After the yellow-red card for Joshua Kimmich, Jamal Musial (middle) increased to 4:1 after a fine individual performance. −Photo: IMAGO / Revierfoto
Regardless of the fuss about their injured goalkeeper Manuel Neuer, FC Bayern Munich has recaptured the lead in the Bundesliga from 1. FC Union Berlin with a confident performance over long stretches.
Also read: “FC Hollywood”: This is how Bayern fans react to Manuel Neuer’s interview statements
At the end of the 19th matchday, coach Julian Nagelsmann’s team won 4-2 (3-1) at VfL Wolfsburg on Sunday and pushed the Berlin side down by one point to second place with 40 points.
Two goals from Kingsley Coman (9th/14th minute) and a header goal from Munich’s new record field player Thomas Müller (19th) achieved a wow effect in less than 20 minutes. Jakub Kaminski from Wolfsburg took advantage of the fact that the Bayern game lost pace and sharpness shortly before half-time to make it 1:3 (44th).
After the break, the game even threatened to tip over. National player Joshua Kimmich saw the yellow-red card in the 54th minute after an unnecessary foul on Maximilian Arnold. Micky van de Ven and Mattias Svanberg (50th) had a great chance to make it 2:3 for VfL, who never gave up. Ridle Baku failed after an hour from close range (61′). This took revenge from Wolfsburg’s point of view when Jamal Musiala scored to make it 4-1 (73′). Svanberg’s goal (81′) no longer jeopardized Munich’s victory.
Balancing words from Nagelsmann
One of the winners of this game should also be Nagelsmann. Neuer’s attack in the “Süddeutsche Zeitung” and the international sports portal “The Athletic” revolved around the separation from his close friend and goalkeeping coach Toni Tapalovic (“I had the feeling my heart was being ripped out”). But she also provoked the question of whether the currently injured goalkeeper would have dared to do something like that with Pep Guardiola, Jupp Heynckes or another coach than the 35-year-old, who is no longer undisputed within the team.
However, Nagelsmann found the right way to deal with this sportingly piquant situation after three Bundesliga games without a win. He also criticized Neuer before the kick-off at DAZN (“wouldn’t have given the interview”). However, the coach found more balancing words than CEO Oliver Kahn (“Neither does him justice as captain nor the values of FC Bayern”) and sports director Hasan Salihamidzic (“He put his personal interests above the interests of the club here”).
Above all, Nagelsmann let his team play in their preferred 4-2-3-1 system, which was different from the convincing 4-0 cup win at FSV Mainz 05. Leroy Sané was allowed to act on the wing instead of in the center, Jamal Musiala back in the tenth position.
A place was also found for club icon Müller – this time as a center forward instead of the ailing Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting (gastrointestinal). The 33-year-old played his 427th Bundesliga game in Wolfsburg and is now, together with Gerd Müller, the outfield player with the most top-flight appearances in the history of the German record champions. Only goalkeepers Sepp Maier (473) and Oliver Kahn (429) played more often.
Bank severely thinned
Another Munich problem, in addition to the drop in performance after half an hour, was the bank, which was severely thinned out after eight injuries and illnesses. After Serge Gnabry, Nagelsmann, outnumbered, initially only brought on comparatively inexperienced players such as Josip Stanisic and Mathys Tel.
But Kimmich’s dismissal sharpened Bayern’s senses rather than turning the game around. In the 64th minute, the 17-year-old Tel missed the big chance to make it 4-1. Musiala then raised after a dreamy solo. Shortly after Svanberg’s Wolfsburg goal, Yannick Gerhardt’s supposed 3:4 did not count because of a foul by Baku.
− dpa