Bayern Munich’s first match of the new Bundesliga season saw a narrow escape against Wolfsburg, as the Bavarians threw away a comfortable 1-0 lead to go down 1-2, only to claw back all three points with a late comeback. Here’s how it happened.
An excellent, Guardiola-esque first half
Though the first few minutes were rough, full of Wolfsburg pressure and Bayern uncertainty, the Bavarians’ performance stabilized and they started playing with an authority and a calmness so blatantly absent last season. As the half progressed, Bayern racked up more and more chances, and were it not for poor finishing, would have gone into halftime with more than a one-goal lead.
On the other end, Wolfsburg barely got a sniff of the ball in the Bavarians’ half, let alone got anywhere near the goal. The manner in which Bayern forcefully wrestled away any hope from The Wolves by utterly suffocating them with controlled, graceful play was so very similar to how Josep Guardiola would dominate opposition in his time in charge at Bayern.
So what happened in the second half?
The thing about hope is that it can return in full force in the shortest of time. 15 seconds into the second half, Wolfsburg won a penalty and duly equalized. Predictably, the hope Bayern had previously strangled out of Wolfsburg was now back and more plentiful than ever. With new belief flowing through their bodies, they snapped at Bayern’s heels.
And as the oppressive opposition grew more confident and the shadows grew longer in the Volkswagen arena, the Bavarians began to wilt. Kim Min-jae may have been at the heart of the second conceded goal, but his erratic and error-prone second half was merely one among a number of poor second half performances that saw Wolfsburg run Bayern ragged and threaten to inflict an early first defeat for the aspiring Bundesliga title winners.
Old heads prevail
As is usually the case at Bayern, when the young players falter, it is up to the old(er), more experienced players to drag the team through a difficult match. As it was Robert Lewandowski and Thomas Müller to do so years ago, it was Harry Kane and Müller that did it this time around. Kane may have gone under the radar at first glance, but a closer look reveals he was heavily involved in all three goals, linking up the play for the first goal, heading the ball across the box for the second and assisting the third.
Then there was Bayern’s #25. Officially, there will be no record of Müller’s involvement in the second goal, given as an own goal against Jakub Kamiński, despite his struggle to reach the ball on the goal line, but it was so fitting that Bayern’s struggles would immediately alleviate once the mercurial German entered the fray. Finally, the manner in which he rode through two fouls to lay the ball off to Kane for the third suggests his experience was key. But, having seen Müller do this sort of thing for nearly two decades now, one knows that this is not a matter of experience but an extension of who Müller is a person and player. He does things the right way, no matter what. And in a half of football in which Bayern struggled to do much of anything right, that was the key to victory.
What does this mean for Vincent Kompany’s reign at Bayern?
Though the convincing victory against SSV Ulm in the DFB Pokal was very good, the onus was on Kompany’s Bayern to provide the tone for the upcoming season in the Bundesliga opener against VFL Wolfsburg. Would it be good or bad? And it was…both? A dire second half filled with panic and disorder will be what most fans will take away from this game, but the first half demonstrated all the good that can come from Kompany’s game plan.
On one hand, it provides hope that a fully realized version of Kompany’s Bayern can achieve Guardiola levels of dominant performances. On the other, it fails to inspire confidence because of how quickly it all came crashing down. How much faith can a fan have when such a beautifully constructed project is built on such fragile foundations? That is a question that Bayern’s fanbase will have to ask itself. For now, take heart in the fact that this was just the first game of the season, that such an uneven performance was still enough to earn all three points and that the team will have plenty of time to keep improving as this long season continues.
The best and worst of Sacha Boey
Bought in January, but unable to play due to multiple injuries, Sacha Boey is a proverbial “new signing” that fans are not yet used to. As most of the team, his first half was a good one. His power and precision helped Bayern score the first goal and Bayern were attacking mainly down his side the entire game. However, he also caused the penalty with a rash challenge and poor positional play. His potential is great and he will improve over the season but his maturity is not yet there…
