Bayern Win Tight Match Against Gladbach | OneFootball

Bayern were finally back in action following the winter break Saturday as they travelled to face Borussia Mönchengladbach in the penultimate Bundesliga mach of the Hinrunde.

Vincent Kompany was forced into several changes due to missing players lining up with Manuel Neuer, Konrad Laimer, Eric Dier, Kim MinJae, Alphonso Davies, Joshua Kimmich, Leon Goretzka, Michael Olise, Thomas Müller, Leroy Sané and Harry Kane.

Three Things We Noticed

A Little Rusty

Bayern had a mixed day all around. The first half they largely dominated the match. Gladbach did their best to create some chances and did manage a few fleeting moments but they largely allowed Bayern to control possession.

Bayern were able to get themselves into dangerous positions relatively often early on but saw several chances saved by Moritz Nicolas who had a fantastic night. Unfortunately, even more were ruined by unforced errors, usually the result of misplaced passes.

A lot of their play today felt just a little off. The run a second too late. The pass a little behind. A shot a touch too late. Noticing an attacker running a second too late.

These are likely just caused by rust from the winter break, however it was extremely frustrating to watch on the night. Hopefully, this will straighten itself out quickly but if not, the next few games could be interesting.

Depth

Today also highlighted that this team, is both very deep at certain positions and really not at others. On the offensive side, Bayern were able to fill in for Jamal Musiala relatively easily. Müller stepped in and played very well for 60 minutes. Kingsley Coman and Serge Gnabry inserted into the lineup as well replacing Sané and Olise.

However, the defense is still very thin. Bayern were left with just two central defenders in Kim and Dier, the latter of which showed once again why he should not be relied upon as more than a fourth option. As well as he played last season under Tuchel’s more risk averse system, he is often completely exposed under Kompany’s more aggressive style.

Hopefully, Hiroki Itō will make his way back from injury soon and provide that third option that Bayern desperately need but the injury history this season certainly suggests that the defensive side of the ball is a point of potential concern that they could stand to strengthen.

Finding a Way

I’ve often talked about how important it is to find ways to win when you don’t play well. It is one of the most important things to do in sports and gives you more confidence going forward.

Today was one of those days. Bayern didn’t play particularly well. They had a lot of things go against them. The referee was terrible (for both sides in fairness). Yet at the end of the day, they still found a way.

And despite the narrative that seems to be circulating the social media outlets at the moment, winning these matches, not the “big ones” are really what make the difference in the season. Yes they can’t really afford to lose to the likes of Leverkusen and Dortmund but they also don’t have to win those matches either to win the league.

Winning against a team that has consistently given you a difficult time for the last decade, away from home, right after the winter break on a night when the weather turns is not an easy task. They managed to do that and in my opinion, that is why I think Bayern will win the Bundesliga this season.