The standard weakness is becoming more and more of a problem

Negative trend continues

This is Bayern’s Achilles heel

FC Bayern’s standard weakness is increasingly becoming a problem for the record champions. And threatens the high goals for the season.

At first glance, Vincent Kompany was a little surprised in his assessment of the upcoming home game opponent. “It’s important that we don’t make any differences between St. Pauli and Arsenal in preparation,” said the Bayern head coach before the duel with the “Kiezkickern” on Saturday. “We will never see St. Pauli as anything other than Arsenal. We can’t do that.”

At second glance, Kompany’s view of things is almost logical. Because the problems with standard situations, which Bayern also had to struggle with in the lost Champions League top game in London (1:3), continue to concern the German record champions before the next Bundesliga game.

FC St. Pauli has recently lost eight league games in a row and normally shouldn’t pose too much of a challenge for Bayern. However, five of their nine Bundesliga goals so far, more than half, have been scored by Hamburg after dead balls. And it is precisely in such situations that they are likely to sense their chance in Munich – perhaps even their only one.

Kompany had already said before the Arsenal game about his team’s vulnerability to set pieces: “Everyone has seen it. Every team we play against will now believe this is a moment for us.”

After his team conceded their fifth goal from a corner in the last three games in London, Kompany said on Friday at the press conference about Bayern’s standard crisis: “Now it’s completely normal and understandable that it’s an issue. Until we close the lid, it will stay that way.” And further: “The phase is what it is. We have to find solutions and close the lid.”

Kompany acted with his right hand as if he were screwing on an imaginary bottle. Kompany hasn’t yet found the right lid to put the genie, the standard problem for his team, back in the bottle.

But the Belgian emphasized: “I don’t want to change everything now, left, right, front, back.” Instead, it’s about details, “a lot of video analysis, training and exchange,” as Kompany described. Then you come to “a moment” where you “have to get through this phase.” And “two, three, four, five, at some point ten games in a row where things look quite stable,” said Kompany. “Then you’ll get your trust back.”