Initial reactions and observations
- This is so ANNOYING. Bayern Munich dominated Borussia Dortmund all game and then decided to concede a bunch of stupid goals in the last 20 minutes. Subbing Thomas Muller made all the difference, as without him the team had zero structure and frankly looked quite ordinary.
- Sadio Mane and Serge Gnabry … yeah, they ain’t it.
- The scoreline flatters BVB really. Bayern had much better chances and could’ve easily scored six or seven. Overall, this is a very good start for the Tuchel era, though maybe not quite as dominant as Flick back in 2019.
Interested in a more in-depth look at the game? Curious about why Thomas Tuchel chose a 4-2-3-1? How did it differ from Nagelsmann’s Bayern? We talk about all that and more in our postgame podcast. Listen to it below or at this link.
Full time: Bayern Munich 4-2 Borussia Dortmund.
89’ — Goal. Donyell Malen makes it 4-2.
85’ — Sub: Leon Goretzka off for Ryan Gravenberch.
78’ — Subs: Kingsley Coman and Alphonso Davies off for Joao Cancelo and Jamal Musiala.
71’ — Penalty to Dortmund! Bellingham fouled in the box by Gnabry. Can steps up and scores.
68’ — Subs: Thomas Muller and Choupo-Moting off for Serge Gnabry and Sadio Mane.
49’ — GOOOOOOOOOOOOOAL! Kingsley Coman makes it 4-0! Great pass by Sane but an even better dummy by Muller. Wow.
45’ — The second half is underway!
Halftime observations and analysis
- Bayern Munich are cruising here with a standard 4-2-3-1 and inverted wingers in Leroy Sane and Kingsley Coman. The performance is far from perfect, but it’s been enough to overpower Dortmund in this half.
- Thomas Muller LOVES this setup. He is free to do his thing when he’s used like this. He doesn’t have to chase the ball anymore, it comes to him when it needs to.
- Jude Bellingham is being shown levels by Joshua Kimmich right now.
- Gregor Kobel adds to the long list of keepers who tried to be Neuer and failed.
- Matthijs de Ligt remains a beast, on both ends of the pitch. Another crucial goal-stopping block by him today.
Halftime: Bayern Munich 3-0 Borussia Dortmund.
43’ — Schlotterbeck is down injured, Mats Hummels is set to come on for him.
23’ — GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOAL! Thomas Muller makes it 3-0 now! How did he get to that?
17’ — GOOOOOOOOOOOAL! Thomas Muller makes it 2-0! De Ligt’s header and assist.
12’ — GOOOOOOOOOOOOAL! Dayot Upamecano makes it 1-0? What did Gregor Kobel just do? How did he miss that? Massive howler.
Kickoff: We’re underway in Munich!
One hour until kickoff: We have lineups! Thomas Tuchel opts for a back four (?) for his first game in charge of Bayern Munich. It looks like a standard 4-2-3-1 really. Choupo up top with Thomas Muller behind him, Leroy Sane and Kingsley Coman on the wings. Kimmich-Goretzka pivot and a standard back four with Pavard and Alphonso Davies as the fullbacks. Can this beat BVB?
It’s funny how cyclic football can be. Once again, Bayern Munich face Borussia Dortmund after having sacked their manager less than a week prior, only this time the new manager happens to be a former BVB man himself. He also has a mammoth task ahead of him. Not only does Thomas Tuchel have to beat BVB, he has to vanquish the memory of Julian Nagelsmann.
In terms of the squad, he has almost his entire star lineup available to him. Thomas Muller, Leroy Sane, and Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting all stayed behind in Munich for the international break, so they got to meet their coach and train with him before the others. Jamal Musiala is thankfully back from his hamstring injury, though his participation is still doubtful given how recently he recovered. Meanwhile the international players such as Joshua Kimmich, Leon Goretzka, Matthijs de Ligt, Dayot Upamecano, and others, will need to adjust quickly to make sure that BVB don’t leave the Allianz Arena with a good result.
This is a big game that could not only decide the title, but also the outcome of the entire Thomas Tuchel era at Bayern (and maybe even Nagelsmann’s legacy). A lot is at stake right now.
It’s Bayern time.
While you’re waiting for the game, why not check out our preview podcast! Listen to it below or on Spotify.
Match Info
Location: Allianz Arena, Munich, Germany
Time: 6:30 pm local time, 12:30 pm EST
TV/streaming: ESPN+, Find Your Country
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