Daily Schmankerl: The aftermath of Bayern Munich vs. SC Freiburg. The results: Bayern defeated Freiburg 1-0 as payback (Bavarian Football Works)
Bayern Munich defeated SC Freiburg 1-0 to earn three points in the Bundesliga, albeit it wasn’t convincing.
The victory surely won’t inspire fans with a lot of confidence as Bayern Munich gears up for its Champions League matchup against Manchester City, but if anything, it did demonstrate Matthijs de Ligt’s ability to capitalize on a crucial opportunity and the team’s resiliency.
Here are some of the match’s quick strikers:
Starting with the lineup
By benching Leon Goretzka and Kingsley Coman in favor of Serge Gnabry, Sadio Mané, Alphonso Davies, and Jamal Musiala, Tuchel made some significant lineup adjustments. Mane played the striker position, while Leroy Sané and Gnabry covered the wings. Musiala unexpectedly took over the No. 8 position as the formation frequently operated more like a 4-1-4-1 than a 4-2-3-1. (at times). Due to an injury, Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting was unable to play.
Dayot Upamecano was suspended for the game when I predicted my starting lineup in the Weekend Warm-up Podcast, so slipping Benjamin Pavard inside to team up with Matthijs de Ligt made total sense. Another indication that Bayern Munich will fight tooth and nail to make this work and persuade the Manchester City loanee to stay with the club after his loan expires was the choice of Joao Cancelo at right-back.
SC Freiburg keeps up its stern defensive posture and general all-out defense. Bayern Munich was not going to have it easy against Die Breisgau-Brasilianer.
In the 18th minute, Sadio Mané had a 1v1 opportunity with the goalie that he failed to take advantage of. Such opportunities were quite scarce for Bayern Munich in the beginning. It was yet another subpar showing for Mané (though Tuchel disagrees with that assessment). He simply doesn’t fit in with how this team is set up, in my opinion. A good player, but not the right fit for Bayern Munich.
Daily Schmankerl: The aftermath of Bayern Munich vs. SC Freiburg
I’m concerned that Jamal Musiala will be forced into so many various jobs and places. Getting him out of his comfort zone would not be the best thing for his development or the team’s current chances for success. He had already been having difficulties.
Ritsu Doan was stopped by the post in the 44th minute, saving Bayern Munich. A one-goal deficit at the break would have been disastrous. There, Alphonso Davies was discovered to be dozing off, a problem that has dogged him throughout the season. Davies also keeps misplacing the ball far too frequently. The Canadian was incredibly careless.
Thomas Müller had little effect on the game as a whole and was virtually invisible in the first half (not that his teammates were much better either). Currently, Serge Gnabry is in one of his season’s valley phases. Also, he was ineffective that day.
Sané’s headshot at De Ligt from a close range could have summed up the entire first half. I mean, guys, come on.
Cancelo, like every possession, is a counterattack attempt waiting to happen. The Portuguese defender delivered another mediocre performance. I don’t see why keeping him around after this loan period is necessary.
Bayern Munich FINALLY made a breakthrough when De Ligt (?!) hammered a rocket from a distance in the 51st minute. The assist on a goal that the Bavarians sorely needed was given to Musiala.
Sané squandered a tremendous chance to end the game in the 77th minute of play. His second terrible miss of the game was this one. Except for that final output, Sané’s other performance was decent.
Gnabry and Ryan Gravenberch both missed late opportunities to end the game. On that particular day, Bayern Munich’s finishing left a lot to be desired. Gravenberch lost a significant opportunity to enhance his resume despite the fact that many fans are begging for him to play more minutes.
Max Eggestein and Michael Gregoritsch of SC Freiburg challenged Kimmich as he was reveling excessively (for whatever reason), which led to a close call.
Ultimately, Bayern Munich earned three points, but there should be some worry about the team’s condition and Tuchel’s management of it. Under Julian Nagelsmann, things were in terrific shape, but Tuchel has been thrust into a storm at a vital time, and certain players are struggling. The team is experiencing a lot of dynamics, and the new manager is working hard to maintain order and harmony. It won’t be simple, but victories always make pain go away. We can only hope that more “dubs” are on the way.
