Bayern Munich played a decent first half and started well the second half, but succumbed to an embarrassing defeat at the Etihad against Manchester City. It was to be expected, as old failings all came to light in this game.
Alphonso Davies struggles; the defense makes questionable decisions
Manchester City’s pressure told and just like the entire English media saw this game, Bayern’s defense struggled mightily. The defense struggled in unexpected ways, giving the ball away when seemingly under not too much pressure. Dayot Upamecano had a poor game, struggled and gave the ball away in dangerous areas. What was surprising was how easily Alphonso Davies got beaten. The defense fell apart when we most needed it.
Eric Maxim Choupo Moting defined the attack.
Bayern’s season has been defined by the question of Robert Lewandowski. Eric Maxim Choupo Moting started answering this question in October. His absence meant Bayern didn’t have a goal threat up front. And most attacks ended in no-man’s land. The attack produced nothing and the defense made uncharacteristic errors leading up to a perfect storm.
Questionable decisions from Thomas Tuchel
Thomas Tuchel went for pace and ended up not playing Thomas Müller. At half-time, the fact that Jamal Musiala was struggling through the middle was obvious and he didn’t do much to change the lineup he had started with. Bayern wasn’t a match for City; those decisions, however only compounded the defeat. It is up to Tuchel now to figure out the league performances, play reasonably well in the second leg against City, and move on to next season to start all over again.
There’s not much more to add; in the space of a week, Bayern Munich has been virtually eliminated from two cup competitions. All there is realistically left is the league. Ironically, it is Pep who inflicts Bayern’s heaviest knockout round defeat since he left the club. Only time will tell how Bayern moves forward from what is going to be a very difficult night. Julian Nagelsmann is probably going to go skiing tomorrow …
Interested in an in-depth, two person review of the game? Well then check out our postgame podcast! Chuck and INNN harshly critique everything that went wrong in Bayern Munich’s 3-0 loss to Manchester City, from individual player performances to tactics, transfers, and the board themselves. Listen to it below or on Spotify.
As always, we appreciate all the support!