FC Bayern successfully passed the dress rehearsal before the Champions League duel against Frankfurt. An accurate Harry Kane and a nice counterattack ensured a 2-1 win. The mood is still clouded before the Madrid clash.
FC Bayern coach Thomas Tuchel said before the 31st Bundesliga matchday that the game against Frankfurt would in no way serve as a test match or dress rehearsal for the Champions League semi-final against Real Madrid. On the one hand, you would find a completely different opponent with a completely different style of play and completely different rooms. On the other hand: “We need the points. We will be there 100 percent,” explained Tuchel in a press conference, in which he also demanded that the “secondary noise” around the club be reduced to a minimum in this phase of the season.
“Coaching honor violated” – Hoeneß causes a scandal
His request was forfeited just a few hours later. Uli Hoeneß caused such a big bang on Friday evening that his public criticism of the coach – Tuchel did not want and could not develop young players – was not just background noise, but quickly became a deafening thunderstorm. Before the game, Tuchel felt compelled to publicly contradict Hoeneß and state that he felt “his coaching honor was violated.”
Tuchel rotates ahead of clash with Madrid
Tuchel’s second prediction was also outdated relatively quickly. Although his players showed a concentrated performance, they were not “100 percent”. Not only because there were three players in the starting line-up – Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting, Noussair Mazraoui and Thomas Müller – who it is at least questionable whether they will also play against Madrid on Tuesday. On the other hand, it was clear to the Munich team that the much more important game on Tuesday was on their minds and not all duels were carried out with full risk.
And so it’s not entirely unheard of to draw at least a few conclusions for Real Madrid from this duel with Frankfurt. Because just as FC Bayern were able to switch gears in individual situations, they will probably want to do the same in the Champions League semi-finals. The first quick Munich counterattack took place in the fifth minute. In the 5th minute, via Raphaël Guerreiro and Choupo-Moting, the ball landed in the penalty area at the feet of Müller, who, however, missed slightly.
Counterattack, Kane and Köllner Keller – Munich wins against Frankfurt
A little later, full-time goalgetter Harry Kane did much better. Konrad Laimer had sniffed out an imprecise Frankfurt pass, aggressively intercepted the ball and carried it through the advanced Frankfurt backline, then handed it to Kane on a silver platter. The Englishman made it 1-0 (9th).
And FC Bayern certainly wouldn’t complain about the result of Kane’s second goal on Tuesday. Completely unnecessarily, Frankfurt’s Robin Koch was carried away with an elbow strike against Müller, which referee Daniel Schlager punished with a yellow card and a penalty after looking at the screen. Kane didn’t miss this opportunity either and scored his 35th goal of the season with the 2-1 (61st minute).
Laimer and De Ligt were replaced with an injury
But then there were the negative sides of this game: The goal conceded came after a series of behaviors that FC Bayern definitely shouldn’t have allowed themselves against Real Madrid: an inaccurate pass from Manuel Neuer in the build-up game was followed by passive duel behavior from Müller and Laimer , which Hugo Ekitiké took advantage of for a beautiful long-range shot that sailed into the net next to Neuer (23′).
And then there were injuries: Konrad Laimer had to go out after just 28 minutes. Matthijs de Ligt, who required lengthy treatment after a challenge, was substituted at half-time. Kane’s knee also bent awkwardly to the side when he was pressed (66′), but fortunately the Englishman was able to continue playing.
Real Madrid is just around the corner: it will be a different game
There was no great resistance from Frankfurt in the final phase. So FC Bayern was able to conserve their energy a little with this 2-1 win. One thing is clear: the game against Real on Tuesday will require significantly more energy. Not just physically, but also mentally. It is our wish for Thomas Tuchel and his team that the injured players recover quickly – and that the background noise that hits them in the coming days at least doesn’t come from within their own ranks. And that all the players are so relaxed about the hustle and bustle around the club, like Thomas Müller. When asked about Hoeneß’s statements, he tried his best Oliver Kahn imitation on the BR microphone, disguised his voice, squeezed out a laugh and said: “I don’t give a damn.”
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Source: Today in the stadium April 27, 2024 – 3:05 p.m
