FC Bayern also loses in Bochum. It is the third defeat in a row. After the game, Leon Goretzka was visibly perplexed.
The defeats in Leverkusen and Rome were followed by one in Bochum: FC Bayern is deep in crisis. The future of coach Thomas Tuchel is more uncertain than ever. The championship is in acute danger, eight points behind league leaders Leverkusen.
The 3-2 defeat at VfL mercilessly exposed the record champions’ insecurities and weaknesses this season. National player Leon Goretzka described his emotional state after the game.
“It just feels like a horror film at the moment that somehow doesn’t stop,” said the midfielder on the streaming service “DAZN”. “Everything is going against us. Of course we can stand up and say again that we got into the game well. We did, but now you feel stupid to limit yourself to half an hour.”
Bayern took an early lead in Bochum, but then collapsed. VfL turned the game around before the break and increased the score with a penalty in the second half. Bayern could only shorten the score shortly before the end.
Goretzka: “It feels incredibly strange”
“I think we tried everything in the end,” said Goretzka, praising the morale of his teammates. “You can’t really blame us, with one man less.” Dayot Upamecano was sent off shortly before the penalty.
And the overall performance of the Bayern team? “It’s difficult to find an explanation for this. At the end of the day, it’s individual mistakes that we make, and there have simply been too many of them in the last few weeks,” analyzed the 29-year-old.
Then he went for the equalizer. “Bochum’s 1-1 draw is like something out of the textbook. That’s exactly what they plan to do, that’s how they play football. We knew that,” explained Goretzka. The team actually came up with answers for the hosts’ style of play beforehand. “We just couldn’t find them at that moment.”
Goretzka then summed up his emotional situation again: “It just feels incredibly strange at the moment that everything is going against us.” His answer to the question of whether he still believed in the championship also spoke volumes: “Right now it’s difficult to answer ‘yes’.”