Six Observations from Bayern Munich’s 4-2 win against Flamengo in the Club World Cup

Bayern Munich faced Flamengo in the Round of 16 of the FIFA Club World Cup. This was certainly going to be difficult, owing to Flamengo’s quality.... and the South American tendency to play rough. What ensued was an entertaining game, in which Bayern dominated, not in possession but in goals. And flash news; Harry Kane finally registered a brace! Let’s look at some of the talking points from the game, as Bayern further advances with a 4-2 win to meet Paris Saint-Germain.

Bad refereeing is not going to go away anytime soon so...

We adapt.

The game easily had some of the most shambolic refereeing the CWC has seen. Calls that should have clearly been reds, fouls that should have been yellows and unwarranted cards in instances that they were never needed — this is clearly a Michael Oliver masterclass.

Arguably, Bayern too played a little too casually — tackles a little heavier than needed and certainly a hint of carelessness together made it easier for the cards to be handed out. Further into the tournament, there is little to no guaranteeing that the officiation is going to be fair. Certainly, the team needs to exert a lot more caution.

Pressing wins games. Period.

The press may not have been the most effective but it was certainly needed.

The fact of the matter is that Bayern did not press the entire 90. Their buildup was far too slow, too. There were multiple errors in their game. Yet, if you look at the end product, the goals came when the press excelled. In fact, every attacker and defender pressed with their lives in these circumstances, and that is precisely how Bayern walked out with four goals. Not by smartness, or luck, or even a poor Flamengo performance — just cold, hard pressing. The football never had to be beautiful to win games — it just needs to be sensible team effort.

Pressing right might win us this tournament.

A case for Konrad Laimer

Yes, Sir Harry Kane registered a brace, but ever bothered to notice who was behind all these goals?

Man, I love Konrad Laimer. I will talk about this man for hours on end but for now, let me simply point out why he was the best player on the pitch tonight.

Goal #3:

Kane tries to free himself from the defenders around him and clearly Gnabry just gets in his way. Next logical decision is to pass to a clearly open Konrad Laimer. Laimer, in his usual style, passes to Olise. Now, notice Laimer’s position. He’s already run into the box with the ball at his feet. Loses the ball, yes, but that lands at Goretzka’s feet who takes a gorgeous shot that leads to the goal.

The responsibility is to not simply pass the ball and move on, but to support the guy whom you just passed to and Laimer exemplifies this.

Goal #4:

Musiala gets the ball, but loses it almost in seconds. Guess who comes in here — Laimer rushes in, steals the ball, immediately passes to Kimmich, continues to run forward while Kimmich gets it to Kane and the goal is scored.

Defending masterclass — did someone lose the ball? Retrieving the ball is only half the picture, the pass following it makes all the difference.

Laimer has the work rate of a yesteryear midfielder like Javi Martinez and is perhaps the only man with the level of positional intelligence that can try close the massive Thomas Muller sized hole in Bayern. Additionally, his partnership with Olise is simply too valuable to the attack. Now, that, is what a MOTM looks like.

Physicality in the attack is the need of the hour

No way this team plans on going to meet PSG after getting beaten down like this.

Bayern desperately needs muscle, and this game showed clearly why a muscle man like Nick Woltemade is needed in attack. Barring, perhaps Leroy Sane and Harry Kane (who will forever be marked by 3 defenders at minimum), no one in the attacking side of things has the muscle to handle more physical teams. When you desperately need a guy like Jamal Musiala for his creativity, he is unable to deliver as he is bent like a twig in these circumstances. Let us not even begin to mention Serge Gnabry’s contributions of the night.

Though not possible by the end of this tournament, Bayern will have to either bulk their players up, or look at the market for bulk. It is as simple as that.

In-game fatigue — a CWC special

Is it the weather? Or the fact that none of the players have rested in ages? Or the fact that we happen to face extremely physical teams?

All of the above.

Bayern have played in fatigue before but the CWC brings this to a whole new level. The kind of exhaustion that is visible in these players is scary. Periods following the second goal wherein Kimmich and Goretzka looked absolutely exhausted and clueless, and not to mention the absolute mess that Michael Olise was today, and additionally the almost dead left wing all proves how bad the CWC is genuinely for these players.

Can we even expect a full-strength Bavarian performance against the current Champions League holders PSG?

And a case for Manuel Neuer

Manuel Neuer perhaps was transported back to 2014 after looking at the red and black Flamengo kits, for he leapt and chased like his best self. I still cannot comprehend how a player at that age returns from an injury to play like this, but I guess that is how the greatest keeper of all time moves.

Click here to read article