For the first time in 21 years, FC Bayern Munich went without a win in four consecutive Bundesliga games. After seven matchdays, the record champions have fewer points than they did last time in the 2010/11 season. A look at the statistics shows the problems.
An the first three match days, FC Bayern clearly dominated their competitors. The victories against Frankfurt (6:1), Wolfsburg (2:0) and Bochum (7:0) made a convincing impression. Sports director Hasan Salihamidzic (45) even said: “If you look at our training sessions, they are really better than some Bundesliga games.”
Just three weeks later, this sentence sounds like it came from another era. For the first time in 21 years, Bayern have not won four times in a row in the league (back then under Ottmar Hitzfeld even six games, Dortmund became champion) and are fifth in the Bundesliga table. Twelve points after seven rounds is their worst record in twelve years (eight points under champion coach Louis van Gaal, who was sacked after round 29 of the 2010/11 season). And now coach Julian Nagelsmann is suddenly under criticism.
Good times, bad times: Thomas Müller made his big breakthrough at FC Bayern under Louis van Gaal in 2010
Quelle: pa/Press photo ULMER/Claus Cremer
A look at the statistics shows: Bayern dominated the game against every opponent, had more and more possession of the ball, always had the better rate of tackles and played far fewer bad passes. The big problem is converting opportunities.
Not a single Bayern goal after a cross
- Bayern have had a total of 95 shots on goal in the past four games without a win. After all, 39 landed on the box. But only four also in the network. The four opponents only managed a third of the shots on goal (32) in the games, but they made five goals out of it. On the first three match days, Bayern still had 69 shots on goal for 15 goals.
- The champions haven’t scored a single goal from a cross this season. Last season there were eight goals in 34 games from crosses, three of which were scored by former striker Robert Lewandowski (33).
- In the 0-1 draw in Augsburg, Bayern remained completely without a goal for the first time in 87 league games in a row with at least one goal. This has never happened before under Nagelsmann.
- There is often talk of great competition within the team. So far, players who came into play from the bench have only attracted limited attention. In the league there was only one joker goal (Serge Gnabry). Last season there were a total of eleven joker goals on 34 match days.
Lately without luck: Sadio Mané and Thomas Müller
Which: REUTERS
- Star access Sadio Mané (30/bought by Liverpool FC for 32 million) has been waiting for a goal for five competitive games. He has never touched the ball more than 43 times in a league game. So far he hasn’t really been involved in the offensive game.
- Leroy Sané (26) has had 29 shots in the league but only scored twice. Even as a preparer, his statistics can be improved: only one goal and one big chance he played straight away.
- In the last four Bundesliga games, Bayern have not scored a goal through a genuine striker. It’s only four striker goals all season.
After the 0:1 in Augsburg, the players and Nagelsmann rightly pointed out that the bankruptcy was a result of a lack of opportunities. The danger, however, is that this is already a pattern. It certainly wasn’t a one-off slip-up.
