Four observations from Bayern Munich’s strange 2-1 win over Mainz

Bayern Munich put in a composed performance against a very competent opponent in Mainz, beating a fairly boring away opponent. The score is very misleading: Bayern largely dominated throughout the match, and the home team was lucky that the Bavarians did not show up with their goal boots. That being said, someone please check out Harry Kane.

Too many chances, too few goals.

Bayern Munich had 7 shots on target, a 92% passing accuracy and a billion chances created during the match, with only two goals to show for it. It shouldn’t have been close, but the game ended up being decided by just one goal.

That’s what makes this victory strange. Not in the sense that it’s something new we’re seeing from Bayern’s side: the team has had times where they struggled to score chances, like the second leg against PSG in the Champions League last season or the match against Viking, where Bayern simply lacked the end product.

Is it time to move Upamecano to striker?

The Munich perpetual motion machine

The player with four lungs. Zidane Alpine. You can call him anything because he’s too busy heading towards goal or defending against two men to care.

Bayern Munich have no need for a quality right-back in the winter window, and Laimer has made that clear loud and clear. So now the club must invest in a backup so Laimer is not crushed. The player has made massive improvements to his game, including his telepathic communication with Michael Olise. Both have fantastic instincts for knowing where the other is at any given moment and are able to overlap seamlessly.

The “Konise” synergy (yes, we call it that) elevates both players. They both defend like crazy and attack like the defenders owe them money. Laimer’s two-way contributions meant that Mainz couldn’t do much for most of the match on this flank.

Can someone call a plumber?

This defense is more elusive than an “unofficial” dinner with a politician.

Which is annoying, because for much of the game it’s rock solid. It’s impossible to get past Upamecano and Jonas Urbig is a fantastic goalkeeper, make no mistake. However, the team still concedes stupid goals by switching off for a split second. This is exactly how Bayern conceded a goal at the death, and would have conceded another stupid one if VAR hadn’t intervened earlier in the match.

Is it a mentality problem? Do the players feel a false sense of security as soon as Bayern take the lead?

Regardless, something needs to be done to resolve this issue. This defense has the potential to be the best in Europe, but at the moment it simply doesn’t exist.

The most important number

Three. Three points. That’s all that matters at the end of the day, and if Bayern were able to pick up three points after every game for the rest of the season, we’d complete another treble. This iteration of Bayern seems different somehow: injured, head coach absent, players shaking off rust…and somehow Bayern is the only undefeated team in Europe’s top leagues.

Maybe you don’t need to press like crazy every play and play like it’s your last. Sometimes it’s good to get a win, conserve some energy, and regroup for a bigger occasion. Bayern will face Barcelona, ​​PSG and Arsenal later in the season, and those matches will be decided by the slimmest of margins. A win is all that matters here.

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