Bayern Munich: Efficiency in final third helps in extending unbeaten run
The Bundesliga campaign resumed for Bayern Munich on Saturday away at Mainz after the end of the second international break of the campaign. It was a successful trip to the center of Germany as Bayern came back home with three points courtesy of a 3-1 victory against Mainz. Harry Kane, Kingsley Coman, and Leon Goretzka were on the scoresheet for the defending champions.
Thomas Tuchel welcomed back Matthis de Ligt in the starting lineup, while Konrad Laimer continued in the right-back position. Leon Goretzka passed the late fitness to start beside Joshua Kimmich in the center of the park. The selection of the attacking quartet was straightforward as Tuchel stuck with the four players (Harry Kane, Kingsley Coman, Leroy Sane, and Jamal Musiala) who have been in good form.
Mainz had shocked Bayern in their last Bundesliga encounter. They came from behind in April to clinch a 3-1 win against Die Roten, which had kept Bayern’s chances of retaining the league title hanging by a thread. Tuchel’s men were determined to avoid a repeat of this performance on Saturday.
It was not a vintage performance from Bayern against Mainz on matchday eight, but they did more than enough to deserve all three points. The Bavarian club conceded a few big chances but showed a ruthless edge in the final third to punish the home side.
Bayern had five shots on target against Mainz, which shows the efficient and deadly nature of Die Roten’s attack. Harry Kane scored from close range, showing a poacher’s instinct in the box. Coman and Goretzka showed power and accuracy inside the box to unleash thunderous shots to beat the goalkeeper.
In the post-match interview, Tuchel admitted that Bayern performed well, creating several chances to clinch the victory. However, the stats suggest a completely different picture. The Bavarian club created three big chances on Saturday against Mainz. The Bavarian club accumulated an expected goal (xG) of 1.35, while Mainz had 1.17 xG. Apart from scoring once, Mainz had hit the post once late in the game and forced a tremendous save from Sven Ulreich in the first half. (Stats courtesy: Fotmob)
Thomas Tuchel: "I think we created a lot of chances in transition where we were sloppy and negligent. We then needed a wake-up call and then a bit of luck to get a deserved win. Matthijs is coming back from injury, Jo Kimmich was sick, Leon is also not fit. Overall it was a good… pic.twitter.com/FkI6k6Eajm
— Bayern & Germany (@iMiaSanMia) October 21, 2023
The efficiency from Bayern in the final third is commendable. It is a crucial trait to have in the team. In the long run, however, Tuchel and the Bavarian faithful will hope that Die Roten becomes relentless in terms of chance creation. It will make sure that they will rarely be at the end of freak defeats.
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Tuchel and Bayern players will now switch their attention to Tuesday’s Champions League clash against Galatasaray in Turkey. It will be a very good test for the Bavarian club as the atmosphere will be daunting. Creating more chances and maintaining efficiency in the final third will ensure that Bayern have one foot in the first knockout phase of the UCL at the end of three matchdays of the group stage.