Bayern’s Winless Run In The Bundesliga Could Be A Signpost For Success
Bayern’s Winless Run In The Bundesliga Could Be A Signpost For Success. Bayern Munich’s 0-3 defeat on Saturday marked their worst ever start to a Bundesliga calendar, while they have just 12 points from a possible 21. They are no longer worried, though given that Mane and Co. are still part of the first-team squad.
Bayern started the season aggressively with a 6-1 victory against Bundesliga champions RB Leipzig, followed by 2-0 and 7-0 victories over their opponents Wolfsburg and Bochum. However, coach Carlo Ancelotti’s careful and disciplined defense proved more competitive than he would have liked in a 1-1 draw against Borussia Mönchengladbach.
Bayern are back in the hunt for the title with eleven matches left, but have dropped points to project leaders in matches against Union Berlin and VfB Stuttgart. There’s a tough game looming against Bayer Leverkusen on Matchday 8 as they look to jump start their title defense.
“It was a great chance, but we missed opportunities,” said Niko Nagelsmann after Bayern Munich failed to score in the first half against Augsburg.
Augsburg fought until the very end and took their chances when they saw them. Unfortunately, the team fell short at crucial points of the game. The team has been unlucky as well with a few opportunities that would’ve ended up in wins.
Nagelsmann is only stating facts that are easily verifiable by many people. Across their previous four games, Bayern’s shot count totalled to 95 shots in total, with the end result being four goals scored from those shots. In the first three games of the post-Robert Lewandowski era, they averaged a goal per every 5.41 shots (15 goals out of 69) and according to Expected Goals (xG), they should be at around five better off now. In other words, they are expected to be 5 goals behind now but have only managed 4 so far.
It’s not surprising that Bayern haven’t been creating more chances recently. The 31-time Bundesliga champions created 13 clear-cut chances against Frankfurt, Wolfsburg and Bochum over the last week. In their last four league matches, they only had six clear-cut opportunites and not one resulted in a goal. They managed to create two goals during the span of those matches, with the first coming from a cross from out wide and the other coming from a set-piece.
Since the start of their streak, Bayern’s output in other areas has decreased. In the three matches before then, they were league leaders in sprints and second in intensive runs. Across the current four-game winless run, it shows a drop of 15 sprinters and 44 intensive runners. The team has been breached once in each of the first three games so far.
The busy schedule ahead of the winter FIFA World Cup in Qatar might be seen as a mitigating factor for Bayern Munich this season. They drew against Gladbach, but won 5-0 against Union Berlin, 2-0 against Inter Milan, and 2-1 against Barcelona in their UEFA Champions League matches before losing 1-2 to Stuttgart and 1-3 away to Augsburg.
Despite the concern from fans about their team’s continuity, FC Bayern won all four games with an aggregate score of 20-4. Bayern, who are facing their first domestic and continental demands simultaneously, found success in other right places as they were able to keep Jamal Musiala out of the pool. Meanwhile, recent signing Matthijs de Ligt got his full debut against Bochum.
For the past three games Bayern have changed the starting line-up six times. Although, during these three games, they’ve been unable to find a consistent winning team. Their new signings, Mane, de Ligt, Ryan Gravenberch and Noussair Mazraoui all need more time to adjust to their new role in the squad. Also, we cannot forget that Lewandowski has been integral in 404 of their 375 competitive matches with his 344 goals. Unfortunately for Bayern Munich, this side will never be replaced like for like.
However, the plethora of attacking movers on the Bayern bench provide much cause for optimism. Both players in midfield – Maxi and Mahmoud Sabah-Sabah are in double digits. Jamaican winger Justin Coman has been praised by coach Niko Kovac; a veritable secret weapon.
After their recent winning streak, Bayern has a team that is just in the process of competing for dominance throughout the year. Their new players are still working to get used to each other and each club’s habits nor are they yet playing at their top levels. Defenders will want to be mindful as Bayern’s offensive power starts to come out as teams attempt to keep up. Opposition clubs will fight it out every game trying not to play into the inevitable form eruption that is coming later down the line.