Bayern Munich has endured a difficult start to 2023 as they have suffered three poor results in the Bundesliga over the last eight days. The Bavarian club has been held for a 1-1 draw in all three games, dropping six points.
The three poor results in the Bundesliga have seen Bayern’s lead has wilted to one point. They remain at the top of the points table, but Julian Nagelsmann needs his team to improve sooner rather than later ahead of a big February across all competitions. Here are our top three takeaways from Allianz Arena on Saturday against Eintracht Frankfurt.
Jamal Musiala getting back in form
Just like Bayern, Jamal Musiala has also endured a slow start to 2023. After coming up with brilliant performances in Hinrunde, Musiala has looked slightly jaded against RB Leipzig and FC Koln. However, there were some promising signs from Musiala during the encounter against Eintracht Frankfurt.
Musiala created three chances for Die Roten on Saturday. His dribbling and footwork in tight spaces was immaculate, which helped in creating chances for his teammates. The youngster did struggle in the final quarter of the game, but Musiala did look back to his best on Saturday. His return to form was the biggest positive for Bayern ahead of big games across all competitions in the coming weeks. (Stats courtesy: FotMob)
Lack of intensity over 90 minutes
Bayern started the game strongly, pinning Frankfurt in their half and creating chances at a consistent rate. The first half an hour of the game saw Die Roten press aggressively and show great intensity in the final third. The home side’s effort was rewarded by a well-worked team goal in the 34th minute.
Die Roten couldn’t maintain this intensity in attack and defense during the second half. Frankfurt looked much sharper in duels and individual battles. The significant drop in intensity from Bayern eventually led to Frankfurt’s equaliser. The Bavarian team needs to find a way to set a benchmark for intensity and aggressiveness across the pitch for the entire 90 minutes if they want to arrest recent poor form.
Bayern Munich struggling to deal with setbacks during the game
Along with poor intensity in the second half, Bayern also struggled to recover from a setback against Frankfurt. After conceding the equaliser in the 69th minute, the hosts had ample amount of time to get the winner and put more pressure on Frankfurt. However, heads dropped off, and there were next to no big chances created in the final third during the next 20 minutes.
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Frankfurt looked more likely to get the winning goal than Bayern on Saturday in the final quarter of the games. Die Roten looked deflated after conceding the equaliser. A much better response to the setback would have definitely helped them to get three points. Nagelsmann will be hoping to see players respond well to adversity in games if they want to compete on all fronts.