After a record-breaking performance mid-week in the Champions League against Dinamo Zagreb, Bayern Munich returned to Bundesliga action to face Werder Bremen. A sometimes difficult opponent in recent years, having beaten the team from Munich 1-0 in their last meeting and starting the season well, Bremen looked to cause another upset. Bayern, however, put all doubts to bed as they thrashed their opponents 5-0.
Bayern put on their most impressive display of the season
Bayern just beat Zagreb 9-2, so how is it even possible that a 5-0 victory to Werder Bremen could ever be considered more impressive a feat? Not only did Bayern completely dominate every aspect of the game, but they did so without allowing Bremen to take a single shot.
A team going into a home game and creating zero expected goals (FotMob) is almost unheard of. Even lowly Zagreb managed to fashion chances against Bayern. Coming off of halftime the Croatian side was able to get the score to 3-2, giving them a semblance of hope, something Bremen never had.
Vincent Kompany is doing everything right at Bayern Munich
Bayern’s blistering start to the 2024/25 campaign has been thanks in no small part to new head coach Vincent Kompany. Kompany has Der Rekordmeister playing an untouchable brand of football and has a very real chance of cementing himself amongst the likes of Jupp Heynckes and Hansi Flick as one of Bayern’s best coaches of the 21st century.
It can sometimes be challenging to find a coach who can both make the right choices stylistically and handle substitutions well, but Kompany seems capable. Bremen head coach Ole Werner made two half-time substitutions, which were effective in somewhat switching the momentum of the match Bremen’s way. Kompany’s response was to make two changes of his own, after which Bayern stabilized and added to the tally of the two goals accumulated in the first half.
Bayern Munich was right to sell Matthijs de Ligt
Is de Ligt an excellent player? Yes. However, Max Eberl recently shed light on the reasoning behind the decision, citing the superiority possessed by Dayot Upamecano and Kim Min-Jae when it comes to defending higher up the pitch. The match against Bremen exemplified these qualities, with the Bayern center-back pairing quickly jumping on any Bremen players receiving the ball anywhere near the halfway line. Add to this the fact that Bayern needed to sell one of their, at the time, five center-backs and it makes sense that the club decided to offload the most desirable of the bunch given the confidence the decision-makers had in Upa and Kim.
Mathys Tel can’t get a look in
While Bayern might’ve done a good job in addressing congestion in defensive areas of the pitch over the summer transfer window, Bayern has a lot of midfield and attacking players. Leon Goretzka has had issues getting into the squad, Leroy Sané has been on the sidelines, and Mathys Tel can’t seem to get onto the pitch.
Tel was one of Bayern’s most exciting players last season, but if he can’t improve his standing in the squad, the club should look to loan him out come January. Bayern is performing well, but if players aren’t getting enough minutes, then Vincent Kompany could face issues with squad members becoming unhappy.
Michael Olise is everything we’d hoped he’d be and more
Part of the reason Tel is finding himself short of minutes and why Leroy Sané doesn’t deserve to be in the first eleven at the moment is the rapid start that Michael Olise has had to his Bayern career. Olise came with a hefty price tag, but he has somehow looked worth the absurd fee paid for him. Scoring two and assisting two more, Olise ran the show against Bremen.
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