Quality still there: Bayern ready for the big clashes
· Yahoo Sports
Harry Kane hadn’t played a single minute that Wednesday evening. And yet, following the 6–1 victory over 1. FC Magdeburg in the DFB Cup, the freshly-minted Ballon d’Or winner was right at the heart of the action.
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Whilst his teammates exchanged pats on the back and hugged each other in front of the Südkurve with the fans cheering on their team loudly, the Englishman, dressed in a tracksuit, was beaming. It’s been a special week for him. Reaching the last 16 was just the icing on the cake.
Kane, too, saw how smoothly his teammates moved the ball around, how well the players’ movements were coordinated and how much purpose there was in their attacking play. Under the guidance of assistant coach Aaron Danks, who was once again deputising for head coach Vincent Kompany, who was off sick, FCB displayed the same joy of playing that currently sets them apart.
Magdeburg give a good account of themselves
“It was a really good night. In the second half, we had more control and created more chances. I’m really happy, but it wasn’t always easy,” said Danks.
In fact, the route to the round of 16 wasn't quite as straightforward as the result might suggest. Although Michael Olise (10', 50' – penalty), Ismael Saibari (21'), Alphonso Davies (70'), Nathaniel Brown (73’) and David Santos Daiber (90’+3) all scored for our team, Magdeburg certainly didn’t shy away from the challenge. The Bundesliga 2 side looked for creative solutions of their own and even managed to equalise through Mateusz Zukowski (15’).
“Our opponents were brave and tried to create something with the ball. But as time went on, we found our rhythm and the momentum swung in our favour,” explained centre-back Jonathan Tah. This is where the difference in quality became apparent: rather than losing their composure, FC Bayern upped the tempo and, with pinpoint passes into space, kept finding new gaps in the opposition’s defence. It was, above all, this air of effortless confidence that made an impression.
“No matter who’s on the pitch – including the lads who come off the bench – we stick together as a team and everyone’s ready to give their all. But you have to work hard for that in training first. I’m pleased it’s falling into place, even though we’re missing players and, at the moment, even our coach,” added Tah.
The team on the pitch was the youngest to feature in an FC Bayern cup match in ten years. The average age of the starting XI was 25 years and 255 days. Individual quality was only part of the story; what proved decisive was how well the different parts of the team worked together.
They identified and exploited spaces, and executed attacks with pace and precision. 64 touches in the opposition’s penalty area, compared with just 11 for Magdeburg, illustrate just how consistently Bayern played the game in the opposition’s half. In total, they recorded 19 shots on goal (8 on target) and an expected goals (xG) figure of 3.98.
Bayern beat Magdeburg to advance to last 16
“When we’re in our stride, it’s great fun. We want to win every match, no matter who we’re up against; we wanted to go through,” Nene Brown stressed. FC Bayern are now so rock solid that even the loss of key players does little to alter their fundamental style of play or their unwavering determination to win.
This is also reflected in their remarkable run of form. Since the 5–4 loss at Paris Saint-Germain at the end of April, FCB are now undefeated in 18 competitive matches, recording 12 wins and six draws during that period. It means the Munich men are the only side from Europe’s top five leagues yet to suffer a defeat this season.
With their tails up against BVB
All this comes at just the right time. The next big challenge is already looming this Saturday in the Bundesliga, with a top-of-the-table clash against Borussia Dortmund at the Allianz Arena (18:30 CET), before Bayern are away to Atlético Madrid in the Champions League (fixture list). Two matches in which Bayern will once again face a very different kind of opposition to that they encountered against Magdeburg.
“I’d be lying if I said the overall situation regarding player availability wasn’t affecting us. But we have to deal with it professionally, and if you think about what we can do for those who aren’t here at the moment, it’s to show on the pitch what we’ve just shown,” said a combative Tah, looking ahead.
The players are approaching their next matches brimming with confidence. The team’s organisation is spot on, and the joy they feel when playing is plain to see. “Now we’re focusing on Saturday. We’re also playing to win for our coach; he needs to rest – but I hope we’ll see him back soon,” said Brown, thinking of Kompany.
And then, of course, there’s King Kane. The Englishman was able to sit back and enjoy the cup night, delighted with his teammates’ performance. He’s likely to be right back in the thick of things against Dortmund – this time not in a tracksuit, but with the number 9 on his back.
Check out the post-match reaction to the cup game against Magdeburg: