Bayern Munich managed a narrow 3-2 win over FC Union Berlin in a match that felt more like a game from the difficult early days of Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal than the confident performances expected of Bayern.
The goals came with difficulty as the match did not go as fluidly as it should have. Two of the goals of Bayern Munich came by set pieces, Two of the Bayern goals came from Penalty and corner,highlighting a concerning dependence on dead ball situations. For 90 minutes Union Berlin dominated the field and had the upper hand in the match. In the second half Bayern started to defend the attacks from them.
Also Read | India’s first women FIFA-AIFF football academy to be set up in Telangana
One bright but worrying subplot was the involvement of 17-year-old Lennart Karl. This was his fourth game in a row,though the young talent showed energy, he struggled under heavy pressure and his impact was minimal. Looking at the squad overall, it was a day to forget. Harry Kane scored Bayern’s only “open-play” goal. Though his impact in the field was minimal and his influence is in doubt. Also, the others including attackers such as Luis Diaz and Michael Olise hardly left their mark. Bayern tried enough to stay ahead in the game but their gameplay in that sense was not in control and composure was lacking.
Despite the win it masked deeper issues, this match drove into deeper issues Bayern mostly relied on lucky set pieces and defensive grit rather than convincing performance. The match raises questions about the team’s style, their over-reliance on set plays, and whether relying on very young players like Lennart Karl so heavily is wise.
