Bayern Munich looked like they were on course for February elimination, the first since losing to Liverpool in 2019, after going 1-0 down to Celtic with half an hour to go. Alphonso Davies came to the Bavarians’ rescue with a 94th-minute equalizer to send them through on aggregate. Lots to talk about this match.
Vincent Kompany’s squad selection is questionable
This is still a must-win game for Bayern despite holding a 2-1 advantage from the first leg. What does Vincent Kompany do? Start Leon Goretzka and Serge Gnabry, while taking off Harry Kane for the second half to put in Kingsley Coman and put Gnabry at striker. Raphael Guerreiro also worms his way back into the starting lineup after a horrendous outing last time out; apart from his goal line clearance he hasn’t done anything worth noticing. This is all sorts of head-scratching decisions from the Kompany.
The final ball is still lacking
Bayern struggled to get the ball into the final third and when they did, chaos ensued. Chances are created, yes, but the final pass almost never goes to the intended player. When it does, the shot is either blocked or off target. See Joshua Kimmich’s left footed shot, Serge Gnabry’s early chance, and Harry Kane hitting the crossbar (it’s come back to haunt the team again) just before half-time.
If you look at Club Brugge, they were clinical in their match against Atalanta which was down to them being incisive in attack. Something Bayern couldn’t manage.
Alphonso Davies’ extension was justified
Slagging off the team wouldn’t be good, plus that was already done by a lot of fans everywhere so let’s focus on the fact that tying Davies down to an extension was the right thing to do. That is also in no small part thanks to Kompany for getting him back to where he was. Maybe, just maybe, Bayern could play Davies at LW? He did score from that position against Real Madrid last season. Just saying.
