Dhis top game was a brief pleasure. For Leverkusen anyway; Bayer fell behind after just 180 seconds and was 0: 5 goals after 37 minutes. But for others too, the time they were allowed to spend on Sunday afternoon at the Bundesliga soccer summit was tight. Referee Sven Jablonski waived stoppage time both in the first and in the second half due to the clear balance of power. After exactly 90 minutes, the matter was official: FC Bayern won 5-1 at Bayer Leverkusen.
Because the game after the goals of Robert Lewandowski (3rd and 30th), Thomas Müller (34th) and Serge Gnabry (35th and 37th) at the latest after the overwhelming seven minutes of Bayern, which led to the 7: 1 of the German When the national team in the World Cup semi-final against Brazil was decided, coach Julian Nagelsmann had no inhibitions about replacing a strong player early on. Alphonso Davies left in the 40th minute because he felt a “slight pain” in his thigh. “We hope he’s lucky,” said the coach. “We have to see if it will be enough by Wednesday.”
Even if there was no more Munich goal after the break – instead Patrik Schick (55th) scored the consolation goal for Leverkusen, who were inferior in all respects – the situation in the duel between the second and the first in the table was clarified surprisingly early. “The first half was gigantic,” said Joshua Kimmich at the DAZN streaming service. And the winner’s coach was hardly to be disagreed with when it came to Nagelsmann’s subjective view: “We still had a chance of scoring the sixth, seventh or eighth goal in the first half,” he said.
Big problem at Leverkusen
His Leverkusen counterpart Gerardo Seoane also recognized the discrepancy in the teams’ performances without any problems. “We weren’t up to par, especially in the first half. They showed us why they are the best team in Germany, ”said the Bayer coach. His goalkeeper Lukas Hradecky was happy that he didn’t concede more goals. “We have to ask ourselves if everyone gave everything,” he said. Despite the bitter bankruptcy, the team was cheered by the fans after the game. “We didn’t deserve the atmosphere in the stadium today,” said Hradecky.
Rarely has it been more obvious in a game at this level where a team’s problem lies. Leverkusen missed its three defensive midfielders Julian Baumgartlinger, who had to take a long break after a knee injury at the end of August, Robert Andrich (suspension after being sent off) and Charles Aranguiz (calf problems). In his need, Seoane set up the actually more offensive Kerem Demirbay and Nadiem Amiri – and opened the door to Bayern, who had identified this possible weak point before the game and acted accordingly.
Müller, Gnabry, Leroy Sané cavorted again and again with a lot of space in the back of Demirbay and Amiri, some of whom no longer knew which gaps in the defensive they should have closed. Because the Leverkusen defensive chain did not advance and support them, Bayern had an easy game. Pass, acceptance, turn and the next chance to score was not far away. The dilemma was so clear that it was astonishing that the Bayer coach didn’t react earlier. During the break he switched to a five-man chain with an offensive outside; that helped, but it was too late.
Munich are now first again after Borussia Dortmund took their place away for 24 hours by defeating Mainz 05 on Saturday. Bayern’s factual lead is only one point, but it feels like it’s more after the show of force. And again the question arises in the Bundesliga: Who should stop this powerful series champion on a long stretch of 34 games? In addition to Davies, Nagelsmann also switched to Goretzka (46th), Müller and Lewandowski (both 64th) and Süle (72nd) because he could afford it.
Even if Bayern have been the undisputed gold standard in the Bundesliga for almost a decade, challenges await. The Champions League preliminary round – on Wednesday it goes to Benfica Lisbon – is not included, but from the round of 16 things will come to a head in the premier class for the German dominator. Last season, when the Paris quarter-finals marked the end of all dreams for decimated Bavarians, showed that a little bad luck with injuries can quickly lead to turbulence there too. In addition, there was the sensational end in the DFB Cup in Kiel.
At the moment, there are no personnel worries in Munich. That could change, and not just if Davies’ injury turns out to be more serious. Lucas Hernández has to appear before the criminal court in Madrid on Tuesday. He faces six months’ imprisonment. The French are a pillar in the defense. A long-term absence would leave the Bavarian squad, which is not well-filled in terms of quantity, with a sensitive vacancy. So there is probably only one answer to the question of what should stop Bayern: The failure of important players in crucial games.
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