[ad_1]
Bayern Munich edged Tigres UANL to complete a sensational six-fold but could they be slowing their momentum after 12 months of winning?
For 12 months, Bayern Munich won and won again.
This time a year ago Bayern were just one point clear at the top of the Bundesliga with the knockout stages of the Champions League still to be negotiated.
But an outstanding, record winning streak of 23 matches – the longest by a German club since the formation of the Bundesliga – they won four titles: the league, the DFB-Pokal, a sixth European crown and the UEFA Super Cup.
World champions
Since the conclusion of that remarkable stretch, which began on February 16 and ended in defeat on September 27, Bayern have added the DFL-Supercup, three days after Hoffenheim’s defeat, and now, with the victory over Tigres UANL on Thursday, the FIFA Club World Cup.
The Hansi Flick team has enhanced the efforts of its class of 2013, which won just five trophies, losing the first game of Pep Guardiola in charge to Borussia Dortmund in the national Super Cup.
Of course, this Bayern team, defeated 5-1 at Eintracht Frankfurt last season before Flick’s appointment, have set a standard never before seen in German football.
Champions of Germany, Europe and on top of the world, the challenge now is to stay there.
David Alaba seems ready to go and there is also uncertainty surrounding Flick, while the team has not evolved on the field.
It has been easy, of course, for Flick to get on his side to do the same again, after having passed Tottenham, Chelsea, Barcelona and Lyon before beating Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League last season.
They lost Thiago Alcantara and signed Leroy Sane, who started and hit the crossbar with the best effort of the first half on Thursday – Joshua Kimmich’s disallowed goal aside, but Bayern may well have shown only one change from the win against PSG If it weren’t for Leon Goretzka’s recent coronavirus battle, Thomas Muller’s positive test and Jerome Boateng’s serious personal affairs.
Even then Benjamin Pavard, who was only absent from injury last season, would have replaced Thiago, with Kimmich now back in midfield.
Bayern try to repeat last season; they have three trophies to their name, have a seven-point advantage in the Bundesliga and are ranked in Europe, but arrogance is not quite there at this stage.
Below the level of dominance in 2019-20, Bayern averaged 16.8 shots per game, 6.7 shots on target, 615.8 passes and 62.2 percent of possession – overall, the lowest marks since Guardiola arrived in Bavaria.
More of the same with Flick
Continuing at the helm, Unlike Jupp Heynckes after Bayern’s previous Champions League triumph, Flick has not followed Guardiola in the team’s bold transformation.
The Catalan coach placed Philipp Lahm in the center of the field, where he was joined by a fit Toni Kroos and new signing Thiago. Bayern averaged 572.2 passes per game and 61% of possession in 2012-13 and 727.9 passes per game and 71% of possession the following year – total control.
This time, Sane was supposed to take Bayern to another level but he has struggled to build a good debut against former club Schalke. Alaba’s departure would rob them of a more valuable asset.
And given the swashbuckling flair of last season’s hit, even with his trophy loot still growing, Anything other than a serious twist on the Champions League would surely be considered a failure. The bounce of a ball in one of the most unpredictable sports competitions could well dictate the background music in Munich.
Pavard gives victory to Bayern
Bayern were worth it for their victory on Thursday, even if it ultimately relied on a scruffy blow from Pavard, and they have enjoyed a truly historic year.
However, if they are going to prolong their peak and make this a joy for more than 12 months, they may need to show again a little more. Another 23-game winning streak should ease any concerns.
Source: m.allfootballapp.com
[ad_2]
