Full-back woes
Part of the reason why Bayern struggled defensively against Hamburg was due to the form of the full-backs. Josip Stanisic made his first start since injuring his ankle three weeks ago against Wolfsburg and based on his overall performance on Saturday and how he was beaten before the cross, which led to Hamburg’s second goal, one can only surmise that he is still not at 100%.
Similarly, Alphonso Davies, who didn’t have a bad game per se, seemed to struggle at times despite being a hero of the game when he raced back to make a goal-line clearance during the second half to spare Manuel Neuer’s blushes. After being on the mend for over six months, the Canadian still needs more game time to return to his best. It’s on days like this that the absence of Konrad Laimer is truly felt.