Three insights after Augsburg: This Bayern defeat was coming | OneFootball

FC Bayern suffered their first defeat of the current Bundesliga season, losing 2-1 to FC Augsburg at the Allianz Arena – despite leading until the 75th minute. FCBinside provides three key takeaways from the derby

The squad is at its limit

photo: IMAGO

The experiment with the deliberately lean squad worked for a long time, but the limits were ruthlessly exposed for the first time against FC Augsburg. Seven games in 20 days, plus a conspicuous accumulation of injuries and illnesses – FC Bayern looks tired. Unlike in recent weeks, it lacked the strength in the final phase to make a decisive comeback

While Munich regularly showed a different face in the second half against Wolfsburg, Leipzig and Cologne, it was no longer possible to make a leap in performance against Augsburg. FCA kept the tempo high for 90 minutes, defended aggressively and benefited from the fact that Bayern were unable to add to their physical strength. Joshua Kimmich summed it up aptly after the game when he admitted that FCB „didn’t look as fresh“ this time as they had recently

Six absentees – including Stanisic, Laimer, Gnabry, Guerreiro, Boey and Upamecano – forced Vincent Kompany to improvise again. Alphonso Davies had to defend on the right. In addition, returnees such as Jamal Musiala and Davies are still not at 100 per cent even after long injury lay-offs. The strain on personnel can no longer be ignored

Lennart Karl experiences his first slump

photo: IMAGO

Lennart Karl is one of the big winners at FC Bayern this season. The 17-year-old has played his way from campus to the first team at an impressive pace and has already made 27 appearances with nine scoring points. But it became clear against Augsburg that even an exceptional talent is not immune to fluctuations in form

After his goal against Cologne and the turbulent discussions surrounding his statements about Real Madrid, Karl initially seemed stable in sporting terms. In the games against Leipzig, Saint-Gilloise and now Augsburg, however, he remained conspicuously pale. Against FCA, he lacked precision and penetration, instead losing the ball and performing imprecise actions. In 56 ball contacts, Karl lost the ball 15 times and failed to dribble successfully

The real problem lies less with the player himself than with the overall situation. Kompany currently lacks the alternatives to give Karl targeted breaks. The attacking player seems overplayed – a completely normal process in his first full professional season. But this is precisely where it becomes clear once again how thin the squad is in terms of width

The offensive engine is stuttering

photo: IMAGO

Not only Karl, but the other attacking players did not have a good day against Augsburg either. Harry Kane often dropped deep to get the game going, but remained surprisingly pale in the process. With just 33 touches and two shots on target, the Englishman exuded unusually little danger

Luis Díaz caused a stir in the first half but was denied by FCA keeper Finn Dahmen in the 26th minute. In total, the Colombian lost the ball 17 times from 75 touches and was almost completely absent after the break. Michael Olise, who set up Hiroki Ito’s 1-0 with a powerful corner, also struggled to get a grip on the game after that. Only one of five dribbles was successful, 25 ball losses from 89 touches underlined his poor afternoon. Olise was also unlucky in stoppage time when his shot hit the crossbar

Ultimately, it was a game in which many cogs did not mesh. FC Bayern not only lost its streak, but also a bit of self-evidence. The defeat against Augsburg seems like a timely warning signal – for the coaching staff, the squad planners and a team that has often only needed one strong half to decide games.