Bayern Munich suffered its first Champions League group/league stage defeat in seven years, falling to Aston Villa 1-0. Ironically, that original loss in 2017 also came at the hands of Unai Emery when he was at PSG. Tonight’s loss also ends Bayern’s 18-match streak of scoring a goal, dating back to a 2-0 defeat against Dortmund back in March.
Bayern dominated possession (70%) but were unable to find a way past Aston Villa’s stout defense. Bayern will head back to Germany to take on a dangerous Eintracht Frankfurt side ahead of the international break.
Bad strategy, worse execution
Due to a much needed rest, Vincent Kompany opened the match with Jamal Musiala on the bench. Unfortunately, Michael Olise was unable to fill the creative space in the middle, playing passively and failing to unlock the Aston Villa defense.
Harry Kane and Konrad Laimer spent most of the first half motionless on the Aston Villa back line, but the midfield refused to play the ball to them, through them, or near them. Bayern refused to overload any part of the final third or invade different zones, allowing Aston Villa to mark up with ease.
After a quiet first half from Kingsley Coman, Kompany brought on Musiala at halftime, then proceeded to leave Musiala on an island in the middle of the pitch. Aston Villa neutralized Musiala by taking turns fouling him far away from goal.
Count your lucky stars, Dayot Upamecano
Upamecano was tasked with marking Aston Villa’s dangerous striker, Ollie Watkins. Given the high line that Bayern employs, this is nearly impossible, and Upamecano didn’t do himself any favors. In the first half, the Frenchman dragged down Watkins twice in 1v1 situations.
On the first attempt, Watkins tripped himself as well and went down too easily. On the second attempt, Upamecano slithered away with a yellow card. The Frenchman continued his aggressive play and somehow avoided a second yellow card.
In the 79th minute, Upamecano was slow to get back and Jhon Durán took advantage, scoring the game winner with a well placed shot past Manuel Neuer.
Until proven otherwise, this is the blueprint to play against Bayern
Over the weekend, Bayer Leverkusen deployed a deep defensive shell to earn a draw at the Allianz Arena. Unai Emery pressed Ctrl+V and replicated the strategy to perfection. If Kompany’s system is predicated solely on the opponent making mistakes, then quality teams will be able to hang with Bayern for 90 minutes.
Up next is Eintracht Frankfurt, one of the best counterattacking teams in Europe. If Bayern doesn’t make any adjustments, it could be a devastating outcome heading into the international break.
The Müller Mafia has an obvious suggestion
Is there a player currently on the roster who excels at creating attacking space out of thin air, energizes other players on the pitch, and has the experience to back it up?
No, he can’t play 90 minutes every night. Yes, he is in the twilight years of his career. But Müller could be the key to unlocking these nasty defensive shells in the first half, giving the young guns more time and space in the second half.
Hats off to Emiliano Martínez
Most fans can’t stand his antics, but the Argentine goalkeeper always makes big saves. He denied Kolo Muani to force penalty kicks in the World Cup. Tonight, he produced seven saves. In stoppage time, he stonewalled Serge Gnabry at point-blank range and denied Harry Kane’s header to see out the victory.
Looking for a recap of the Champions League match between Bayern Munich and Aston Villa, along with some additional thoughts and analysis? Awesome, then we have you covered with our Bavarian Podcast Works — Postgame Show, which is available on Patreon, Spotify, or below:
