Four observations from FC Bayern’s massive 6-1 win over RB Leipzig

Defensive woes hit Bayern again

It’s been a recurring theme for Bayern since returning from the international break. The 3-3 draw against Viking was a stark reminder that the Bavarians have struggled to defend their goal, whether they are maintaining their lead or leading by several goals. Bayern completely dominated the Lawnballers, who only had their first shot on target with just over 10 minutes to go. This screamed a clean sheet, but Bayern somehow find ways to concede goals.

The 2-2 draw against Augsburg was more down to defensive errors, but it poses the same problem: Bayern’s defense is nowhere near as stable as last season. Against Paris Saint-Germain last year, Bayern managed to limit Luis Enrique’s side to just one goal in one half, after Luis Díaz was sent off. What’s surprising is that he achieved this with more or less the same group of defenders.

At the very least, Bayern have Vincent Kompany in charge because as a former defender he can help tighten up the back. The Belgian has helped Dayot Upamecano cement his reputation as a solid defender, so he is more than up to the task. With Arsenal looming, the team needs to organize properly and accordingly.

He may have started the season slowly, but this match showed that Luis Díaz is indeed back. He looked every bit like the star he was for Bayern last season. His dribbling, movement and awareness have all visibly improved from what he was before the international break. To top it off, he scored only his second hat-trick in the Bundesliga, his last hat-trick at home against Hoffenheim last season. Coincidentally, both times the third goal involved the 29-year-old running and shooting low into the corner.

Perhaps the goal he scored against Viking opened the floodgates and he unleashed himself against Leipzig. Credit to the visitors, especially Maarten Vandevoordt, who stopped 11 goals before going on, for trying to stay in the game, but Díaz and Bayern were simply far too strong for them.

There was an interesting feature about the way Bayern played, which was that everyone seemed to be playing in positions that were not unique to them. Aleksandar Pavlović played left winger (he even scored from that position); Harry Kane played deeper and acted as a playmaker while swapping positions with Ismael Saibari; Nathaniel Browm, who has a penchant for playing offensive positions, has been spotted at CAM at times. Dayot Upamecano played right back for a while, and even Serge Gnabry moved into the left back position.

If history is to be believed, Leipzig played a man-to-man press and Bayern, who were constantly changing positions, confused them. Bayern used a similar approach against Barcelona a few years ago and won 3-0 away.

Vincent Kompany could I plan to play this match against Arsenal, but it’s also a double-edged sword. Giving Arsenal space is enough for them to launch attacks after sitting back. Pep Guardiola and Manchester City, among other clubs, proved Arsenal were beatable last season, but the loss of Michael Olise is a major blow.

Before the match, the responses from Bayern’s starting XI revealed something that went completely unnoticed: Bara Sapoko Ndiaye is not there. The only times the young Senegalese wasn’t on the bench were in the 4-1 win over Osnabrück and today’s match, and even when he was on the bench he didn’t get much playing time.

A possible (plausible?) explanation could come from Bayern’s shaky form of late. At this point in the season, the team isn’t as foolproof as last year and Bara isn’t exactly the “get out of jail free” card that Bayern can pull. Bara is a lively player and he has what it takes to become a world beater. He’s just not someone Bayern can count on to bail out the team or make a difference at the moment.

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