If you watched only the first half of Bayern Munich’s 3-2 victory at VfL Wolfsburg on Sunday with us on ESPN+, you’ll rightly wonder how on earth the Rekordmeister got itself into deep trouble. Why, in coach Vincent Kompany’s first Bundesliga match in charge, was there such a genuine risk of dropping points after a first-half stroll that saw domination to the tune of eight shots to one?
The answers lie in a journey back to last season’s wobbles.
Kim Min-Jae, in particular, has shown himself to be not properly adapted to the different demands of the Bayern game versus what he experienced as a deeper-sitting defender in Serie A. At Bayern, the central defenders’ starting positions are higher than they were for Kim at Napoli, and when Wolfsburg coordinated their pressing in the second half, the South Korea international looked more than mildly bothered by it all, especially in the lead up to the concession of the second Lovro Majer goal.
Kompany, an accomplished defender in his time, is better placed than most to sort out the leaky Bayern defence, although one suspects the this will remain a somewhat wobbly area of the Bayern side, one now shorn of Matthijs de Ligt. Dayot Upamecano remains a talented player with tremendous recovery pace, but partnerships and matching personalities are everything in a back four, and neither Upamecano nor Kim wear the look of a true defensive leader.
It’s not without good cause that former manager Thomas Tuchel seemed to prefer the more modest Eric Dier — signed purely as a cover player — to any of his more expensive alternatives.
The reason for Sunday’s initial second-half slump can’t all be placed at the door of the centre-backs, however. Sacha Boey was the guilty party when we assess the penalty award for Wolfsburg. It’s a pity because the former Galatasaray man played lovely attacking football before the break, setting up the opener for Jamal Musiala and forging a fine understanding with Michael Olise on the right flank.
Bayern are not blessed with wide-ranging options defensively right now, and the problem has began exacerbated by the medium-term knee injury absence of Josip Stanisic. This is why Jonathan Tah has been front and centre as a signing target. The need for a commanding player in this sector of the pitch hasn’t gone away.
It’s right to ask — as ESPN colleague Archie Rhind-Tutt asked Harry Kane — if the Wolfsburg game falls in the category of a match Bayern would have lost or perhaps drawn last season?
I think there’s a strong case that it would have gone the wrong way. The players from middle to front — including Kane, who was superb, and Thomas Müller off the bench with written instructions from the coaching staff parked in his shorts — excelled.
Müller is now on his own as club record holder with 474 Bayern appearances in the Bundesliga. There are times when individual qualities shine through over tactics and this game was one such example, allied to Bayern gumption that Müller himself personifies.
Serge Gnabry also merits a special mention. A player mostly in the injury doldrums last season, he more than anyone got into position to trouble the Wolfsburg defence and it was fitting that he bagged the 82nd-minute winner.
Gnabry can consider himself unfortunate not to have received a call from Bundestrainer Julian Nagelsmann.
Last Friday’s Bundesliga Eröffnungsspiel (official opener) between Borussia Monchengladbach and Bayer Leverkusen was electric to commentate on from the atmospheric Borussia Park, and the two sides produced memorable fare. Unfortunately at the end of a thrilling game, VAR was the loudest, most strident actor, constantly inserting itself into the proceedings resulting in lengthy delays and to the chagrin of Gladbach with every decision seemingly going against die Fohlenelf.
The biggest discussion point was saved until the very end with Leverkusen chasing one of their by-now-trademark last-gasp wins. Ko Itakura appeared to play the ball in challenging against Amine Adli inside the box and only later caught the foot of the Morocco international.
Referee Robert Schröder in real time opined no penalty but later changed his mind after the trot over to the review area. The head of DFB referees, Knut Kircher, then said on Sunday it was a decision in the grey zone and therefore on that basis shouldn’t have been reviewed.
I must admit it was nice here in Germany this week to have two midweek DFB-Pokal games to watch without the VAR factor, but we’re naive if we think it’s going to suddenly be removed by Europe’s top leagues some day soon.
The front page of the twice weekly German football magazine Kicker carried the Thursday headline “Reyna greift aufs Neue an” (“Reyna attacks afresh”).
Giovanni Reyna and Borussia Dortmund: the topic I probably hear from casual American Bundesliga watchers most about, sometimes even being blamed in the past for not vocally pointing out the sheer “injustice” of Reyna constantly being overlooked by former BVB coach Edin Terzic. Dortmund fans here in Germany have rarely viewed it that way, incidentally.
Reyna has said in the past that there is no moving up from Dortmund, and his Nottingham Forest loan experience from January on last season was far from an ideal fit.
Sporting chief Sebastian Kehl’s comments this week that Reyna likely still has a role at the club — albeit as a squad player, not a star — represent reality. There is huge competition at BVB, but at the same time, die Dreifachbelastung (the burden of three competitions, including a more bloated UEFA Champions League) gives opportunities.
As Kehl noted, “There are enough games where we’ll need him and we know he has incredible capabilities,” while adding that Reyna has worked on his stability and his Ausstrahlung (his on-pitch appearance, maturity and aura).
United States men’s national team fans perhaps need to be more accepting of the situation. There’s a common German expression, “das Leben ist kein Wunschkonzert,” which effectively means you don’t always get what you want in life.
Here is the positive: Reyna remains at a top club and is in the position of valued challenger in a crowded field with everything to gain, plus a new coach in Nuri Sahin. Would it really be better for him to step down into a lesser league than fight for a place among the best?
If Reyna himself sees this as the correct path for himself and his career, who’s to say he’s wrong?
