Bayern Munich just barely beat Borussia Mönchengladbach as the Bundesliga finally returned to action this weekend. Thanks to Harry Kane converting a penalty, Bayern recorded a 1-0 win over eternal tormentors Gladbach: but really, it should have been more. Nonetheless, Bayern goes home with all three points and maintain their four-point lead over Bayer Leverkusen. Here are some observations.
Attack? That wasn’t even offensive.
A problem that has been around for a while now, but rarely ever been a greater cause of concern than it is at the moment, is the sheer inability of Bayern’s forwards to convert clear-cut chances. Bayern are not struggling to create chances: quite the contrary (more on this later), but rather to convert them. Thomas Müller missed a few chances in the first half but none as many as Leroy Sané did in the second. Harry Kane was barely even on the pitch at times, while Serge Gnabry’s cameo added more to the parade of missed Bayern chances.
Awful decision-making in the final third, too slow to reach the crosses, all the wrong off-the-ball movements, terribly timed runs, and an overall lack of chemistry. Bayern has no problem cornering their prey, but just cannot seem to take the bite. Micheal Olise fought for his life creating chances for the rest of the team, and they simply could not deliver.
Bayern’s old crop of wingers are not Bayern-level, and that has been clear for a while now. They provide zero output while earning far too much. The attack looks pathetic without Jamal Musiala and frankly, there is not much he could have done either looking at the way things went down tonight. Someone tell Max Eberl to call Napoli…Kvaratskhelia is available.
Extensions, deadlines
Alphonso Davies and Joshua Kimmich were arguably the best players on the pitch today, and both have expiring contracts in the summer. As every game goes by, the need for long-term extensions for both becomes more and more clear. Time is ticking, deadlines are nearing.
Davies was incredible tonight. His ability to lose his man so effortlessly in the final third is truly amazing to watch. No one does recovery runs like him either, wherever they may be. He is arguably the best fullback on the planet at the moment…and it is so beautiful to see him thrive.
More so Kimmich had arguably one of the best halves of the season. In the first half, Kimmich’s influence over the game was unrivaled: it was like watching a master shepherd and his flock of sheep. The play went where Kimmich was as he floated into those right-half spaces he knows so well to provide those effortless through balls and crosses: and suddenly, Bayern was on the verge of scoring again.
Game by game he proves again why he deserves that extension. To date, both Kimmich and Davies are having one of their best seasons ever, and fans will hope it turns out to be.
A note about Vincent Kompany & Gladbach
Vincent Kompany set up the team fairly well. Konrad Laimer and Kimmich overlapping in the first half were great and Bayern constricted Gladbach to their 4-4-2/4-4-3 out-of-possession structure during buildup and to their 5-at-the-bach (haha!) in the final third. The second half, as it usually is, was a bit more flimsy. The tactics were designed to counter likely mechanisms of play and surpass them by using Kimmich the way he was in the build-up. The tactics seemed to disappear after the ball reached the final third because the players truly seemed clueless as to what their next move should be. A lot more work needs to be done attacking-wise, developing mechanisms of play around and inside the opposition box.
The team selection, however, could have been better. Kingsley Coman was decent and should have started over Sané while benching Aleksandar Pavlović remains questionable. The players let Kompany down a lot, and hopefully, Bayern address that in the transfer window(s).
Gladbach were pretty good, especially defensively. Backup keeper Moritz Nicolas had an incredible game, denying Bayern oh-so-often. Bayern got lucky as Tim Kleindienst’s headers scraped the crossbar twice and youngster Rocco Reitz had a great game too.
That’s all for the first professional football game of 2025. Do you agree with the observations? Tell us what you think in the comments below!
Looking for more thoughts and analysis of Bayern Munich’s 1-0 win over Gladbach? Awesome, then react to the victory with us on the Bavarian Podcast Works — Postgame Show! The episode is available on Patreon, Spotify, or below:
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