If a football game were over after 45 minutes, FC Bayern would have been the German champions long ago. But a game is known to last longer – and in the second half the Munich team experienced unusual slumps.
It’s the 33rd match day of the Bundesliga. FC Bayern can take a decisive step towards the championship with a win against RB Leipzig. In the 25th minute, cheers erupt in the Allianz Arena: Serge Gnabry puts Munich in the lead, the record champions are on their way to their eleventh title in a row. But after 90 minutes the euphoria is gone, the arena is pretty empty and the sadness is great, especially among those responsible for FCB.
Because what happened in Munich during the rest of the season is a duplication of what happened this season. FC Bayern are careless – as with the defeat in Mainz – a guide from the hand and loses 1:3. The first untitled season since 2012 is imminent. Against Leipzig, Bayern failed to take the lead for the eighth time in the league and only scored five out of a possible 24 points.
First half great, second a flop
If a game were decided after half time, FC Bayern would be well ahead with 81 points. With 56 goals in the first 45 minutes, the Munich team set a new historic record and only conceded ten goals. For comparison: Dortmund is in second place with 62 points.
On the other hand, if only the second half counted, then the record champions would not even have a place in international football. With 47 points, FCB would be ninth.
Where are the “Dusel-Bayern” gone?
Bayern used to be known and feared across the country as the “Dusel-Bayern” who scored the decisive goal in the last minute. Only Joshua Kimmich was able to do that this season, when he scored the 1-1 against Cologne with the final whistle. Also unforgettable was Patrik Andersson’s last-minute goal in the fifth minute of added time, which gave the Munich team the title in 2001.
The “Dusel-Bayern” from the past has one thing in particular: fighting spirit and the unconditional will to win. Dominance and callousness – qualities that have helped the record champions win ten titles in a row.
“Stand in our own way”
Today’s team looks unsettled after conceding goals. Is Bayern missing a leader who can push the team forward? Joshua Kimmich and Thomas Müller have taken on this role in recent years, and now Kimmich in particular seems resigned: “That happens to us far too often this season. We have everything under control and break away again. We sometimes get in our own way . We make far too many mistakes,” said the midfielder after the Leipzig game.
Thomas Tuchel was pissed off and at a loss after the championship match point was awarded: “You don’t even know where to start. We missed everything in the second half,” said the coach. After the team took many small steps in the right direction, he found it inexplicable “why we then decide to go in the completely different direction with seven-league boots,” complained the 49-year-old.
He announced a radical analysis: “We will turn everything upside down.” Bayern need a major upheaval – in order to be able to win the championship again over 90 minutes in the future.
Source: Today at the stadium
05/27/2023 – 3:05 p.m
