Bayern Munich saw their winning run of 17 games in the group stages of the Champions League end on Wednesday as FC Copenhagen managed to get a point at Allianz Arena. The result on Wednesday will not matter much for Bayern since they have already clinched the top spot in the group. However, it was a missed opportunity for squad players to give Thomas Tuchel some sort of selection headache.
Since Bayern had already qualified for the next round, Tuchel decided to make several changes to the starting XI that featured against FC Koln last weekend.
Kim Min-jae got a deserved break after playing non-stop football for Die Roten ever since arriving from Napoli in the summer. Leon Goretzka played in central defense alongside Dayot Upamecano. Meanwhile, Raphael Guerreiro started his first game for Bayern in the center of the park.
Kingsley Coman and Harry Kane started in the attack despite playing against FC Koln. Thomas Muller and Mathys Tel replaced Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting and Leroy Sane in the starting lineup, respectively. It is fair to say that Tuchel will have straightforward decisions to make against Union Berlin on Saturday.
Midfield and Defense did fairly well to contain Copenhagen
Despite having a midfielder in central defense, Bayern managed to keep Copenhagen quiet for the majority of the game. They conceded four shots on the target, which led to an xG accumulation of 0.74. Goretzka defended well and won a majority of his duels against Copenhagen forwards. He was also tidy on the ball like other defenders, as Die Roten dominated possession. The German midfielder is a credible option in central defense for Tuchel until Matthijs de Ligt returns from a knee injury.
Raphael Guerreiro also had a decent outing at Allianz Arena in the center of the park. He was tidy on the ball but didn’t create significant chances. The Portuguese full-back will have to show more creativity to play regularly in the center of the park.
Attack disappointed for Bayern on Wednesday
While midfield and defense fared well against Copenhagen, the attacking unit was disappointing on Wednesday. They accumulated xG of 0.69. Bayern also had only two shots on target compared to Copenhagen’s four shots on goal. Mathys Tel and Thomas Muller struggled to create big chances against a stubborn defense.
The squad players will get an opportunity to impress in a fortnight when Bayern travel to Manchester for the final group game of the Champions League. Tuchel will hope that a rotated XI delivers a strong performance at Old Trafford to give him a selection headache for the games before Christmas. (Stats courtesy: Fotmob)