A much anticipated early season tilt between two German powerhouses remained entertaining until the very end. From the first whistle to the final whistle, both teams played fast. The Bavarian giant Bayern Munich had several opportunities to win the game, but couldn’t quite find the back of the net. The final score was 1-1.
Game Summary
The game started fast as both sides looked to attack quickly. By the third minute, Robert Lewandowski had his first goal of the game. On a breakaway, Thomas Mueller delivered a beautiful pass which left Lewandowski one on one with the keeper. Lewandowski calmly slotted the ball home for the 1-0 lead. While Leipzig controlled much of the first half, they didn’t capitalize until the very end. A converted penalty from Emil Forsburg tied the game at one. The second half was controlled strongly by Bayern who had multiple chances to take the lead. Manuel Neuer had to make a few big saves, but overall, Bayern was in command. Even with possesional advantage and several great opportunities, the game only resulted in one point for each team.
Quick Takeaway
Neuer is continuing to improve, but the team is still learning how to gel. Although Nike Kovac has a full year under his belt, much of the new talent for Bayern is learning to play together. Serge Gnabry played the left wing as opposed to the right wing which he usually plays. The same goes for Kingsley Coman. Overall, the tie isn’t too concerning for me. Its clear Kovac is still trying to mix and match lineups. I’m sure all of this is done in preparation for some of the bigger games this year. Bayern hasn’t been what everyone expected them to be quite yet, but Kovac toying with the lineups is most likely a big reason why. I expect Bayern to continue to improve as they fine tune positions and personnel groupings.
