Is Bayern’s defeat in Kiel a sign of deeper problems?
January 14, 2021
There will be no domestic double for Bayern Munich this year as they suffered a shock German Cup defeat at the hands of Holstein Kiel. Was the loss merely a blip, or a sign of deeper problems for the champions?
Under coach Ole Werner, the youngest coach in any of Germany's top three divisions at 32, Kiel exposed Bayern's soft underbelly and revealed weaknesses that other teams will now look to exploit.
But how serious are Bayern's problems? The defeat was dismissed by Thomas Müller as "definitely not the best period for us” and while Bayern are indisputably the best team in Germany, alarm bells are starting to ring for Hansi Flick's side.
Bayern's Achilles Heel
Following Bayern's defeat by Borussia Mönchengladbach last week, Gladbach coach Marco Rose revealed that he'd identified a weakness in Bayern's defense that Gladbach had practiced exploiting: a long ball to bypass Bayern's high defensive line.
Jonas Hofmann was twice the beneficiary, with Rose explaining the strategy after the game: "With the ball we wanted to send Hofmann past Bayern's last line and have [Lars] Stindl a little deeper to play the pass."
"We were punished for unnecessarily losing the bal three times, but we also need to protect the areas in behind," admitted Flick. But it would appear that teams are starting to identify Bayern's Achilles Heel.
On Wednesday night, Holstein Kiel equalized in similar fashion to Gladbach, Fin Bartels latching onto a ball over the top of Niklas Süle.
"Of course we have watched Bayern's last few games, but it's one thing to see it, and quite another to do it," said Kiel boss Werner.
Sane not the same
His recovery from a serious knee injury was always likely to hamper him at first, but Leroy Sane has nevertheless struggled to get anywhere near the form that made him such an important cog of Pep Guardiola's Premier League-winning Manchester City team.
The 24-year-old may have temporarily restored Bayern's lead against Kiel with a pin-point free-kick, but it was only his fourth goal in 13 games. Add a meagre four assists, and it's a mediocre return by Bayern's standards. Before Christmas, he even suffered the ignominy of being substituted after himself coming on as a sub in Bayern's 2-1 win over Bayer Leverkusen, although all parties insist there were no hard feelings.
Bayern are good enough to paper over the cracks when they have someone like Robert Lewandowski spearheading their attack but, if the Pole is missing, Flick's options are surprisingly slim.
Serge Gnabry is struggling to replicate last season's form, while young talents such as Jamal Musiala and Joshua Zirkzee are still considered promising talents, rather than players Bayern can depend to defend their domestic and continental crowns. Indeed, Zirkzee was actually sent off during Bayern's reserve team's derby defeat against 1860 Munich at the weekend.
Davies' downturn
Alphonso Davies shot onto the scene last season with a string of stunning performances that made the football world take notice of his talent. At 19, his blend of pace, skill and power made him one of the best players in the world in his position.
While he still has all of those things and will undoubtedly enjoy a long career at the top of the game, his development has clearly stunted since the highs of last season.
Injury suffered in late October sidelined him for six weeks, but before and since that the Canadian has struggled to reach anywhere near the heights of last season, without a single goal or assist to his name this season. Davies is still young and he announced himself so explosively last season that expectations are high, but at the moment he is playing a long way short of his ability level.
Unsettled Alaba
One of Bayern's biggest issues is one that is bubbling under the surface. The club have been unable to strike a deal with David Alaba and relations have soured to a point where the Austrian captain, one of the most experienced and versatile players in the world, is set to leave the club in the summer when his contract expires.
Bayern are already moving to sign a replacement, the surprise acquisition of Reading's Omar Richards, but Alaba can play all over the field and losing a player that has been synonymous with Bayern's extraordinary period of dominance in Germany would be a huge blow.
Particularly so soon after the departure of another Bayern stalwart, Thiago Alcantara.
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Diminishing depth
It's probably impossible to replace Thiago like for like, with few players possesing the Spaniard's coolness and vision. The same applies to Philippe Coutinho who, although he wasn't a first choice starter, undoubtedly represented a world class option off the bench, the sort of strength in depth that Bayern expect of themselves.
Their replacements, Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting, the returning Douglas Costa and Marc Roca, who missed the crucial spot-kick in Kiel, are quite simply not the same standard of player, while Bouna Sarr, a surprise arrival from Marseille, has also struggled.
Suddenly, with Jerome Boateng, Javi Martinez and Thomas Müller all growing old together, there are indications that Bayern's talent pool isn't as deep as it was even six months ago.
And with even Bayern Munich not totally unaffected by the coronavirus crisis, there's little indication from Säbener Straße that the club intends to reenter the transfer market.
Bayern Munich in 2020: A defining year
Bayern Munich swept all before them this year, winning five trophies and setting countless new records along the way — all within Hansi Flick's first year as head coach. Here's a look back at some of the highlights.
