When Borussia Dortmund meets FC Bayern Munich, emotions are guaranteed. This time, too, there was a lot going on in the Signal Iduna Park.
Voices: “Zwayer can throw a few sticks in our way”
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17 HOURS AGO
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Three things we noticed:
1. Spectacle yes, world class well
When Robert Lewandowski did not get the Ballon d’Or on Monday evening, according to some commentators it had to do with the quality of the Bundesliga. 41 goals in one season against the Hoffenheims, Bielefelds and Augsburgs of this world are all well and good, but wouldn’t Lionel Messi score 60 goals there?
The quality of the entire league is certainly not decided in one game. And that the general level of the German top league is not quite as good has been evident for years in the Europa League. But the duel between the two top German teams, which is also the only game that attracts international attention, is always a yardstick.
It is undisputed that the black-yellows and the reds pressed a spectacle onto the lawn and the international TV market. It went back and forth, it went up and down. There were five goals, controversial penalty scenes with the better end for FCB, a yellow-red card for BVB coach Marco Rose, who was also not helped that he was carried away by his assistant coach and: ten minutes of stoppage time. Of course, “Sky” expert Lothar Matthäus also dropped the obligatory “advertising for German football.”
So, football heart, what more do you want? 80,000 spectators, of course. But what else?
FC Bayern narrowly defeated Borussia Dortmund
Fotocredit: Getty Images
Let’s start with less capitalized individual errors. There was no shortage of that in this top game. The bucks of Mats Hummels, Raphael Guerreiro and Dayot Upamecano led directly to goals. But those were just the most obvious. Who remembers, for example, Emre Can’s hair-raising bad pass in his own penalty area at first half?
The scene brings us to the next shortcomings of this game. On the one hand, the poorly controlled possession game, which led Marco Reus to the assessment that it was “an awesome, but also wild game for the spectators”. In the end, both teams had pass rates of around 80 percent (BVB: 77 percent, FCB: 81 percent).
And on the other hand, the very flawed offensive play of both teams. Reus had discovered a lot of spaces in the shift game “that we can play better”. Thomas Müller analyzed correctly, “that we still had four or five actions to lead higher at halftime”.
But both teams left these options behind, confirming the trends of the past few weeks. And then you have to sum up that both BVB and FCB teams have completed such actions better in the past ten years.
And the question of quality is also about international comparison. It is doubtful whether Liverpool FC, Chelsea FC or Manchester City would miss such opportunities to the same extent.
2. Why always Zwayer?
In the end, everyone involved agreed that they would actually much rather talk about football. But it wasn’t that easy after this game. The crucial question for many was: Why was there a hand penalty for Bayern and no penalty for BVB?
Marco Reus was almost shocked according to the pictures: “Oh, my God,” said the BVB captain. In the game, he didn’t see the scene that clearly. Even referee Felix Zwayer had not assessed his duel with Lucas Hernández as clear. And after consulting the VAR in Cologne, it was decided to continue playing.
The game continued when Mats Hummels defended the ball with his elbow after a corner. Zwayer said he had seen the scene, but wasn’t sure if he saw it correctly. Again after consulting the VAR in Cologne, he looked at the scene again and decided on a penalty, which Robert Lewandowski converted into the winning goal. From the point of view of Bayern coach Julian Nagelsmann and Thomas Müller an “undisputed” handball.
From the Dortmunders’ point of view, Zwayer had measured two things – and again in favor of Bayern, as Emre Can complained. You can turn and turn the scenes as you want. And depending on the fan camp, you will probably continue to come to different views.
But in the end, an even bigger question hovers over this topic: Why always Zwayer?
Felix Zwayer (left) showed BVB coach Marco Rose the red card
Fotocredit: Getty Images
The appointment in both camps was viewed critically in advance; both have already had their experiences with it. Among referee observers, the Berliner is not exactly one of the best in his field in Germany. Manuel Graefe, who was retired before this season, even said in the summer: “Anyone who has once accepted money and kept Hoyzer’s manipulation secret for six months should not whistle in professional football.” And further: “The DFB also promotes Zwayer, despite their average performance.”
But it should also be discussed why the DFB Felix Zwayer continues to play in the Bundesliga and then entrusts him with the most important game of the first half of the season.
3. Bavaria’s standards need an upgrade
When ex-Bayern coach Hansi Flick started his job at the DFB, he brought a new man with him: Mads Buttgereit. The Dane is now the special trainer for standards of the German national team. Flick wanted to bring Buttgereit to Bayern, but that didn’t work.
Flick himself was responsible for the standards at the successful 2014 World Cup and thus had a large share in the World Cup title in Brazil. At Bayern there wasn’t much of this quality to be seen during his era. Dormant balls were neglected. Every now and then, however, a free-kick kick or a corner kicked by Joshua Kimmich found success.
Part of the whole truth is that Kimmich’s standards were also far too widely dispersed. Since Kimmich’s absence, the quality of the corners and free kicks has decreased again.
Thomas Müller in a duel with Emre Can
Fotocredit: Getty Images
Bayern have two players in their squad, Robert Lewandowski and Leroy Sané, who are always good for a goal in direct free kicks, but Thomas Müller is currently shooting corners and free kicks.
His former colleague Toni Kroos was surprised by this fact in the game against Bielefeld, when he responded to a tweet from Müller with the one-word question “Corner shooter?” responded. Müller’s answer: “You can often read that with footballers that they are looking for new challenges. I do it differently.”
The standards are also a challenge for coach Julian Nagelsmann and his assistants.
Bayern urgently need an upgrade here.
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