What is Leverkusen’s most banal problem? Who makes the most dangerous attack duo? And what does Frankfurt’s transformation actually look like? The theses of the 10th match day provide answers.
Bayer Leverkusen and its forgotten problem
Bayer Leverkusen certainly has a whole sack of problems at the moment: too many individual mistakes, no cohesion, lack of efficiency, stress with their own fans. But one thing always gets lost a little – which didn’t work even in the successful phase of this season: Bayer’s inexplicable harmlessness when it comes to own standards.
Bayer has outstanding shooters like Kerem Demirbay in the team and tall attackers like Patrik Schick or Lucas Alario and real edges in the central defense who could get a header from time to time like Jonathan Tah, Edmond Tapsoba and Odilon Kossounou. And what does the Werkself do with it? Nothing at all.
So far there is a goal according to a standard, Demirbay scored in Bielefeld. However, even that was a penalty. No free kick goal, no goal after a corner. There were already 57 corners this season. There were ten corners against Wolfsburg – none of them were really dangerous for the opponent.
If little or nothing works out of the game, standards would be a tried and tested means to steer a game in the right direction. But Bayer just can’t do that either.
Thomas Müller makes the difference
On Wednesday after the disastrous 0: 5 in the cup, the Bayern stars made themselves scarce. Almost all the players withdrew into the dressing room immediately, hardly any of them wanted to talk. Thomas Müller was once again the exception. Müller turned himself in and spoke plainly. With a firm tone and sharp analysis, Müller dismantled the game in Gladbach and his own team.
Now there are enough experts and fans for whom Müller’s need to communicate basically goes too far. But even in this collection of stars with leadership claims, which only Bayern can show, someone like Müller stands out for that very reason.
It is one thing to analyze an apparent system crash. The other is: Afterwards to show a reaction and the corresponding performance immediately. And Müller has once again demonstrated this impressively against Union. One goal and, strictly speaking, three assists, Müller contributed to the 5: 2, four scorer points after troubled days.
Then to stand in front of the microphones again and to dismantle this game in all its ups and downs from the perspective of Bavaria. That means leadership. Players like Müller are the real difference between Bayern and the rest of the league: This mentality and self-evidence is simply unique.
