FC Bayern in the Bundesliga: it makes you laugh and cry

Shortly before Hansi Flick left the stadium, a journalist asked him to tell us something new about Robert Lewandowski. Lewandowski scored the first three goals in the 5-0 win against Eintracht Frankfurt and thus impressively demonstrated once again why he is currently the best forward in the world. Only in the past few months had so much been said and written about his qualities, hence the almost imploring request to Flick for a statement of surprising value.

Lo, Flick complied. What’s more, what he said was a worldwide sensation. “Robert announced today that he would like to be replaced,” said the Bayern coach, “perhaps this is news that has never been seen before.” In fact it was. Lewandowski, so far by his own claim an indispensable person who otherwise visibly reluctantly walks off the field in the event of a tactical player change in injury time, voluntarily vacate the field? Incredible but true.

The center forward finally explained how important those timeouts were to him given the tight schedule. “Playing half an hour less than normal, that was already planned for me,” Lewandowski said, referring to the away game 72 hours later, Tuesday night in the Champions League at Lokomotiv Moscow, adding as a which is why he danced so happily from the grass. : “When you see how it goes and it’s 3-0, you can laugh.”

Bright afternoon for Bayern

Yes, it was actually a very joyous afternoon for FC Bayern. The fear of experiencing a bumpy return to everyday life in the Bundesliga after the gala against Atlético de Madrid on Wednesday was quickly gone. Bayern returned to play frantically, Lewandowski scored with left foot, with head, with right, to round off the fun, two substitutes were also congratulated on their goals: Leroy Sané scored after four weeks of injury and four minutes of play. At 4-0, Jamal Musiala marked the final score, with which new records were announced at the final whistle, Bayern’s 22 goals are a record after five days in the Bundesliga as well as Robert Lewandowski’s ten goals.

So everything is very funny. If it hadn’t been for that sad first minute of the game: with Alphonso Davies’ serious injury, the 19-year-old had sprained his neck after just 50 seconds in midfield and had stayed where he was. Thomas Müller, one of the first at the scene of the accident, called the club’s doctors for an immediate diagnosis: “The ankle.” So it was. A torn ankle ligament, plus a torn one, Hansi Flick spoke of a six to eight week break. It means that the preliminary round probably should have been run.

Davies limped in tears, supported by the field medics, the supervisors on the bench also looked visibly tired, most notably the horrified sports director Hasan Salihamidzic, who repeatedly rubbed his hands over his face. A shock for FC Bayern, but above all a very bitter setback for Davies himself, who exactly a year ago, in the last two games with Niko Kovac, played as a left-back for the first time. With Hansi Flick he really got off to a good start there, he became a regular player and capped his outstanding season in Lisbon with his epic quarter-final solo career against FC Barcelona and with the Champions League triumph against Paris. St. Germain, just two months ago.

Davies last with a bass

This season, however, Davies did not catch up, nor was he able to convince in training. He quickly lost his usual place to Lucas Hernández. “He recently had a casualty,” Hansi Flick said of the 19-year-old a few days ago, “it’s important that he get back on track.” Against Frankfurt he would have had the opportunity to show himself, but in less than a minute he ended the first serious injury in his young professional career.