Bayern Munich lined up against second-placed Eintracht Frankfurt with the opportunity to go 2 points clear atop the Bundesliga before the international break. FC Hollywood had other plans, as they faltered to a 3-3 draw courtesy of another inspiring Omar Marmoush performance for Frankfurt. Here are some observations from the game.
The quality of football from both teams was poor
Now, first of all, credit where credit is due — Eintracht Frankfurt had a solid game plan. Dino Toppmöller knew exactly what his team was getting into and set them up to defend in a 4-4-2 out-of-position and play on the counter. While their counterplay was extremely quick, and lethal, and brilliantly utilized the clear chemistry between Marmoush and Hugo Ekitike; their low block was caught off guard far too often and very prone to errors. Frankfurt could have avoided all three goals they conceded tonight if they were better structured and transitioned into their defensive shape better consistently. Bayern were able to create chaos in the opposition box and Frankfurt simply couldn’t cope with it.
On to Bayern — it was tragic. Defensively, you cannot defend that high up the pitch. It is bound to end in total disaster, especially against two quick forwards who have done this exact drill a thousand times. Going forward it seemed like a Hail Mary in the box far too often. There were some good sequences (especially the one that culminated in Micheal Olise’s goal), but there was a lack of clear attacking direction and forwards in the right places.
The point here is, that a superior team would’ve avoided all the mistakes Frankfurt made defensively and won comfortably — it seems far too easy to trouble Bayern these days.
Palhinha being benched was a total disaster
If not these games then which games? João Palhinha would have solved every problem Bayern had tonight. Not only would a real defensive midfielder have stopped Frankfurt’s quick turnarounds in their very tracks (imagine Palhinha in place of Aleksandar Pavlović in the lead-up to Frankfurt’s first goal), but even simply an added man in the back would give Bayern a numerical advantage (3 to 2) against Frankfurt’s two devasting forwards.
Fans have every right to question the Palhinha transfer at this moment. Why was he signed if the coach is simply reluctant to use him? Even at halftime when the problem was clearly evident, Kompany opted to continue and only sub Palhinha on right before stoppage time. Palhinha is built for these difficult games against counterattacking teams but there is no use in buying a defensive midfielder if the club is against using him even when the game is crying out his name.
Bayern waited four years to sign a DM only for one to be signed and never used. A total head-scratching moment from Kompany — who had some very questionable lineup choices, tactics, and substitutions today.
Individual performances
Thomas Müller had a weird game. He did well for the most part and capped off the performance with a wonderful assist to the opening goal but there were some instances one couldn’t help but simply wonder what he was doing there. All the right ideas, most of the wrong executions. Maybe he should get a little more game time in the future because he does add a fresh vision to the team.
If you couldn’t find Harry Kane in the first half, it wasn’t your fault. Kane redeemed himself with a class assist to Olise, but you just expect more from him in games like these. Not his best week.
Serge Gnabry and Kingsley Coman both had mediocre performances with a few bright spots. Nothing extraordinary and far below expectations as this was a game where wingers could excel and the team could utilize width (especially in the first half) to escape Frankfurt suffocating the Bayern forwards in the box — yet neither provided any meaningful output.
Joshua Kimmich and Pavlović will have to take a look at themselves defensively (another cry out loud to start Palhinha in midfield) as there was virtually no shielding of the defense and a complete failure to provide much resistance to Frankfurt’s counters. Kim Min-Jae and Dayot Upamecano obviously both scored but were far too often caught looking like fools against Marmoush & Co. — partly because of the atrocious and suicidal highline the coach decided to play.
What’s next for Bayern? Where does the club go from here? Winless in three games and looming ties against VfB Stuttgart in the league and a long-awaited clash with Hansi Flick’s FC Barcelona in the Champions League — there doesn’t seem to be much hope surrounding the club. One can only hope that the break brings forth a change in the club’s fortunes. What did you think of the game? Tell us in the comments below!
