UCL final: The dilemma facing Bayern ahead of PSG showdown
August 21, 2020
Paris Saint-Germain will present Bayern Munich with their sternest test of the season in Sunday’s Champions League final. Hansi Flick’s side have swept all before them, but can they stop Neymar, Mbappe and co?
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/F. Hoermann
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Hansi Flick has a decision to make. Bayern's high-octane style has seen them sweep all before them this season and they reach Sunday’s Champions League final having scored 15 goals in their last three games, on the back of a remarkable 29-game unbeaten run.
Such formidable form is rare going into European football’s showpiece event and Bayern remain the team to beat in Lisbon. Their relentlessness is marked with a flair and style not seen in a Bayern team for a very long time — maybe ever — but their penchant for outscoring their opponents and playing a high defensive line creates weaknesses. It’s just that they haven’t yet faced a team capable of exploiting them.
Wednesday’s semifinal was won by the most ruthless attack. Serge Gnabry and Robert Lewandowski are not the type to look a gift horse in the mouth, whereas the same couldn't be said of Lyon. But Paris Saint-Germain aren’t likely to be as charitable as their compatriots, with Neymar and Kylian Mbappe finding fitness and form at the perfect time and Angel di Maria the maestro directing the orchestra.
The three musketeers: Bayern will have to find a way to stop Neymar, Mbappe and Di Maria.Image: Getty Images/AFP/B. Guay
"Paris are a great team," said Flick. "We know they have quick players and we will have to organize our defense differently, but we know our biggest strength is putting our opponents under pressure."
The question that may have been keeping Flick awake at night is whether he sticks to what he knows or tweaks his tactics to account for the quality of opposition. His comments above suggest a change is in the offing, but Flick’s problem is that Bayern don’t really have another way of playing that doesn’t sacrifice their ability to score almost at will, also reflected in the Bayern coach’s words.
Gnabry and Neuer key
With Flick likely to only make small tweaks to his winning formula, Manuel Neuer’s performance will be critical. Bayern are not suddenly going to start defending deep, which means when Mbappe or Neymar get behind their defense, Neuer will have to sweep like no keeper has ever swept before. His ability to read attacks and time his intervention to perfection will be tested to the limit, with PSG likely to breach Bayern’s defense more than once on Sunday.
Despite Bayern’s Achilles heel, they can take comfort in PSG having concerns of their own — not least a prosaic midfield that lakes dynamism and a lack of balance between defense and attack. Serge Gnabry, who has nine goals in as many Champions League games this season, is the one Bayern player with everything in his repertoire to run PSG ragged, and Flick has been speaking about his quality.
Gnabry and Neuer will be key for Bayern in the Champions League final.Image: Getty Images/C. Ivill
"If you look at the way Serge developed in the last years, not only at Bayern but also in the national team, then you have to say that he is close to world class," Flick said. "He is a dynamic and dangerous goalscorer, so we are happy that he is in our team. He has tremendous quality but I am sure that he is far from the finished product."
Lewandowski’s moment
If there’s one Bayern player who deserves a Champions League winner’s medal, it’s Lewandowski. The striker celebrated his 32nd birthday on Friday and, despite having scored an astounding 55 goals this season, this may be his last shot at European glory.
The Champions League title has always evaded him though. The closest he came was 2013 when he spearheaded the attack in Jürgen Klopp’s Borussia Dortmund team – famously scoring four goals against Real Madrid in the semifinal but losing the final to the team for whom he now plays. With Real Madrid having tried and failed to sign the Pole in the intervening years, this final promises to be a moment of personal vindication.
Lewandowski is simply the best striker in the world, of that there is no doubt. He has waited seven years for this moment and, like Bayern themselves, comes into this final in the form of his life and is desperate to win club football’s biggest prize. The question is whether Bayern and Flick have the answers to the questions PSG will ask.
Bayern Munich reclaim Europe's throne
Bayern Munich produced a Champions League first as they were crowned European champions for a sixth time, beating Paris Saint-Germain in Lisbon. Their latest triumph adds to the Bavarians' storied history in Europe.
