A singular goal that came in the form of a rocket from Jamal Musiala was enough for Bayern Munich to overcome newly-promoted St Pauli. Efforts from both teams went unanswered as the game ended 1-0 and Bayern further consolidated their lead atop the Bundesliga table while St Pauli faces the threat of entering the relegation zone. Here are some observations from the game.
What went well, and what didn’t
Kim min-jae and Dayot Upamecano had a fairly good afternoon. Alphonso Davies continues to impress again and again, and Joshua Kimmich once again sets a clear standard of consistency, connecting play really well. Bayern had a few interesting set-piece starts themselves which were fun to see. In the end, Bayern won the game and came away with all three points, but this was far from the performance you’d expect.
Kompany’s match plan was not clearly evident. Bayern had a lot of possession and little impact. The team kept making horizontal and backward passes, succumbing to the pressure Pauli applied on the squad.
Bayern also didn’t utilize clear avenues of attack, such as quick counters on opposition set-pieces. Almost all of Pauli’s set-pieces are taken by center-back Eric Smith, which leaves them with a missing defender in the middle of their backline right after corners or free kicks. This was a great opportunity for Bayern to turn around and make a quick charge — but the buildup was always slowed by unnecessary passes or bad decisions.
Slow and ineffective would sum up the Bayern team in general today. For a coach who prides himself on his attacking principles, a game as boring as this one isn’t a good look.
A conversation about Leon Goretzka (& the attack)
Goretzka was handed a rare start tonight and yet again underdelivered. It is becoming increasingly clear why coaches do not trust him in the slightest to start games for club and country anymore, The performance was lackluster and saw Goretzka effectively killing Bayern’s chances on multiple occasions while misplacing passes and failing to make himself available as a passing option in buildup. Not to mention the incessant backpasses throughout the game. This was Goretzka’s chance to prove himself again and he didn’t take it at all.
Leroy Sané had a similar showing and didn’t deliver an impact. Neither did Kingsley Coman for that matter. Bayern’s lack of quality in attack becomes increasingly clear with every passing game — none of Bayern’s forwards seem to know how to penetrate a strong defensive set-up and are overly reliant on ineffective long balls and shots from outside the box. Harry Kane didn’t help either, and when in the box he waited for a ball that rarely came. Chance creation lacks any creativity at all, barring Jamal Musiala: and that brings us to the next point,
Jamal Musiala is the best player in the world
Jamal Musiala continues to demonstrate that he can do more than just dribble perfectly. He virtually carried the team’s attack today and was the only burst of explosiveness on the pitch. His screamer tonight marked 6 goals in the last 5 games, and there is simply nothing more that needs to be said. He is the greatest gift Bayern have received from the football gods and Bayern need to do everything in their power to lock him down and extend that contract.
St Pauli is beginning to adapt to Bundesliga football
Having followed Pauli throughout their brilliant run and consequent promotion last season, they were certainly bringing an exciting promise to the Bundesliga. However, the departure of phenomenon Marcel Hartel to the MLS and coach Fabian Hürzeler to Brighton over the summer brought up questions about whether Pauli would still be able to cope with the top tier of German football.
New coach Alexander Blessin has certainly crushed any such concerns as the club is having a decent start in a new league with a distinct and functional style of play that emphasizes defensive solidity without sitting completely in their own half. The back five system carried over from last season still continues to work well.
Even against Bayern, Pauli put up an incredible challenge and came close to scoring a few times while maintaining their composure in defense. The Rekordmeister struggled to create much of anything thanks to Pauli’s out-of-possession structure and was forced to cross around. Smith, Mets, Ritzka, and Saliakas in particular had strong showings tonight. There is so much more to come for this beautiful club, Pauli is just getting started. Welcome back to the Bundesliga.
What did you think of the game? Do you agree with the observations? Do you have any of your own? Tell us in the comments below!
