Bayern Munich hit the road to take on Feyenoord in Amsterdam for a Champions League tilt.
The Bavarians were throttled and swept out of the Netherlands with a 3-0 defeat at the hands of Feyenoord in a game which never saw the Bavarians get fully on track.
Here are some quick hitters on the match:
- As always, let’s begin with a look at the starting XI:
- Jamal Musiala was the one move that Vincent Kompany made, as the youngster took Leroy Sané’s spot in the XI. Musiala’s return pushed Michael Olise out to right wing. Some other interesting notes include Kingsley Coman getting the nod (after a really tough finishing performance against Wolfsburg) over both Sané and Serge Gnabry, while Leon Goretzka continued his role as a starter, while Aleksandar Pavlović started on the bench. Finally, Konrad Laimer earned another start at right-back. Every other spot really was not in contention for a change.
- The smoke from the pyro was outrageous and immediately caused a delay in the game.
- Upon re-starting, Bayern Munich was fairly dominant, but Feyenoord was playing more conservatively than some had anticipated. Precision, passing accuracy, and being in sync was going to be extremely important, but the Bavarians were a bit choppy amid their dominance in possession.
- Harry Kane was very static early with his movement.
- Bayern Munich’s sloppiness would eventually take its toll. Kim Min-jae (as he is prone to do at times on the big stage) made a horrendous error in judging the flight of a long ball. Of course, it landed right on the feet of Santiago Giménez, who left no doubt about anything as he rifled a shot past Neuer. The goal was not on Dayot Upamecano at all, but he did not exactly track the ball well either to help.
- In certain circles, it has become sacrilege to criticize Min-jae and Upamecano, but these kinds of errors do seem to happen more frequently on these European nights. There is no excuse for that type of goal to happen in the Champions League.
- It was a terrific pass from Gijs Smal to Giménez.
- If anything, Bayern Munich did ramp up its urgency a bit after the Feyenoord goal.
- While Bayern Munich started to ramp up pressure, the lackadaisical start hurt Bayern Munich in a bad way as they could not find a way to break though.
- Alphonso Davies left the match with an injury, which brought on Raphaël Guerreiro…who promptly was a step behind everyone else on the pitch and carelessly gave up a penalty. Giménez buried it and all of a sudden it was 2-0 and this trip to the Netherlands was no longer any fun for the Bavarians.
- Kompany also showed some urgency as he brought on Leroy Sané for Laimer to start the second half.
- In the 53rd minute, as Bayern Munich was sustaining possession and just following a corner, Guerreiro fancied himself a low percentage half volley attempt that missed the mark. While maybe not a massive thing over the course of a game, it was that kind of decision that was unnecessary given the circumstances.
- Amid Bayern Munich’s frustrating play, Feyenoord goalkeeper Justin Bijlow was absolutely sensational.
- Bayern Munich had flashes of second half passion and urgency, but Feyenoord was just better and wanted the game more…and it was evident.
- In the 70th minute, Sané hit the post with a header when he was all alone…yup, it was that kind of game.
- Well, the nightmare came to completion in the 89th minute as Ayase Ueda beat Upamecano (who was cooked from all the ground he had to cover during the match) for the game’s final goal.
- Overall, Bayern Munich looked ill-prepared and confused, lacked creativity, offered no solutions, and just generally was not good. Simply put, Bayern Munich deserved to lose. Now, it is time to move on and get ready for SC Freiburg, which might be an easy task.
If you missed our Initial Analysis, Match Awards, Observations, or Postgame Podcast, give them a look or a listen:
Bayern Munich goalkeeper Daniel Peretz has had multiple offers to leave the club, but he just does not want to leave:
In addition to RC Lens, Como, FC Copenhagen and also Tottenham (before they signed Antonin Kinsky) have all shown interest in Daniel Peretz. The goalkeeper, however, decided to stay at Bayern.
Peretz addressed the situation with Sport Bild and also the club’s potential signing of FC Köln’s Jonas Urbig.
“I’ve had a few talks and offers for a loan until the end of the season. There was interest. Of course it’s good to gain match practice. I spoke with my family and my agents and decided to stay until the end of the season,” Peretz said. “Professional football means competition. That’s part of it, I’m looking forward to the competition. That’s how you push yourself to the limit.”
