Is that all it takes? A parked bus?
The Bayern Munich offense looked unstoppable last week. Twenty goals scored, Harry Kane, Jamal Musiala, Michael Olise all looking like world beaters. Now, that achievement feels a little hollow, because it looks like Xabi Alonso found a way to neuter Kompany’s offense completely.
Leverkusen did something smart but unexpected — they sat back. Xabi gave it his all, putting out a back five and leaving Boniface and Terrier up top to fend for themselves. Surprisingly, it worked. Bayern Munich were relentless in possession, dominating the ball 70-30. Despite that, Leverkusen held tight and kept chances to a minimum. The fact that Harry Kane played 85 minutes and managed zero shots (shots total, not shots on goal) says it all. He only had 20 touches, fewer than Victor Boniface on the other end, despite Leverkusen having a fraction of the possession.
On the balance of things, Bayern still should have won. Gnabry’s double hit on the woodwork was incredibly unlucky, and Michael Olise got extremely close to scoring as well. Jamal Musiala was brought down in the box by Xhaka and didn’t get a penalty, while Thomas Müller came incredibly close to scoring, mere seconds after being subbed on after Kane’s injury.
There were enough chances. On the balance, Kompany’s game plan was almost good enough. However, it’s still a worrying outcome, especially given that Unai Emery’s Aston Villa is up next on the fixture list. Leverkusen are not a traditionally defensive team — Villa may well improve on the formula demonstrated by Xabi, so Kompany will need to find some answers.
Kompany’s subs fail to make a difference
Could the coach have done more? Perhaps. The subs were rather uninspired, almost like he didn’t know how to change the equation on the pitch.
Serge Gnabry was subbed off for Kingsley Coman, who then struggled in much the same way attacking down Leverkusen’s right. Michael Olise and Raphaël Guerreiro for Leroy Sané and Konrad Laimer did practically nothing to tip the scales. Thomas Müller for Harry Kane was an enforced change in the 85th minute due to injury, and Müller only touched the ball thrice before the final whistle.
In a way, it’s understandable — Bayern Munich were thoroughly dominating Leverkusen even before the subs, so they couldn’t have made much more of a difference. However, it does mean that the coach doesn’t actually have a plan B. Plan A seems rather excellent so far, but this Leverkusen game showed its limits. Having something else might have made the difference — after all, the final score was only 1-1.
Here’s a suggestion from a layman. Instead of like-for-like subs, why not have Thomas Müller come on earlier (rather than Coman, for instance), move Musiala to the wing, and let the Raumdeuter play while players like Kane and Olise are still on the pitch? It could have given Leverkusen a new threat to deal with, by putting Musiala out wide and having two targets for crosses in the center. A small change in shape could have been enough.
In the end, there’s no point dwelling on the past. If Bayern Munich can break down parked buses, we’ll find out in midweek.
A (long) list of positives
Despite the result, there are plenty of positives to take away from this game. Last year, Bayern Munich weren’t competitive with Leverkusen. This year, with new tactics and a new coach, they forced Xabi Alonso to park the bus and start time-wasting from minute five.
The defense was impeccable, with flawless performances from both defenders. Dayot Upamecano and Kim Min-jae did not put a foot wrong, leaving Manuel Neuer with very little to actually do. Given that this is Bayer Leverkusen we’re talking about, that is a pretty big compliment to the central defenders. Alphonso Davies was also locked-in, keeping Jeremie Frimpong quiet on his side of the flank. We haven’t seen him this focused in years.
Gegenpressing was the major highlight of the game. Kompany has organized his press to a degree that is reminiscent of the Hansi Flick era. Xabi Alonso clearly didn’t plan to come to the Allianz Arena and have only 30% possession — he was visibly frustrated every time Bayern won the ball back. Leverkusen were pinned and almost forced to tap out. They could NOT relieve pressure in any way.
The fact that they scored from a single shot, taken outside the box, off a corner that was a schoolboy error from Pavlović, makes the result of the game more annoying than worrying.
Why Felix Zwayer?
Photo by Christina Pahnke – sampics/Getty Images
It is a travesty that Felix Zwayer continues to get huge games like this one when his on-field performance remains so poor. When Lukas Hradecky began time-wasting from the fifth minute, a card should have been shown immediately. When clear fouls go uncalled, when certain players are allowed to get away with diving and play-acting, when Xhaka and Andrich are given complete freedom to do whatever they like — it frustrates the viewer and makes the game less engaging.
What’s worse is that, if/when a neutral onlooker goes online to google this referee, they’ll find out that he was involved in a match fixing scandal back in 2005. Now, say what you will about Michael Oliver and his cohort of buffoons, but at least the English Premier League doesn’t let known match-fixers officiate their tentpole fixtures. The fact that the Bundesliga lets this happen conveys a poor image for the entire league.
The Bundesliga fails to showcase its best product
Adding onto the previous point, those who had the displeasure of listening to the world feed had their commentary hosted by Derek Rae and Patrick Owomoyela. Now Rae is great, a league legend, and his work has been appreciated by English language fans of the Bundesliga
The same cannot be said for Owo. Commentary, even color commentary, should at least have the appearance of being unbiased. Owomoyela does not even try to hide his distaste for Bayern Munich whenever he is in the commentator’s box. When Kim Min-jae makes a clean tackle and Zwayer (unsurprisingly) whistles it as a foul, Owomoyela springs to the referee’s defense, saying it was “too much”, only to sheepishly retract his statement when the replay is shown. When Xhaka fouls Musiala on the other side, he’s quick to say “he went down easily”, On and on, over and over, for ninety minutes.
It would honestly be better to broadcast a completely silent feed than have this man on any Bayern Munich games in the future. There is not a single worse commentator on the Bundesliga feed. It’s embarrassing that the league lets him stay on and work on these games when he can’t maintain decorum. It degrades the experience of watching the Bundesliga, especially a big game such as this.
Looking for more thoughts and analysis on Bayern Munich’s 1-1 draw with Bayer Leverkusen? Then check out our Bavarian Podcast Works — Postgame Show where we cover everything from the starting XI selections, a rundown of the scoring and substitutions, observations from the match, and where things go from here. You can get the show on Patreon, Spotify, or below:
