bayern was aggressive with their pressing against Frankfurt at the start of the game on Saturday. They also dominated possession, making very few mistakes with the ball. However, they couldn’t maintain the same level of performance in the second half.
Players looked rusty as the game went on against Frankfurt. They lost the ball easily in dangerous areas, which allowed Frankfurt to initiate counter-attacks. The loss of concentration from the team eventually led to Frankfurt’s equaliser.
The Bavarian club still has enough games in the Bundesliga to recover and retain the league title. However, they cannot maintain the right attitude and intensity for only one half in knockout cup games. The game away at Mainz in DFB Pokal on Wednesday will be a big test for Die Roten in terms of maintaining consistency over 90 minutes.
Next. Takeaways from draw against Eintracht Frankfurt. dark
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In just over a fortnight, Bayern will also travel to Paris for the first leg of the Champions League round of 16 against PSG. They will have to significantly improve their concentration and intensity levels to beat PSG across both legs and book a place in the next round. The onus is on Julian Nagelsmann and players to step up their game ahead of crucial games in all competitions.