BAyern Munich could not have was hoping for a extra emphatic go back to shape on Saturday. The Bavarian giants welcomed obvious identify competitors Borussia Dortmund to the Allianz Arena, and briefly reverted again to their conventional position as Bundesliga champions-elect– perennial architects of doom for any home rival that dare query their authority.
It was once becoming their new head trainer, Thomas Tuchel, loved an ideal begin to existence in Munich throughout the medical completing of Thomas Müller, whose back-post end and instinctual rebound bagged the second one and 3rd objectives at the night time, following a gap howler from the Dortmund keeper, Gregor Kobel. Not best had Müller been marginalized via Tuchel’s predecessor, Julian Nagelsmann, however he was once additionally one among a handful of senior figures inside the Bayern squad who remained unconvinced via the younger tactician. That lingering apathy became bitter and ended in the German giants slicing their losses and choosing Tuchel in reasonably dramatic type.
Back in his most well-liked No 10 position at the back of the primary striker, Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting, Müller reclaimed his position as Bayern’s leader orchestrator in assault and all-round cheerleader when off the ball. Weaving between the traces and evading Dortmund’s dazzled defence, the 33-year-old ahead epitomised the gulf in technical skill and psychological fortitude between the 2 groups. Jürgen Klopp was once nonetheless calling the pictures at the sideline the remaining time Dortmund received a league sport in Munich, and Müller appeared adamant that “Der Klassiker” would stay as remarkably one-sided as it’s been in contemporary reminiscence.
“In the end, despite this 4-2, there wasn’t too much of a rebellion,” remarked Müller with a cheeky smile in entrance of the TV cameras. Undoubtedly, he was once regarding Dortmund’s transient stint on the best of the desk and the clamor from all corners for a possible identify race in Germany. Instead, Bundesliga fanatics world wide have been left rolling their eyes at an utter implosion from Edin Terzic’s facet of their greatest take a look at of the season.
“I have no idea how the ball slipped through there,” lamented Kobel, requested how his comical lack of ability to intercept an extended ball down the pitch ended in Dayot Upamecano inadvertently scoring from deep in his personal part. “There are just shitty days. Today was one of those. There was much more to Dortmund’s downfall, though, than a simple goalkeeping gaffe.
It was rather telling that following Kobel’s mistake, the only Dortmund player to offer the keeper some condolence was Marius Wolf. The rest of the team looked stunned, paralyzed, which goes some way to explaining why Bayern then tripled their lead in the space of just ten minutes. “It took us too long to react to the setbacks and shake them off,” said Terzic after the game. “After 23 minutes it was already 3-0. Then we still tried again in the second half to adjust a few things. But it’s the way it is. We have to get on the plane home very disappointed.”
While the atypical goalkeeping mistake will also be forgiven, the way during which Dortmund’s megastar gamers – maximum significantly Jude Bellingham and Marco Reus – went lacking after the early setback is what would have pissed off the away supporters maximum. “We are all only human,” muttered Reus in entrance of the Sky Sports cameras, in what sounded a poorly-rehearsed excuse. “Something like that does not depart us unscathed. When you are unfortunate to be 1-0 down right here and also you move 2-0 down, then after all you shouldn’t have that a lot self-confidence.”
Not exactly what any fan would want to hear from their club captain. Coincidentally, while Reus has been a tremendous servant for Dortmund since making the move from Borussia Mönchengladbach in 2012, he’s also indirectly become the face of one of European football’s most notable inferiority complexes. Saturday’s match – in which Reus was substituted after 60 minutes, having failed to register a single shot on target – was his seventh consecutive Bundesliga defeat to Bayern. The last time the German forward was on the winning end of this fixture in the league, his vice-captain was playing for Birmingham City’s youth team.
That’s not to say Bayern had it all their own way. There’s no doubt that Dortmund started the game strongly before gifting their opponents at least two goals and once Terzic pulled off his misfiring stars in the second half, a new attacking line led by a rejuvenated Donyell Malen highlighted the complacencies that still lie in this Bayern team by bagging two consolation goals. “We’re no longer going overboard,” admitted Tuchel after the game, before complaining about his team’s frustrating tendency to give the ball away in the second half. Like all great managers, the new Bayern coach would have only enjoyed the result in its entirety had the team followed his instructions. Dortmund may have crumbled before their domestic rivals, but Manchester City are unlikely to make things as easy for the Bavarian giants in their upcoming Champions League clash.
Talking points
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Bayern’s indifference to the obvious identify problem from Dortmund was once possibly perfect summed up via the scoop cycle briefly reverting again to Nagelsmann after the fit. Lothar Matthäus set the heather alight live to tell the tale air when he accused the Bayern CEO, Oliver Kahn, of mendacity and trampling at the membership’s collective “Mia san Mia” ethos via no longer informing the former head trainer of his sacking earlier than it leaked to the clicking. Kahn rejected the accusation, earlier than labeling Matthäus as Bayern’s “chief critic”. When requested if he’d attempt to unravel the row, Khan introduced a blunt reaction: “I’m in Munich and can be reached at any time.”
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The Union Berlin feelgood tale rumbles on – the one different best six facet except Bayern to pick out up all 3 features this weekend, after beating rock-bottom Stuttgart 3-0. Fears that the Köpenick facet would run out of steam in the second one part of the season have eased, with Union stretching their unbeaten run to 4 video games regardless of making six adjustments to their crew from the former fit day. The end result now opens up a four-point hole on Freiburg in fourth position for Urs Fischer’s facet, who’re remaining in at the Champions League.
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Stuttgart’s loss may usher in the departure of Bruno Labbadia within the coming days. The membership hierarchy met on Sunday morning to talk about the 57-year-old’s long term, following a deficient go back from Bundesliga control that has observed the VfB head trainer select up simply six features from 11 league video games. “When you’re on top, luck runs into you, when you’re on the bottom it’s the other way around,” stated Labbadia after his facet’s defeat within the capital. The Stuttgart sports activities director, Fabian Wohlgemuth, was once way more direct: “We will not sit idly by and watch the downfall.”