Image: Getty Images/AFP/M. Childs
1974: First European title — over Atletico in Brussels
Sepp Maier holds the Cup high as Franz Roth (fourth from right) jumps for joy. Bayern Munich have just won their first European Cup — but they really had to work for it. After the final ended in a 1-1 draw, the teams had to face each other in a replay two days later to decide it. This time Bayern won easily, 4-0.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa
1975: Repeat against Leeds in Paris
No wonder there was a charged atmosphere at the Parc des Princes! Not only did the referee fail to award Leeds a clear penalty after a foul by Bayern's Franz Beckenbauer, but after the English side scored, he called back the goal for no apparent reason. Bayern capitalized with a 2-0 win on goals by Franz Roth and Gerd Müller (right), who is trying to calm down the fiery Billy Bremner.
Image: picture-alliance/empics
1976: Threepeat against St. Etienne in Glasgow
Bayern Munich's third consecutive European Cup final victory isn't exactly a spectacular one either. Opponents St. Etienne had two attempts come back off what was then still a square post at Hampden Park. The photo shows the only goal of the match, as Franz Roth beat Ivan Curkovic with a free kick in the 57th minute to give Bayern the 1-0 victory.
Image: picture-alliance/S. Simon
1982: Losing to Aston Villa
Karl-Heinz Rummenige, Dieter Hoeness and Paul Breitner (left to right) are clearly not amused after Bayern Munich fell to English League champions Aston Villa. This time, luck was not on their side: they dominated play, but Dieter Hoeness' goal was disallowed for no apparent reason. England international Peter Withe scored the only goal Villa would need for the victory.
Image: picture-alliance/S. Simon
1987: Defeat in Vienna
Another bitter European Cup final defeat for Bayern, as the German side blows a 1-0 lead to lose 2-1 to Porto. Having taken the lead on 25 minutes, the Bayern train started to come off the rails with this legendary back-heel goal by Algeria's Rabah Madjer (second from left) in the 77th minute. Four minutes later, Juary would get tthe winner for a 2-1 final for Porto.
Image: picture-alliance/empics
1999: United strike twice in injury time
Bayern Munich's first final of the Champions League era was even more bitter. Up 1-0 for most of the game, Manchester United won a corner as the contest entered injury time and Teddy Sheringham equalized at the death. Incredibly, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer quickly scored a second to win it for United deep into injury time. Bayern captain Stefan Effenberg (right) can't believe what has just transpired.
Image: picture-alliance/ULMER
2001: Valencia vanquished in Milan
Two years later, Bayern Munich were back in the final and this one had a very different outcome. After Bayern and Spanish outfit Valencia remained level at 1-1 following extra time, the match had to be decided on penalties. Goalkeeper Oliver Kahn (holding the trophy aloft) made three saves in the shootout to help Bayern to their first Champions League title.
Image: picture-alliance/ULMER
2010: Milito sinks Bayern in Madrid
Diego Milito (right) spoiled Bayern Munich's evening at the Santiago Bernabeu as their defense simply couldn't contain the Argentine striker. Milito scored both goals in a well-deserved 2-0 win for Inter, who were coached by Jose Mourinho at the time.
Image: Imago
2012: Losing to Chelsea at home
It could hardly have been more bitter than this as Bayern lose to Chelsea in Munich. With the score tied 1-1 after extra time, the match needed to be decided in a shootout. Bayern keeper Manuel Neuer stopped the first penalty, but Chelsea were flawless from then on. Then Ivica Olic was foiled by Chelsea keeper Petr Cech, while Bastian Schweinsteiger (photo) saw his effort come back off the post.
Image: picture alliance/dpa/sampics/S. Matzke
2013: Victory in all-German affair in London
Arjen Robben is the hero in the all-German final at Wembley. The Dutch striker scores the winning goal in the penultimate minute to give the Bayern a 2-1 victory over Borussia Dortmund, then coached by Jürgen Klopp. After having won the Bundesliga and the Champions League, Jupp Heynckes' side would go on to win the German Cup to complete the treble.
Image: AFP/Getty Images/A. Yates
2020: Win against Paris Saint-Germain
At the end of an unprecedented season, Bayern produced an unprecedented success story clinching the club's second treble with their sixth Champions League title. Paris-born Kingsley Coman scored the only goal of the game to close out the finals tournament in Lisbon. Given its abbreviated form, the German record titleholders won all 11 games in the competition - a first in Champions League history.
