After four Bundesliga games without a win in a row, FC Bayern Munich has impressively found its way back on the road to success: In Friday’s match of matchday 8, coach Julian Nagelsmann’s team won 4-0 (3-0) against Bayer 04 Leverkusen.
Jamal Musiala was the outstanding player of the game: he scored the 2-0 (17th) himself, he prepared Leroy Sanés 1-0 (3rd) and Sadio Manés 3-0 (37th). In the 84th minute, Thomas Müller made it 4-0.
At least for the time being, FC Bayern jumped to second place in the table with the win. Leader Union Berlin is a guest at Eintracht Frankfurt on Saturday.
The next home game for Munich is on Tuesday: Then it’s in the Champions League against Viktoria Pilsen (6.45 p.m.).
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FC Bayern Munich – Bayer Leverkusen: The analysis
Nagelsmann used a 4-2-3-1 system with Thomas Müller as a center forward against Leverkusen – and that worked properly. Müller was well integrated into his team’s combination game, but Jamal Musiala, who was in the tenth, played the most.
There is no trace of uncertainty about the winless series in the Bundesliga: FC Bayern played purposefully forward from the start, regularly created chances and deservedly led 2-0 early on. Shortly before the break, Sadio Mané, who had been inconspicuous again until then, made it 3-0.
But the hosts not only showed themselves to be significantly improved with the ball, they were also convincing in defensive play – against admittedly harmless Leverkusen players. The counter-pressing led by Müller worked, Joshua Kimmich and Marcel Sabitzer, who had replaced Leon Goretzka in the starting XI, showed a good division of space in the center, so the back four was hardly challenged.
Perhaps spurred on by his redeeming goal just before the break, Mané turned things up early in the second half, but his supposed goal to make it 4-0 was rightly disallowed after a previous foul by Matthijs de Ligt. FC Bayern dominated the game to the end. Despite numerous good chances, only one goal was scored.
Bayern Munich – Bayer Leverkusen: The voices of the game
Julian Nagelsmann (Bayern Munich coach): “The style was good. You can tell in every game that the players are fully involved. That was very satisfactory today. We also defended very solidly.”
Gerardo Seoane (Bayer Leverkusen manager): “There’s a lot to talk about after every game. With the early goal, it was the worst possible scenario for us. We didn’t get into the tackles. It’s a question of will. We didn’t have the necessary aggressiveness. It’s also a mental process.”
FC Bayern Munich – Bayer Leverkusen: The data for the game
The star of the game: Jamal Musiala (FC Bayern Munich)
With two assists and a goal, Musiala put FC Bayern on the road to victory in the first half. Again and again he shone with great dribbles, and he also managed to win some good balls.
The flop of the match: Lukas Hradecky (Bayer 04 Leverkusen)
Hradecky already looked bad with the second goal conceded, and he caused the fourth with a devastating bad pass. In addition, he made a ricochet in the first half, which luckily had no consequences.
The referee: Tobias Stieler
Stieler hardly had any problems with the fair game. He rightly denied Mané’s supposed goal to make it 4-0 because of a previous foul by Matthijs de Ligt (56′).
