Bayern Munich: International Break Round-up September 2023
The first international break of the season finally came to an end on Thursday for Bayern Munich players. All international teams focussed on continental qualification games during the break. Bayern Munich players were part of mixed individual and collective performances in the last two weeks. Let us briefly look at how all Bavarians fared during this break.
Germany- Leroy Sane, Thomas Muller, Serge Gnabry, Joshua Kimmich
Germany had an international break to forget as Hansi Flick was sacked last week after the disastrous 4-1 defeat against Japan. They eventually recovered and delivered a much better performance against France to clinch a 2-1 victory. Leroy Sane was the biggest positive for Germany in this break, as he was on the scoresheet in both games. Thomas Muller opened the scoring against France but couldn’t make a difference against Japan when he came on in the 73rd minute. Serge Gnabry also had a quiet international break, while Joshua Kimmich could play only against Japan. The German midfielder missed the game against France due to injury. Germany has a lot of work to do in the next ten months to perform better in Euros on home soil.
France- Kingsley Coman, Dayot Upamecano
France had a mixed international break. They cruised to a comfortable 2-0 win against Ireland but succumbed to a 2-1 defeat against Germany. Dayot Upamecano played the first game and helped France to keep the clean sheet. Coman came on late in the game against Ireland but played an hour against Germany. The French winger couldn’t get a goal or assist in this break as he reached 50 appearances for the French national team.
Netherlands- Matthijs de Ligt
Matthijs de Ligt got his first 90 minutes of the season during the Netherlands’ 2-1 victory against Ireland over the weekend. De Ligt achieved the necessary match rhythm to get more game time for Bayern in the coming weeks. He also came on for the final five minutes of the game against Greece last week when the Netherlands were looking to see out a 3-0 victory.
Austria- Konrad Laimer
Austria had a very productive international break as they clinched crucial three points in Qualification Group F against Sweden. Konrad Laimer started in the midfield for Austria during the 3-1 win against Sweden. The 26-year-old midfielder was defensively astute against Sweden, winning the majority of his duel. He also created one chance while going forward. Austria also played a friendly game against Moldova, which ended in a 1-1 draw. Laimer played the first 45 minutes against Moldova. (Stats courtesy: Fotmob)
Cameroon- Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting
Cameroon played only one game during the international break, but the stakes were high in this game. They had to win against Burundi to book a place in the AFCON, which will take place in January. Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting failed to make an impact in 78 minutes against Burundi, but Cameroon clinched a crucial victory by scoring three goals in the second half. Choupo-Moting got much-needed playing time ahead of the busy period for Bayern.
Morocco- Noussair Mazraoui
It was a devastating week for Morocco after the country was affected by a high-intensity earthquake. The national team couldn’t play in the AFCON qualifier against Libya due to this natural disaster. They won the friendly game against Burkina Faso a few days later, which saw Noussair Mazraoui play in the defensive midfield role. It is an intriguing development, as Bayern currently lacks options in the midfield.
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England- Harry Kane
Harry Kane continued to enjoy a good run of form for England during the international break. The English forward provided the assist for Kyle Walker’s equaliser against Ukraine in the first game. He added one more goal to his tally for England by scoring the crucial third goal against Scotland this week.
South Korea- Kim Min-jae
During the international break, South Korea played friendly games against Wales and Saudi Arabia. Kim Min-jae played 90 minutes in both games. The Bayern defender helped South Korea to keep clean sheets in both games. South Korea was held for a 0-0 draw by Wales, while a 1-0 win was achieved against Saudi Arabia.