The Easter Bunny arrived, but instead of sweets, he brought an amazing comeback to Bayern Munich after being two goals down, even better.
Tough game, impressive comeback
Fans hoping for a pleasant return from the international break would have been bitterly disappointed after a disappointing performance from Bayern, but it was expected for a number of reasons.
Advertisement
Firstly, after international breaks, Bayern’s machine often needs a little oil to get back to its original, smooth state. Secondly, ahead of a match as momentous as Real Madrid in the Champions League quarter-finals, Vincent Kompany was always going to have a heavily rotated team against Freiburg, turning what was originally going to be a well-oiled machine into one that was rusty at best. Thirdly, Vincent Kompany emphasized that Bayern were fully focused on Freiburg, but when Madrid is lurking just a few days later, can you really be fully focused on what is in front of you?
The combination of the international break, squad rotation and anticipation of the Champions League turned out to be Bayern’s biggest challenges, but The record master showed why they can never be counted out, producing what could be their best comeback of the season.
Bayern did not deserve to win
Don’t get me wrong, I’m delighted that Bayern won, but it’s not often that they have been an inferior team throughout this season; against Freiburg they were.
Advertisement
After what appeared to be a good start, Freiburg took full control of the game. He Breisgau-Brazilian found the perfect balance between a suffocating high press, which squeezed out the errors of a disjointed Bayern, and a disciplined low block that nullified The Recordmeister opportunities in transition. The result was a dominant performance that could have easily seen Bayern concede three goals or more.
Bayern’s power off the bench was enough to save them at the end of the day, but Freiburg will surely regret leaving without a single point.
The result never mattered
But expecting anything less than a victory in the almighty Bayen Munich is a sin! Well then call me a sinner.
Advertisement
Kompany can continue to say that all the attention is on Freiburg, but coming into the game with a nine-point lead in the Bundesliga, a B team littered with one or two starters and a quarter-final against the most successful Champions League team of all time on the horizon, the priority is clear, and that’s fine. Furthermore, there was only one real result that mattered in this game: 0 injuries. And Bayern managed to escape that fate.
Now let’s hope the rest was worth it by crushing Madrid in front of their fans at the Bernabéu on Tuesday.
This Bayern squad needs a spring cleaning
At times this season, Leon Goretzka and Raphaël Guerreiro have proven their worth as reliable depth pieces for Bayern. The problem: rarity between occasions seems to be increasing.
Advertisement
Goretzka and Guerreiro were nothing more than position markers against Freiburg. They didn’t necessarily do anything bad, they didn’t necessarily do anything good, they just didn’t do anything.
While Goretzka and Guerreiro will serve their purpose for the rest of the season, Bayern are making the right decision by moving the pair out of contract this summer. The vacancies left by Goretzka and the departure of Guerreiro could provide an excellent opportunity to bring more academy talent into the first-team set-up, a feat Kompany has enjoyed this season.
Speaking of…
Tom Bischof’s moment is not later, it is now
All season, Tom Bischof, one of Bayern’s best talents, has been out of position, plugging the ever-emerging holes in a paper-thin team.
Advertisement
Against Freiburg, Bischof not only showed that he deserves to be on the field more often, but that he also deserves to play in his preferred position, an opportunity that I hope he gets considering Goretzka’s upcoming departure.
Quick observations
-
Freiburg should have scored at least three more goals.
-
Johan Manzambi is always a threat against Bayern.
-
Congratulations to Noah Atubolu, the youngster made some impressive saves.
-
I couldn’t help but shout “corner taken quickly” watching the highlights of Tom Bischof’s second goal.
-
Alphonso Davies coming off the bench to provide an assist was fantastic.
-
The difference in quality between Bayern’s A team and B team is alarming.
If you’re looking for more coverage of Bayern Munich and the German national team, check out the latest episodes of Bavarian Podcast Works, which you can get on Acast, Spotify, Apple or any leading podcast distributor…
Join the conversation!
Register for a user account and get:
-
New improved notification system!
-
Comment on articles, community posts.
-
Recording comments, community posts