How will FC Bayern’s offensive function without top striker Robert Lewandowski? The Munich team made an impressive impression at the gala at the start of the Bundesliga against Eintracht Frankfurt. But there are also warnings against premature euphoria.
The exhilarating start to the season put the pros at FC Bayern in high spirits and quickly made them forget the summer alternation of world footballer Robert Lewandowski, who had migrated to FC Barcelona.
“The skepticism that existed about the offensive due to the massive change, we pushed into the background with eleven goals in two games against the cup winner and the Europa League winner.”emphasized veteran Thomas Müller after the appearance at the 6:1 gala in Frankfurt.
Rode: We were rolled over”
Six days after the 5: 3 in the Supercup against RB Leipzig, the defending champion went one better. “It was also interesting for us to see how we could manage without Lewandowski. Now we’ve scored eleven goals in two competitive games,” Bayern coach Julian Nagelsmann also noted with relief. “We are very variable at the top. Mané gives us more flexibility. It’s disgusting to defend at times. You can feel a lot of energy.”said the 35-year-old.
Without Lewandowski, to whom the entire attacking game was tailored in the past, Bayern are much more difficult to calculate. “This flexibility is a completely different quality,” said Eintracht captain Sebastian Rode: “We haven’t found any solutions on how we can defend it. It happened too quickly. Hats off to the quality of this team. We were overrun.”
Müller warns: “There will also be other games”
But Thomas Müller warned against too early euphoria regarding the newly formed offensive. “There will be other games where we say the centre-forward was missing today”, said the international. Eintracht’s style of play also accommodated Bayern. “Frankfurt wanted to risk something with the euphoria of the Europa League and push through their style of play. We punished this courage.”he said.
The new Attack department with new signing Sadio Mané, Jamal Musiala, Serge Gnabry and Müller, who was the only one of the quartet not to score, also gave the teammates a lot of joy. “The four in front, they’re fun”said midfielder Joshua Kimmich, who started the scoring with a direct free-kick.
The competition should have taken note of this with unease, because in this condition Bayern will be difficult to stop. “If we play energetically and with this enthusiasm, we have a huge quality. Then every opponent has a hard time”, said Nagelsmann.