Bayern Munich vs. Borussia Mönchengladbach is most often a heavily contested affair. Having gained a reputation as Bayern’s “bogey” team in recent years Gladbach put in a pitiful first-half performance that if one didn’t know better, would raise questions as to how they ever gained that reputation in the first place. Gladbach improved somewhat in the second half and was able to leave with a scoreline that vastly undersells the dominance displayed by the Bayern players. Without further ado, let’s take a look at who stood out in this Bundesliga classic.
Jersey Swap: Moritz Nicolas
Moritz Nicolas has had an interesting journey from being Gladbach’s fourth-choice goalkeeper to the favorite between the sticks, and the 27-year-old justified his standing in the squad with an excellent display against the team from Munich. Save for a mistake that left Leroy Sané with an open net, Nicolas was perfect, preventing 2.48 goals from a total of 3.48 xGOT (expected goals on target) faced (FotMob). If Bayern wasn’t awarded a penalty Gladbach’s point would’ve been thanks to Nicolas, and Nicolas alone. These are insane numbers.
Der Kaiser: Eric Dier
In stark contrast to the Gladbach backline, the Bayern defense had little to do on the night. Most of the defenders did well in pushing high up the pitch, recovering loose balls, and retaining possession. Dier just edges out the competition for this award due to a crucial challenge made on Robin Hack in the latter half of the second half, contributing to his team-high nine defensive actions (FotMob). On top of this, the Englishman came close to scoring his first goal in a non-friendly match for Bayern, as he did well to head a Michael Olise corner in the right direction early in the first half.
Fußballgott: Joshua Kimmich
Similar to the defense, Bayern’s entire midfield was solid against Gladbach. In the end, it’s Joshua Kimmich’s excellent passing and creativity that puts him over the top of a strong defensive showing from Leon Goretzka. Kimmich accumulated a match-high 0.91 xA (expected assists), with the nearest opportunity coming from a ball to Thomas Müller who almost found the back of the net if not for a stellar Moritz Nicolas in goal (FotMob). Throughout the match, Kimmich did his regular Kimmich things in recycling possession and restarting attacks, his seven ball recoveries putting him in a perfect position to do so.
Der Bomber: Thomas Müller
It sure is nice to see Thomas Müller playing more often, even if it isn’t for the whole match. Müller was unfortunate to be pulled from the game when he was, as he was playing well alongside a far more sensible candidate for substitution, an underwhelming Leroy Sané. Müller almost scored from the aforementioned Kimmich pass, but he had a handful of other good moments during the match as well. These include a quick throw-in that put Olise in acres of space, in addition to a move that started with a tackle and ended in an inch-perfect cross controlled by Goretzka and put just wide of the post. Müller also tied Bayern’s top performer in touches in the opposition box, with seven (FotMob).
Meister of the Match: Michael Olise
Michael Olise is an absolute joy to watch. His dribbling and link-up play is top-notch, and he always seems to contribute to a goal. He did this tonight by positioning himself well to get on the end of a Kingsley Coman cross and earn a penalty for the winning goal. Olise’s attacking prowess was exemplified by his match-high 1.02 xGOT, 0.53 xA, and a perfect ball played through to Thomas Müller who was dispossessed by an equally perfect tackle from Joe Scally in the 58th minute (FotMob).
Looking for more thoughts and analysis of Bayern Munich’s 1-0 win over Gladbach? Awesome, then react to the victory with us on the Bavarian Podcast Works — Postgame Show! The episode is available on Patreon, Spotify, or below:
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