A minute after the final whistle, the two lay in each other’s arms, goalkeeper Manuel Neuer and his close friend Toni Tapalovic, world goalkeeping coach at Bayern. Finally, Neuer had once again not conceded a goal in a Bundesliga game, the first time in three months and twelve match days. Finally it was zero again, finally Neuer had set the long-term record of his future CEO Oliver Kahn, 196 games without conceding a goal. However, Neuer seemed relieved above all because Bayern just won 1-0 in Augsburg. The Bavarians had put themselves in trouble, once again.
The game in the first half was the best they had seen in a long time. Well thought-out player openings, controlled combinations along the Alaba-Kimmich-Müller-Lewandowski axis, plus the lively wingers Serge Gnabry and Kingsley Coman on the outside. Augsburg as an opponent helpless and overwhelmed, a lot at Bayern reminded of the dominance of the previous triple season. The record of shots on goal after 45 minutes: Augsburg 0, Bayern 15. The only problem: The champions only scored once, with a penalty from Robert Lewandwoski. “If we go into half-time 3-0,” said Joshua Kimmich later, “nobody should have complained.” Not even with an even higher intermediate result.
But with the restart came the break. Nothing worked anymore, the Bavarians completely out of the picture, erratic, haphazard, ill-considered. The statistics of the second half: 9-2 shots on goal for Augsburg, including a penalty after a handball by Benjamin Pavard, which Alfred Finnbogason heaved against the post. In view of the bar hit by Freiburg’s Nils Petersen, who saved Munich a 2-1 win in stoppage time three days earlier, the realization remains that in a complicated season, at least Bayern’s dud can be relied on again. Also positive after the final whistle was the news that Robert Lewandowski’s brief unrest should not be serious.
Lewandowski gave the all-clear
The center forward had already reported a pinch in his back thigh to his coach on Wednesday morning, but insisted on a mission because he said he could control the strain well. Flick agreed, with the request that he should contact me immediately if it no longer worked. Which Lewandowski did after 65 minutes. The following substitution was nothing more than a safety measure, as Flick later said. And so overall satisfaction with the current situation outweighed the Bavarians.
Autumn champions with four points ahead of Leipzig, seven on Leverkusen, ten on Dortmund: Bayern couldn’t have done that much wrong. At least fewer mistakes than the competition. And yet the team has to improve in order to finally dominate and control an entire game again, so as not to give rise to doubts about their own superiority and to give the opponent hope. On Wednesday in Augsburg they didn’t seem to understand why they couldn’t make it. “We have to talk about that,” said Kimmich, Flick said: “We have to work on that.” Neuer explained: “We were probably too sure about half-time.” Statements that had been heard over and over again in the past few weeks just like that.
In the second half of the season, FC Bayern doesn’t just have to worry about the style of play, but also about personnel policy beyond the season: especially when it comes to reinforcements in the defense. David Alaba’s farewell seems sealed, even Hansi Flick, who was still betting on his head of defense until the end, has given up hope. “We don’t know where we’re headed,” Flick said on Tuesday, “it is clear that the club will then of course have to and will bring another player.” And probably not just one. Jérôme Boateng’s contract expires this summer, whereabouts are unclear. Niklas Süle (contract until 2022) has been struggling with his form for months, it is possible that it will pull him away after the season. Lucas Hernández (until 2024), on Wednesday back on the field for the first time in the calendar year, flirted with a farewell in the fall of 2021, should it be difficult as in his first season. The other personal details: Alphonso Davies, far from the shape of the previous season. And Benjamin Pavard in the back on the right is not going.
In the winter, Hasan Salihamidžić saw no reason to commit, he said that they were in a good position. That will have to change in summer. Then you need better purchases than in the past. The business may have been difficult in view of the uncertain transfer market in Corona times in 2020: Apart from the slowly increasing Leroy Sané, the other newcomers Bouna Sarr, Marc Roca, Eric-Maxim Choupo-Moting and Douglas Costa fell significantly compared to the regular staff and overall through. As an alternative to be taken seriously, she cannot use Flick, unlike last year players like Thiago, Ivan Perisic, Philippe Coutinho. Players who are sorely missed.
In contrast to the hectic pre-season with the Champions League final tournament in August and the start of the season in September, Bayern now have enough time to plan for the coming season and beyond. You should make good use of the time.