Image: Getty Images/AFP/R. Wittek
Thiago’s masterclass in Mainz
On February 1, on a damp and cold day in Mainz, we really started to see Bayern flex their muscles under Hansi Flick for the first time. A 3-1 win at Mainz is routine business for Bayern, but it was a victory that not only saw them return to the top of the Bundesliga for the first time since Niko Kovac’s stormy reign, but one that delivered a superb goal by Thiago Alcantara.
Image: Getty Images/Bongarts/A. Grimm
Hopp, skip and a leap
Bayern showed their extra quality on the extra day of the year. February 29 was the day that Bayern leapt ahead of their title rivals with a 6-0 thrashing of Hoffenheim. But the game is remembered more for the protests of Bayern’s ultras against Hoffenheim owner Dietmar Hopp, which led to the players first leaving the pitch then playing the match out at a walking pace.
Image: Imago Images/Hartenfelser
Auf wiedersehen to fans
Bayern’s last game in front of fans was on March 8, coinciding with Bayern’s 120th anniversary. A massive tifo spanned the Allianz Arena as Bayern marked the occasion with a special kit and, of course, a 2-0 win to extend their Bundesliga lead. Little did anyone know that this would be last time Bayern would play in front of a full house for a very long time.
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Kimmich's Klassiker
After an 11-week hiatus, the Bundesliga was the first of Europe’s top leagues to return following the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Bayern returned with a 2-0 win at Union Berlin before heading to Dortmund a week later on May 26 for a decisive Klassiker. Bayern’s class shone through, with Joshua Kimmich’s majestic chip the only goal of a high quality game and effectively the title decider.
Image: AFP/F. Gambarini
Eight straight
On June 16, Bayern traveled to Werder Bremen with the chance to seal their eighth straight Bundesliga title. Bremen were fighting for Bundesliga survival at the time and made it hard for Bayern, but there was no holding them down. Bayern won 1-0 courtesy of Robert Lewandowski to secure their 30th German title and the first silverware of Hansi Flick’s Bayern reign.
Image: picture-alliance/GES/POOL/M. Ibo GüngürL
Double delight
Less than three weeks after winning the Bundesliga, Bayern did the job in the German Cup final too. Attack-minded Bayer Leverkusen headed to Berlin with high hopes, but they couldn’t match Bayern’s scintillating display. David Alaba’s deftly flighted free-kick set the tone for Bayern, with Serge Gnabry and a Robert Lewandowski double securing a 4-2 win and a second title in quick succession.
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Barca bloodbath
With a domestic double wrapped up, Bayern shifted their focus to the Champions League. Having dealt with Chelsea, Bayern arrived in Portugal for a one-legged knockout format of the competition. They faced Barcelona in the quarterfinals and blew them away 8-2. It was the first time since 1946 that Barca had conceded eight and a scoreline that would send shockwaves around Europe.
Image: picture-alliance/SVEN SIMON/F. Hoermann
Kings of Europe
Paris Saint-Germain, the new-money stars of French football, met Bayern Munich, the German aristocrats, in club football’s biggest game on August 23. Many expected a goal feast but instead it was a high quality game of chess settled by a solitary goal. Kingsley Coman, the former PSG player raised in the suburbs of Paris, scored it for Bayern to reclaim their European crown and secure the treble.
Image: Getty Images/AFP/M. Fernandez
Quadruple
A treble wasn’t enough for Bayern though. After a short break following the late completion of the season, they faced Sevilla, winners of the Europa League, in the UEFA Super Cup in Budapest on September 24. Javi Martinez was Bayern's unlikely extra-time hero but thousands of Bayern fans declined to travel, with Budapest grappling with sharply rising COVID cases at the time.
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23, the magic number
The victory in Budapest was also notable for being Bayern's 23rd straight victory, a new record in European football. They beat the previous record of 22, held by Carlo Ancelotti’s Real Madrid since 2014, but couldn't build on that, succumbing to a surprise 4-1 defeat at Hoffenheim a few days later. However, they amassed a staggering 78 goals during the run, conceding just 16 with 12 clean sheets.
Image: Reuters/A. Hilse
Make that five
Just in case there was any doubt that Bayern were the best team around, Bayern followed up their UEFA Super Cup win less than a week later with victory in the German equivalent. Dortmund were Bayern’s challengers at the Allianz Arena but the Black and Yellows, despite putting up a good fight, lost 3-2. And it was their familiar foe Joshua Kimmich, who delivered the late winning goal.
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King Lewa
It was another vintage year for Robert Lewandowski. Bayern’s number 9 ended the 2019-20 season with 34 goals, more than anyone in any of Europe’s big five leagues. He also scored 15 in the Champions League, five more than anyone else, and started the new Bundesliga season with 10 goals in his first 5 games — also a record. He was named FIFA Best Men's Player, too.
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The Flick Effect
Less than a year into the job, Bayern head coach Hansi Flick could bask in the glory of an unprecedented haul of five trophies. The Bundesliga, the German Cup, the Champions League, the UEFA Super Cup, the German Supercup: everything his heart desired. An unparalleled achievement and the best coaching debut season in football history.