Bayern Munich were close to completing a perfect comeback against RB Leipzig on Saturday when Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting had the chance to head the ball into the net late in the game. The Cameroon international would have completed the turnaround for Bayern in the second half if he had guided the header on either side of Janis Blaswich.
Things could have been worse, but Bayern got their act together in the second half to salvage a point away at Leipzig. Harry Kane and Leroy Sane scored in the space of 15 minutes to extinguish Leipzig’s 2-0 lead, which was gained in the first half.
Bayern had started the game on a good note. They were dominating Leipzig at Red Bull Arena before making two big mistakes at the back. Lois Openda and Castello Lukeba scored in the space of six minutes to give the home side a big advantage after a poor start.
The defensive frailties against big teams were once again Rekordmeister’s shortcomings. While talking to AZ, Bayern’s skipper Joshua Kimmich expressed disappointment about the way the team conceded two poor goals. He insisted that the team made the same mistakes they did in the 3-0 defeat against Leipzig in the Super Cup a few weeks ago.
"“It annoys me how we concede goals. We concede goals after a throw-in and after a corner. That’s what annoys me. It was the same in the Supercup that Leipzig scored goals against us through standard situations, penalties, corners, free kicks and so on again and again come into play. We were far too stupid.”"
Tuchel made the necessary changes at half-time to get Bayern back in the game. The intensity of the team was even better in the second half as they were determined to score goals. Tuchel’s men also defended well to keep Leipzig quiet for the majority of the second half. The goals eventually came, but it was only enough to get a point from the game. Joshua Kimmich was pleased with the character shown by the team in the second half, but he wants them to improve defensively to avoid such scenarios.
Bayern have been doing a fine job in the final third. In Harry Kane and Leroy Sane, they have the in-form forwards of the Bundesliga. They are creating chances at a good rate, so there are a decent number of goals in Die Roten’s games across all competitions.
The real concern for Tuchel has been the poor defensive shape of the team. Bayern have been conceding too many goals and chances in big games. They have conceded five goals against RB Leipzig in two games this season. The Bavarian club conceded three goals to Manchester United in the Champions League. The attacking players have bailed them down this season, but conceding cheap goals will eventually cost them in big games going forward if they don’t find a solution to this problem.
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Bayern need to keep more clean sheets in the next three months to become a defensively resolute unit. By the time the knockout stages of the Champions League arrive, Bayern should be a strong defensive unit if they want to bring the prestigious trophy back to Allianz Arena.