The turn of the year at FC Bayern actually went the way it was wanted. Still in all three competitions, group winners in the Champions League and, at the last minute, also autumn champions of the Bundesliga. Yesterday’s kick-off succeeded with a 5-2 win against Mainz. What reads well, however, revealed the two problems that haunted Munich for some time.
It has been a few months since the completely improvised Bayern defense caused enthusiasm. The retired Jérome Boateng formed the headquarters with David Alaba, Alphonso Davies and Benjamin Pavard played big on the outside. The reward: The final of the Champions League was zero, although it was against superstars like Neymar and Mbappé. They wanted to convince defensively again in the new season. After 14 games in the Bundesliga you almost have to pull out your calculator, because an impressive 21 goals have already been conceded! For comparison: Bielefeld, who has been promoted to the relegation place, has hardly any more with 24 goals.
Constantly 0: 1
Bayern cannot rest defensively. Davies is only playing solidly, Pavard is out of shape, Alaba seems unable to concentrate. Speaking of unfocused, Bayern fans will be thinking right now: Why don’t we start with a 0: 1? In the last EIGHT games, Munich always caught a deficit, regardless of whether the opponents were Dortmund, Stuttgart, Bremen or Mainz. Against the 05ers yesterday, Sunday, they even got double duped and went into the dressing room with a 2-0 draw. Incidentally, none of these eight games was lost, five times there were even three points. Nevertheless, Bayern have been warning for weeks: This chasing after costs strength that will probably no longer be available in the hot phase of the season. If the FCB pulls on the belt, the opponents have no chance, but if you continue to be sleepy at half-time, it should not be enough to catch up at some point.
Photo: Peter Schatz / Imago
