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There they were again because he had returned. “A goal in the last second is always a nice thing,” said Robert Lewandowski, who fired the last shot and made it 2-1 in Leverkusen. The forward is about to break Gerd Müller’s record with 40 goals in one season. Lewandowski is 17 years old after 13 games, in the last two games he scored all four of Bayern’s goals, each of which meant 2-1 wins, each based on delays.
“It was the seventh time we fell behind. As a result. You have to let it melt in your mouth, ”said Thomas Müller, raising his index finger. “We have to improve significantly in some areas,” he demanded, and as he was already at it, he advised his teammates at Christmas, “maybe not just put your feet up.”
Last minute goal: Lewandowski
Photo: Lars Baron / Getty Images
Thomas Müller is 31 years old. He won the Champions League twice, the championship nine times, and the DFB Cup six times. In calendar year 2020, a title was added to each of these competitions. It was Bayern’s year, which, however, is characterized by the fact that 2021 should also be their year.
Rivals admire him. Borussia Dortmund’s Mats Hummels recently found that he missed this mentality at his new club. BVB lost at Union Berlin, Leipzig only scored 0-0 to 1. FC Köln, Bayern inflicted their first defeat on Leverkusen this season and clinched the top of the table. Of their 30 points, they got exactly half in the games where they fell behind.
The return of Kimmich structured the Bayern game
“It was kind of an ending. We wanted to show that we are the best team in Germany, ”said Müller. At first he looked different, because with furious pressure Leverkusen forced Bayern to make wide passes, which turned into bad passes. The champions seemed very vulnerable, but the longer the second half lasted, the clearer it was that the opponent had taken it too quickly.
In the phase where it became apparent, coach Hansi Flick replaced Joshua Kimmich. The national player was injured in the 3-2 victory in Dortmund in early November, it was the first of seven games to fall behind. Kimmich structured the Bayern pressure in the final phase. The result was a horrifying loss of the ball from Jonathan Tah, which Kimmich used to help Lewandowski’s game-winner.
“The mentality and team spirit of the team are just exceptional,” praised Flick. He even got a little sentimental: “I am grateful for every hour that I am allowed to be with the team. I will never forget what the players give me and my teammates in my life. “
Coman injured himself – diagnosis is still open
Flick will only have to go without the players for a week. Six Bundesliga matches and the DFB Cup match in Holstein Kiel, the leaders of the 2nd division, are scheduled for January. The Champions League will continue in February. Since national coach Joachim Löw announced that he would use the few games before the Euro to play for a first team, Germany’s Munich team should be even more burdened.
Back: Joshua Kimmich
Photo: Inderlied / Kirchner / imago images / Kirchner-Media
One of them, Leon Goretzka, was absent from Leverkusen due to injury, and it showed in the sometimes helpless attempts to overcome the pressure. Niklas Süle helped as a right back, Leroy Sané broke some good deeds with sloppy passing or bad decisions between being substituted in and out. Serge Gnabry improved in the second half, but his performances in recent weeks have been average to poor. Kingsley Coman, who had to be substituted in the first half due to an injury at Leverkusen, was clearly in better shape. A diagnosis is open.
It remains demanding and difficult for Bayern, whose consolation is that the championship competitors are equally burdened. Also, Kimmich is back, on Flick he said: “The fact that he is there helps the team a lot.” He was referring to the mere presence, which probably would have been a bit too much in Leverkusen.
