In FC Bayern Munich’s first Bundesliga game since November 13, they met league challengers RB Leipzig at the Red Bull Arena and ended in a hard-fought draw.
World Cup blues
I can’t say I’m remotely surprised, but Bayern Munich struggled a lot today. The same goes for RB Leipzig, but Bayern’s star players just weren’t themselves. Joshua Kimmich kept making false passes and his horrendous rally resulted in Leipzig’s only goal. Serge Gnabry and Leroy Sané couldn’t connect and the attack was rather toothless. Dayot Upamecano fought mightily and earned a questionable yellow card that could very well have been red.
As a team, Bayern lacked cohesion, and you could tell. Leipzig overtook the record champions in both total shots and shots on target – missing their star attacker in Christopher Nkunku. While there’s nothing to worry about, after more than two months away from the Bundesliga, this wasn’t the result any of us wanted.
Welcome to the club, Yann Sommer
Yann Sommer seemed to feel comfortable in goal right away. While he’s hardly the Kehrer-Keeper Manuel Neuer, Sommer was still on target in his first appearance for Bayern Munich. Sommer was quite capable of short ambushes and showed his strong hands on numerous other occasions. While he is still getting used to the club, Sommer is a clear upgrade compared to Sven Ulreich. Once he and Bayern’s defense get used to each other, Sommer could prove capable of more than saving shots on goal – he could save Bayern’s season.
Bundesliga is wide open
With this draw, the Bundesliga appears to be approaching “open” territory. If SC Freiburg could win their first game in the second half of the season, only two points would separate first and second place, and third place would be hot on their heels. Marco Rose has been spectacular since his inception as RB Leipzig coach, SC Freiburg continue their fairy tale season and Frankfurt continue to have a strong offense thanks to the resurgence of Germany icon Mario Götze.
Bayern Munich needed a win to ease the potential pressure from a title contender. A draw will have to do. Looking ahead, Bayern have two very winnable games this month. If anything, the focus must be on rebuilding the relationship between the teammates thanks to the World Cup sacking.
Want to learn more about the game? Why not check out our post-game podcast? Samrin is here to guide you through an intriguing Nagelsmann cast, fickle performances, Yann Sommer’s debut and more! Listen below or directly on Spotify:
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