Ten observations from Bayern Munich’s crushing 4-1 loss to FC Barcelona

Terrible game by Burnley — wait, that was Bayern Munich?

Okay, maybe that’s a little unfair. Still, it’s crazy to think that this was only the THIRD time that FC Barcelona have beaten Bayern Munich in their entire history.

Let’s be clear about something. This is not how the game should have gone. There are no excuses here. Just to recap, here is every advantage that Bayern Munich had coming into this game:

• Injuries: Both teams were not fully fit, but Barça had their starting CBs out injured, and have been without them all season. They’re playing their 2nd choice DM, who is a teenager out of La Masía. Dani Olmo and Gavi weren’t even fit to play.
• Experience: Barça had a trio of 17-year-olds starting a major Champions League game. They all balled out.
• Transfers: Bayern Munich spent significant amounts of money to sign João Palhinha and Michael Olise this summer, and they both started the game. Barça barely had the money to buy Dani Olmo, and he wasn’t even fit enough to start.
• Rest: Bayern played on Saturday evening while Barça played on Sunday night, giving them an extra 24 hours of rest before this game. Barça also have Real Madrid up next (on Saturday!) to worry about, Bayern have Bochum and that too on Sunday.

Meanwhile, here’s a list of advantages Barcelona had coming into this game:

• Home game: Barça got to play at home, though it technically wasn’t even their home stadium. They’re temporarily at the Montjuïc stadium because the Camp Nou is being repaired.

That’s it. Frankly, the scoreline looks even more embarrassing when you assess the relative resources of the two sides.

Kompany fails every test

Vincent Kompany has FAILED every single major test he’s faced so far. In three games versus good opposition (Bayer Leverkusen, Aston Villa, and Barcelona) he has managed zero wins, with two goals scored and six goals conceded. That goes beyond the territory of “bad luck”.

Frankly, Xabi Alonso will be kicking himself after tonight, because if Leverkusen had come to the Allianz Arena and tried to play on the front foot, they may have gotten a proper result in that game. By playing scared they allowed Kompany to escape that one with a draw.

At Villa, Unai Emery showed how a solid defense can consistently leave this Bayern Munich team unable to create chances. Now, Flick has shown that a proper offense can completely expose this team at the back. Which simply shows that …

It’s time to admit, Bayern Munich should have hired Hansi Flick instead

If there’s anything good to come out of this game, it’s the fact that the majority of terminally online Bayern fans, who probably started watching the team AFTER the 2020 treble, get to see that, yes, Hansi Flick is actually an elite coach who can bring the best out of his players.

This is the same Barça team that Xavi had at his disposal, arguably worse because of all the injuries and the fact that Olmo (their only new signing) didn’t even start. Even so, Flick has leapfrogged Bayern Munich and brought Barça back to a point where they are a force to be reckoned with, even in Europe.

The player that best exemplifies this improvement is Raphinha. Under Xavi, the 27-year-old winger looked lost, to the point that fans on our SB Nation sister site derisively called him a “fake Brazilian” for his performances. This year, he’s looking like one of the best players in the world, and is leading Barça from the front as its captain.

Fans who forgot what Hansi Flick was capable of because they only watched him coach Germany, maybe pay attention to the metamorphosis he’s brought about at Barcelona. Their players look confident, they play attractive football, and despite all the concerns about the “high line” they don’t actually concede that many goals. Which follows on to the next point …

Not all high lines are created equal

Before the game, it was hilarious to read comments by both Bayern Munich and FC Barcelona fans online about how their respective teams’ high lines would be exposed by the other.

Well, one high line certainly got exposed.

People will blame Kim Min-jae and Dayot Upamecano all they want, and to be honest … yeah, they’re pretty bad. However, Hansi Flick had his team playing with a 17-year-old Cubarsí at CB and another 17-year-old in Marc Casadó at DM. So, why didn’t the game end 4-3 or something?

Simply put, one team adjusted, the other did not. Early in the game (around the first 20 minutes or so) Bayern legitimately looked like the better team. Kane scored once (which VAR ruled offside) and then again (which counted), and only marginal offsides kept the Catalans in the game. Then, Flick adjusted his defense to stop closing down their man and hold their shape, while fanning out slightly wider to cut out potential crosses from wide areas. It worked wonders for them.

