It seemed like it was going to be a frustrating afternoon at the Allianz Arena with the amount of chances Bayern Munich were creaitng, but it took 69 minutes for the Rekordmesiter to break the deadlock. Pál Dárdai’s side was very well disciplined, tight, compact, and always possessed danger on the counterattack through Dodi Lukebakio and it was difficult for Bayern to unlock spaces to create chances for themselves.
Bayern had nine chances on frame to Hertha’s one, but it wasn’t until the 69th minute that Bayern broke the deadlock through a diving header from Serge Gnabry, getting on the end of a beautifully lofted cross from Joshua Kimmich. Just ten minutes later, Kimmich was the provider once again, but this time it was Kingsley Coman that got on the end of the cross to make it 2-0 and let Thomas Tuchel breather a sigh of relief. Bayern reclaimed their spot at the top of the Bundesliga table thanks to VfL Bochum drawing Borussia Dortmund 1-1 earlier in the match week and Tuchel collected his third win since taking charge of the club, replacing Julian Nagelsmann.
After the match, Tuchel expressed a level of relief with the result, considering how many chances his side were creating and how dominant they were for the majority of proceedings. “It took a bit too long until the first goal, we missed too many chances. But we didn’t lose our heads, scored the first then the second. Everyone wants it and everyone realizes that we have to improve as a team. I’m happy we didn’t take it for granted,” he told DAZN (via @iMiaSanMia).
Often times, this type of match was Bayern’s Achilles’ heel when teams would sit very deep and catch them out on counter attacks. There were several occasions that Hertha created that made life uncomfortable at the back for Bayern, but thankfully Yann Sommer didn’t have too much work to do. Tuchel admired the patience that he saw from his side in a match like this; the type of patience required to get a result against a setup like the one Hertha put forth. “Hertha sat deep, it was difficult against 8-9 players in the box. Our situation and confidence didn’t make it any easier. We stayed cool and disciplined until we scored. I’m happy we didn’t concede any counters. Overall, it wasn’t spectacular, but it was a deserved win,” he explained.
Tuchel having some fun with Archie Rhind-Tutt
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