The show in Germany continues.
The action on the pitch is epic and energetic, despite mainland Europe remaining cold, dark, and rainy.
Today’s episode of the Bundesliga Rundown will cover:
- Miraculous comebacks in Bochum
- Marco Rose’s inconsistency in managing an equally inconsistent team
- Dieter Hecking (and his iconic eyebrows)
- The impressive Sebastian Hoeneß and his VfB Stuttgart!
Florian Wirtz is expected to sign a contract extension with Bayer Leverkusen this summer, but there could be a bevy of clubs trying to convince him to do otherwise.
While Bayern Munich is expected to be among the teams attempting to sign Wirtz, Manchester City and Real Madrid are expected to join the Bavarians:
Bayer Leverkusen’s Florian Wirtz remains a major transfer target for Real Madrid and Man City, but neither will make a move until the summer.
It has been quite the period for Borussia Dortmund, but one move not in the works is a potential acquisition of Manchester City attacker Jack Grealish:
Bayern Munich is in a hellacious stretch here, but we have you covered with everything. Check out what we have on tap for this edition of the Bavarian Podcast Works Show hosted by Chuck and Jack:
- Some final thoughts on Bayern Munich’s win over Wolfsburg.
- Is Max Eberl punching walls and slamming tables every time Leon Goretzka puts in a good performance? Or…is Vincent Kompany bailing Eberl out by giving Goretzka this kind of opportunity?
- The Alphonso Davies contract situation has been a wild story to follow. Where do things stand? Has Bayern Munich gone too far with its salary package to secure the deal?
- Jamal Musiala has — allegedly — gotten the release clause that he wants. Is that a bad precedent to set?
- Will Musiala have the allure of Leo Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo to other players?
- How important is it to keep Joshua Kimmich? Is he doing his due diligence or running Bayern Munich through the ringer because he is a maniac?
Manchester United boss Ruben Amorim was not happy after his squad lost to Brighton & Hove Albion last weekend:
Ruben Amorim damaged the television in the Manchester United dressing room in a furious critique of his side’s 3-1 defeat to Brighton & Hove Albion.
With impressive performances against Liverpool and Arsenal coming just days earlier, United fell back to earth with a bitterly disappointing defeat on home soil, after which Amorim admitted his side could be the worst in United’s history.
It turns out that disappointment was also on show behind the scenes. According to The Athletic, Amorim was so frustrated by the defeat that he ended up damaging the large TV in United’s dressing room after the game.
The report claims Amorim made no attempt to hide his displeasure, unleashing a verbal tirade which was punctuated with damage to the screen as the head coach laid into his players for what he felt was an unacceptable performance.
Amorim is usually believed to be quiet in the immediate aftermath of matches while he processes the outcome, but his emotions boiled over in a dramatic display which is said to have shocked a number of players.
Having composed himself for his appearance in front of the press, Amorim warned his players that their suffering was nowhere near over, apologising to fans for what he confessed would be an extended period of disappointment.
The TV will be fixed before United welcome Rangers to Old Trafford on Thursday.
FC Barcelona is still reportedly in the mix for FC Barcelona attacker Marcus Rashford:
Barcelona is Marcus Rashford’s favoured option for a January move, reports Relevo. The Blaugrana are one of the few clubs who could satisfy both Manchester United and the forward to get a deal done. Even so, they would need to offload two players due to a salary cap issue, with Eric García and Ansu Fati being possible candidates for a departure. The most likely alternative to joining Barcelona is that the 27-year-old stays at Old Trafford.
Bayern Munich faced off with a game and very tough Wolfsburg side in a Bundesliga match that showed us a lot about both teams.
Bayern Munich ultimately won a tense 3-2 match behind a spectacular effort from Leon Goretzka (!?), but the match also did leave a lot to discuss. Let’s talk about how it all went down and more on the Bavarian Podcast Works — Postgame Show. This is what we have on tap:
- A look at the starting XI and what was surprising — really surprising.
- A rundown of the scoring and substitutions.
- Bayern Munich came out on a mission and just overwhelmed a good Wolfsburg side. The Wolves, however, are for real.
- Leon Goretzka might be going on a Jay and Silent Bob-like crusade against internet commenters.
- Some final thoughts and takeaways on the match.
