Bayern Munich: Takeaways from 2-1 win against Wolfsburg

The first half of the season ended on a positive note for Bayern Munich as they clinched a 2-1 win away at Wolfsburg. Bayern finished Hinrunde second in the points table, four points behind league-leaders Bayer Leverkusen. The defending champions do have a game in hand since their clash against Union Berlin was postponed due to heavy snowfall.

It was not an emphatic performance from Die Roten on Wednesday, but they did enough to get all three points. The first-half goals from Harry Kane and Jamal Musiala were enough to clinch the victory. Let us look at the key takeaways from the final game of the year.

Bayern have developed strong mentality under Thomas Tuchel

Bayern Munich dominated the game in the first half, but a late first-half goal from Wolfsburg made sure that the game was far from over. The hosts piled on more pressure in the second half, but Die Roten showed great resilience to see them off and collect all three points.

Throughout the Hinrunde, Bayern have shown the ability to grind out wins when they have been far from their best. Apart from poor results against Eintracht Frankfurt and Saarbrucken, Bayern have shown a strong mentality and resilience whenever they are under the pump. This trait went missing last campaign as they often collapsed in the second half when the opposition was gaining momentum. Thomas Tuchel deserves credit for restoring the fighting mentality in the squad.

Harry Kane continues to astonish Bavarian faithful

Alongside Jude Bellingham, Harry Kane has been by far the best signing made by a club last summer. The English striker has been consistent for Bayern, scoring goals and creating chances for his teammates. He is a dream striker for any coach due to his ability to play as a nine and a ten.

Kane continues to astonish the Bavarian faithful every weekend. Some weeks, he scores hattricks for fun, while some game weeks, he creates a plethora of chances for his teammates. He has already scored a goal from half-line in the Bundesliga this season. Along with being a prolific goal-scorer, he is also a scorer of great goals. His ball-striking technique was on display against Wolfsburg as he scored a goal from outside the box. Kane has raced to 21 goals for Bayern in 15 league games. He is on track to break Robert Lewandowski’s record for most goals in a single Bundesliga campaign.

Will we see three at the back more regularly in second half of the season?

Bayern showed character and resilience in the second half to clinch the victory. From a tactical point of view, Thomas Tuchel moved to a three-man defense to keep Wolfsburg at bay. Matthijs de Ligt came on for Thomas Muller just after the hour mark to improve Die Roten defensively.

Tuchel used the back three system consistently at Chelsea. With games coming thick and fast in the second half of the season, there is a possibility of the German coach using this system in Ruckrunde to get the desired results. Since Bayern is looking to sign a defender in January, Tuchel will surely have enough options to consistently play a back three in the second half of the season.