Bayern Player-by-Player Review: Diaz and Neuer Make Headlines Twice | OneFootball

FC Bayern wins its friendly match against Aston Villa in Hong Kong 2–1. The Bayern stars in the FCBinside player-by-player review.

Manuel Neuer: Had absolutely nothing to do for a long time. He had no chance against Gomez’s spectacular goal. Shortly afterward, he secured the victory with an absolutely brilliant save—and the entire stadium cheered as loudly as if a goal had been scored. Grade: 2.

Sacha Boey: As a right back, he wasn’t really tested, but he still failed to create any pressure going forward. Grade: 4.

Jonathan Tah: Put in a solid performance as the defensive leader. A commanding display. Grade: 3.

Minjae Kim: Scored the 1-0 goal for Bayern with a header. Defensively, he was strong in one-on-one situations and made no mistakes. Grade: 2.

Photo: Getty Images

Nathaniel Brown: Made his first start for Bayern—on the left side of the defense. In the second half, Brown took over the No. 10 role from Laimer after he was substituted. Brown wasn’t able to create anything in that position, though. He did try hard, however. Grade: 3.

Aleksandar Pavlovic: Provided one of Bayern’s few highlights in the first half: Pavlovic outwitted his opponent with a neat feint and then fired off a dangerous shot—but Villa goalkeeper Bizot made the save. Apart from that, Pavlovic was composed on the ball and played clean passes. Kompany substituted him out after about an hour. Grade: 3.

Tom Bischof: Tried his luck with a long-range shot in the first half, but the ball went wide. Bischof set up Kim’s 1-0 goal with his free kick. He worked hard in central midfield and covered a lot of ground. However, he failed to make a decisive impact. Grade: 3.

Tim Binder: The 19-year-old played on the right wing. Binder is dangerous with the ball at his feet, and the youngster showed off a few dangerous dribbles. However, this didn’t result in any goals. Grade: 3.

Konrad Laimer: Started at the “10” position—where he also played for Austria during the World Cup. He squandered a good opportunity with a wayward pass. Otherwise, Laimer was largely ineffective in this unfamiliar position. He was substituted at halftime. Grade: 4.

Maycon Cardozo: Was largely ineffective. He was never able to break through the Villa defense. Grade: 4.

Photo: Getty Images

Arijon Ibrahimovic: Had two chances early in the game: one was blocked and the other went just wide. He had another opportunity in the second half on a follow-up shot after Stanisic’s attempt—but Bizot cleared it with his foot. As a center forward, Ibrahimovic is certainly not a long-term solution. Grade: 4.

Substitutes:

Josip Stanisic (46′ for Laimer): Took over the left side of defense, with Brown moving up to the number 10 position. Stanisic had a good scoring opportunity, but goalkeeper Bizot was able to make the save. Grade: 3.

Luis Diaz (63’ for Cardozo): The Colombian is an absolute fan favorite in Asia. Every time he touched the ball, cheers erupted in the stadium. With his spectacular goal to make it 2–1, Diaz then sparked a celebration in Hong Kong—with the roof closed, the crowd got really loud. Rating: 2.

Hiroki Ito (63′, for Kim): Took over the left side of defense, with Brown moving up to the number 10 position. Ito defended attentively. Grade: 3.

Joao Palhinha (63′ for Pavlovic): Aston Villa is reportedly interested in him. In his brief appearance, which lacked any major highlights, he was unable to make much of an impression. In stoppage time, he tried his luck with a relatively harmless long-range shot. Grade: 4.

Bastian Assomo (77′ for Brown): Came on too late to be evaluated.

Filip Pavic (77′ for Tah): Came on too late to be evaluated.

Guido Della Rovere (80′ for Boey): Came on too late to be rated.

Here you can give the Bayern stars your own ratings for the match against Aston Villa:

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Here’s how the player rating tool works on FCBinside: After every FC Bayern game, fans can rate any player who appeared in the match and played at least 15 minutes. The grading scale ranges from 1 to 6. A 1 represents a very good performance, while a 6 represents an unsatisfactory performance—just like on a school report card.