Bayern Munich had a point to prove against a VfL Bochum side who find themselves in an extremely difficult moment having sacked their manager while sitting at the bottom of the Bundesliga with just one measly point.
Nonetheless, Bochum had pulled off a victory against the mighty Bayern in their last encounter at the Vonovia Ruhrstadion, so there was every reason to believe it was possible.
Unfortunately for the home side, a vengeful Bayern proved to trump belief.
These were the main observations.
Kim Min-jae’s positioning remains a problem
Kim Min-jae has been prone to the occasional lapse of judgment in defence throughout his tenure at Bayern Munich.
At first glance, a few defensive errors could have been forgiven. After all, having to learn a new system and adapt to a new league can understandably cause players to make mistakes. However, in Kim’s case, it seems less like a few mistakes and more like a nasty habit.
The Korean centre-back was caught napping in the 9th minute as Bochum sent a simple through ball over his head to unleash Moritz Broschinski, who managed to poke his shot past a rushing Manuel Neuer. The shot looked destined for goal but Kim managed to use his pace to clear the ball off the line.
Sure, Kim did well to recover and ultimately prevent a goal, but against a better side he will not be afforded the same opportunity (i.e. Barcelona).
Call it a system or individual error, Bayern needs to solve the constant lapses in defence or they will continue to be punished in future.
Bayern’s set pieces were fantastic
Despite dominating Bochum in the first half, Bayern’s chance creation was underwhelming. Whatever creativity was lacking in open play was channelled into set pieces, though.
Bayern’s first set piece goal came in the 16th minute from Michael Olise- The winger curled a beautiful free kick over the Bochum wall and into the net. The Frenchman has certainly pinned his named on top of the list of free kick takers.
Bayern’s next set piece goal was a smart, quickly played cross from Kimmich that found Jamal Musiala who tucked a glancing header past Patrick Drewes and into the back of the net.
Bayern may have lacked some initiative in the first half; however, it was good to see that Die Roten can pose a threat not just in open play, but in set pieces as well.
Don’t be fooled, Bayern Munich is not fixed
All respect to VfL Bochum, but this is a game that Bayern were never going to lose and the result should not overshadow the glaring issues in this Bayern Munich side.
All things considered, The Bavarians have had a good start to the season under Vincent Kompany, but the real test for the Belgian coach was always going to be the big games, of which, they haven’t won one.
It’s great to be able to blow mediocre teams out of the water, but at Bayern Munich, that is not enough. Vincent Kompany still needs to prove that he can translate good performances against poor teams into good performances against great teams.
Nonetheless, you can only beat what is in front of you, and Bayern certainly did that convincingly. So, credit to Kompany and his side for showing a positive reaction after the thrashing at the hands of Barcelona.
Great goals galore
If you were not able to catch the game, do yourself a favour and watch the highlights.
All five goals were, in their own way, a spectacle to witness.
It felt as if the goals were a small apology letter to the fans after Tuesday evening’s disaster in Catalunya.
Apology accepted.
Looking for more thoughts and analysis on Bayern Munich’s 5-0 dismantling of VfL Bochum, plus some talk about why Max Eberl could be on his way to losing the fan base? Great, then we have you covered with our combination Bavarian Podcast Works Postgame Show / Flagship Show. You can get the show on Patreon, Spotify or below:
