FC Bayern prevailed against Arminia Bielefeld and remained leader of the table – not only thanks to dream goalscorer Leroy Sane. Two midfielders are also convincing and make Julian Nagelsmann optimistic about the top game against BVB. Three theses for the 1-0 win at work.
1. Sane doesn’t play bad games anymore
Leroy Sane has been in excellent shape for almost three months now. On the 13th matchday, the ex-Schalke lived up to his reputation as a difference player and scored the redeeming and decisive 1-0 against a brave, tough Arminia from Bielefeld.
Sane had left a very good chance in the penalty area before his goal in the 71st minute. But that also fits the “new” Sane: It shines even on days when it doesn’t initially seem like it is capable of doing so. That, too, is a quality, as Thomas Müller said after the game Sky highlighted. “The first was not possible, the second was not possible. Perhaps there was also a lack of conviction. But then it’s about going on and on. We did,” praised Müller.
It was Sane’s ninth goal in the 21st competitive game in the Bayern shirt 2021/22. There are also ten templates. The 25-year-old has almost equaled his record from the previous season: Back then, after 44 games, there were ten goals and twelve assists.
2. Musiala remains the perfect cheat code
Müller provided the preparation for the Sane goal. It was the veteran ‘s 21st assist in the 2021 calendar year – the best in Europe. However, the decisive pass before Müller’s pass to Sane was provided by Jamal Musiala, who had been substituted on a quarter of an hour earlier. The 18-year-old once again proved his amazing quality in making the game fast and unpredictable – and in general: delivering it when it is needed.
For Nagelsmann, Musiala remains the perfect cheat code. He knows: Whenever he changes the native of Stuttgart, he livenes up the game with good movements or passes in the last third. Good news, especially with a view to the top game against Borussia Dortmund next Saturday, after there were fewer headlines about Musiala in sporting terms, but the focus was on the vaccination debate.
The teenager doesn’t get many chances from the start this season, most recently in the 4-0 win against TSG Hoffenheim on October 23. But that is more due to the high competition on the Bayern offensive than to his performance. Sooner or later Nagelsmann will no longer be able to avoid sacrificing a player like Müller, Kingsley Coman or Serge Gnabry for Musiala. “Jamal did well after being substituted on,” said Nagelsmann after beating Bielefeld.
3. How Tolisso is applying for a contract extension
Marcel Sabitzer could not really advertise himself recently, especially with the 1: 2 defeat in Augsburg. A calf injury threw the newcomer off the track during the week, which meant he missed the duels with Kiev and Bielefeld.
Bitter: In his absence, his opponent Corentin Tolisso was able to convince. The Frenchman showed himself to be very committed, and with and without the ball didn’t let anything go wrong.
With such sovereign performance, Tolisso is applying for a contract extension in Munich. He will never become the undisputed regular player whether the personal mix in midfield, Joshua Kimmich and Leon Goretzka work far too well on the double six anyway, but he is always good as a reliable squad player. And while Sabitzer has so far been more of a disappointment and Marc Roca will probably not be in Nagelsmann’s squad for much longer, it would be advisable from Bayern’s point of view to consider an extension of Tolisso by one or two years.
The summer market will not offer too many affordable options. A transfer-free departure of Tolissos would not only be annoying for those responsible – but also for Nagelsmann.
