Would love to see the average of the three ratings for the players added to the post but if it’s too much hassle then that’s fine.
For this match:
Ulreich: 7.06 Minjae: 7.50 De Ligt: 7.10 Davies: 7.13 Laimer: 6.23 Kimmich: 7.90 Goretzka: 7.80 Sané: 7.70 Coman: 7.4 Musiala: 7.3 Kane: 7.5
Tel: 6.30 Sarr: 6.36 Choupo: 6.1
Seems like every match I’m trying to mentally reconcile how static we seem.
“Well Leverkusen are having a good year and Alonso is obviously a good coach so I understand why chances might be hard to create and actualise.”
“Well it’s the super cup and it’s the first game and Tel started and Kane only played 15 minutes.”
“Well it’s Bochum so obviously they’ll win by a lot.”
“Well it’s Mainz near the bottom of the table so obviously they will struggle to create and execute.”
Basically I’ve just not looked at many matches this season and thought “yes, this is what Bayern need to be.”
Maybe I’m alone but I just don’t get what the team is trying to do. Get the ball to Sané or Musiala and hope for the best? Every game just seems like it’s pass around the back and then there’s a break. Keeper to defender to defender to Kimmich to keeper to left back to Kim to Kimmich to defender to keeper to Upamecano to right back to keeper to Kimmich, gets fouled and start again. I get that teams sit back and make it difficult for Bayern but that isn’t a shock. It’s the coach’s job to find answers and solutions.
In reality, Xabi Alonso has been coaching for under a year and within his first games, he got Leverkusen playing with speed, physicality and an identity. Why has that not happened here?
There are so many talking points here but the first question I have:
Like what’s going on? Is he honing it in? Protesting because his manager got sacked and he’s no longer the go-to for Tuchel? Unhappy that his mate was rumoured to be on the chopping block this summer?
I feel like his best years have been wasted which is a ridiculous thing to say considering what he has achieved but this guy should be a shout for the best midfielder in the world and he was there but something has happened this year where he has massively fallen off. Maybe that is a reactionary take but it’s where I am.
Is he suffering from trying to do it all? He’s taking on all this responsibility but fundamentally can’t handle it without another quality midfielder protecting him.
As for him wearing the arm band, I get it’s a largely empty symbol and it’s more an administrative thing but tonight he wasn’t good enough to wear the shirt let alone captain’s armbands.
When there was all the talks of future captain and all that, the argument was “he’s too hot headed” and it was always rebuffed with “so was Kahn, Effenberg, Van Bommel…” But now he doesn’t strike me as the guy to rally the players and get them working in the way that De Ligt, Müller, shit even Goretzka does!
Maybe I’m just disappointed with the performance and his was notably frustrating. It’s a frustration that stems from him being way off where he should be.