For comparison, Bayern Munich did nothing. They kept making mistakes over and over. With a defensive setup like that, what else did anyone expect?

Prime Neuer could have salvaged this, but this is not prime Neuer

Let’s put a moratorium on that contract extension, shall we?

Manuel Neuer has lost so many steps at this point, it may as well count as a marathon. He seems like a spectator more and more often, which makes you question why he should be paid another 20 million euros to stick around for another season.

This doesn’t mean that Neuer is at fault for the goals. Mostly, it’s still on Upa or Kim (and the coach). It’s just that, he’s not making a difference right now. If you need someone to watch the ball roll into the net, Sven Ulreich can do the job for cheap.

It might be Joãover

Which is good for a certain someone.

Maybe it’s time for Leon Goretzka to start, because not only is João Palhinha not fixing the defense, Vincent Kompany won’t even try to let him.

For whatever reason, instead of playing him in front of the center-backs, the coach decided that Joshua Kimmich would be better suited for that role, and left Palhinha up top as the most advanced midfielder.

WHY. WOULD. YOU. DO. THAT. Leaving aside the problem with Kimmich being the deepest midfielder, what does Palhinha offer that far forward? At that point, you might as well let Leon Goretzka cook — it’s like Kompany made a gameplan for the German and then forgot to put him in the XI. If you’re not going to use your players properly, why even have them?

Speaking of which …

Thomas Müller has no place in this lineup, don’t start him again

Photo by M. Donato/FC Bayern via Getty Images

When Thomas Müller was subbed off, he looked incredibly frustrated — as he should be. Honestly, the way Vincent Kompany had him play, there was nothing he could do. The ball never came to him, there was no one trying to go for a through-ball or an over-the-top pass.

Watch the game again, and count how many times Müller times a run behind the Barça defense, only for his teammates to ignore him. Look at how many times he leaves himself open for an overlap with Michael Olise, but the Frenchman simply ignores him to dribble into traffic. Look at when Harry Kane sees him making a run into the box, only to square the pass.

He shouldn’t start any more. If he’s going to be ignored like this, he is a liability. Thomas Müller still has plenty to offer (he even came close to a couple of assists today) but it doesn’t matter in this system.

Honestly, the coach clearly has no intention of changing things, so why force it? It’s not like there’s any chance that Vincent Kompany might actually fix everything. The fact that the team has shown no real evolution in the last five games despite poor results, makes things look very bleak.

Champions League knockout qualification just got really complicated

Bayern Munich now sit at 23rd place, behind the team they beat 9-2 on matchday one.

People who thought that top-eight was a foregone conclusion may need to reevaluate what “qualifying comfortably” actually means. From here on out, there are still tough games against Paris Saint-Germain and Benfica left, and the team will need to win them all to secure a probable top-eight spot.

The way the new format is structured, it’s actually very hard for a team like Bayern to get knocked out before the knockouts. However, they seem to be making an honest attempt at it — the way things are going, you can see Kompany getting his team eliminated from the Champions League in the knockout round before the Ro16.

Forget about Finale Dahoam, there will be no glory this season

This game has exposed the limits of this team under the current coach. Unfortunately, there’s no one available so he’s going to stick around.

Bayern Munich will not be winning many trophies playing this sort of football. The Bundesliga seems doable, but only because of the overwhelming advantage that this team has over its competitors. In a competition like the Champions League, with actual serious sides that know what they’re doing?

Yeah, this season is toast. Don’t dream about Finale Dahoam, it’s not going to happen.

Criticism begets change

There will be lots of talk about changes after this game, but Bayern Munich doesn’t really want change. The team will probably thrash Bochum this Sunday, and all the criticism will be drowned out by a chorus of “but we played well this time!”

If there is no push by the fan base to demand more, to demand better, then this result we saw against Barcelona will happen again. Stop looking at just the scoreline and look at what’s really happening on the pitch. Maybe then, something might change.

Looking for more our thoughts and analysis on how FC Barcelona dismantled Bayern Munich in the Champions League? Well, buckle up — this Bavarian Podcast Works — Postgame Show will be a ride that you will want a ticket for. You can check it out on Patreon, Spotify, or below:

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