Bayern Munich suffered a new low this season on Saturday. The Bavarian club suffered a 2-0 defeat against arch-rivals Borussia Dortmund at Allianz Arena. Fans would not have expected this sort of result after beating Dortmund 4-0 at Signal Iduna Park during Hinrunde. However, from an objective viewpoint, Bayern seemed off the pace throughout most of the game, particularly out of possession.
Second-placed Bayern now trail Leverkusen by 13 points with only seven games remaining. The result of Der Klassiker has ensured the Bundesliga title will not return to Bavaria . Let us look at some key takeaways from Die Roten’s defeat against Borussia Dortmund.
Bad day at the office for Harry Kane
After a promising opening ten minutes, Bayern could not do much right in the final third. Midway through the first half, with Dortmund leading 1-0, Harry Kane missed a golden opportunity to draw Bayern level with a header from the center of the box. Had that opportunity been taken, the result of the game could have been different. That was not the only chance missed by Kane on the evening. However, the English striker should not be held entirely culpable for the loss. Despite having a subpar game, Kane seemed to be a bit rusty after taking time off during the international break to accelerate the healing process for his ankle injury suffered two weeks ago during the 5-2 win away at Darmstadt. Tuchel will hope Kane is up to the speed for the big games against Arsenal.
Leroy Sane’s game needs a major recalibration
Leroy Sane’s lack of form during Ruckrunde continued against Dortmund on Saturday. Though it could be argued that Sane was marginally better than Kane, the German international once again failed to trouble the opposition’s goalkeeper and was replaced just after the hour mark. Tuchel continues to show faith in Sane. However, with the Bundesliga title now realistically out of reach, ahead of the Champions League clash away to Arsenal, the next game in the Bundesliga against Heidenheim may be the right time to try someone else on the right side of the attack.
Positive performances from Joshua Kimmich and Leon Goretzka
Despite a poor team performance, it wasn’t all doom and gloom for Bayern. Whilst the back-four collectively failed to properly deal with Dortmund’s counter-attacks, Joshua Kimmich gave an impressive performance at right-back, particularly in the attacking third of the field. It was his cross that presented Harry Kane with the aforementioned golden opportunity. Kimmich’s recent return to the right-back position for both Bayern and the German national team seems to be working out well for all three parties.
Leon Goretzka once again looked accomplished in midfield, playing as a hybrid between a number six and auxiliary left-back. A better showing from Alphonso Davies attacking down the left flank would have further justified Goretzka in that hybrid role. The time has come to acknowledge the value of Goretzka’s versatility.
Champions League or nothing
With any hopes of retaining the Bundesliga title effectively gone, Bayern can go all out in the Champions League. Bayern are not favourites for the Champions League. However, with a fully-fit Harry Kane; the imminent return of the blossoming Aleksandar Pavlovic; a once again confident Leon Goretzka; and an in-form Joshua Kimmich, the Bavarian faithful have reasons to be positive in the European competition.