CSKA Moscow vs Bayern Munich: Player, Man of the Match Ratings

I hate this match.

To be completely honest, I wrote that sentence in the 15th minute of Bayern Munich's Champions League victory away to CSKA Moscow. However, once the match had mercifully ended, I really hated the match.

First Issue: The atmosphere was terrible due to UEFA banning CSKA Moscow supporters for being racist (again), and UEFA banned Bayern supporters just because they could. After the game, Karl-Heinz Rummenigge said the following, "It was strange because there was no atmosphere and no emotion. I've been in football 40 years and I've never experienced anything like it - and I hope I never experience it again." I couldn't agree more, Kalle.

Second Issue: I can't be the only one that thought the playing surface was poor, right? For the first half hour of the match, it seemed like neither side could keep their footing on the field. Players were sliding all over the place. Our very own Ryan Cowper suggested to me that he thought they over-watered the field. His reasoning was how poor Arjen Robben's first touch was throughout the evening. That would contribute to the third issue.

Third Issue: The overall play from both sides was pretty poor. Bayern created many opportunities in the penalty area, but they weren't able to finish numerous opportunities. How many times did you see Lewandowski, Götze, or Müller not get a quality shot off once in the box? They were too numerous to count.

Okay, now that I've voiced my displeasure with the overall quality of the match, let's face the facts. Three points is three points, and Bayern are sitting at the top of this Champions League group with six points after two matches.

As for the man of the match suggestions from me for this one, here are a few suggestions from me. I'll be back tomorrow with my choice.

Mario Götze: Is it just me or is Mario a lot more active without the ball so far this season? He makes himself available to receive more passes than he did last year, and he appears much more willing to (LA Galaxy coach Bruce Arena once described Clint Dempsey this way.) "try shit" with the ball at his feet. He's slowly beginning to look like the Mario that we saw at Borussia Dortmund, just a smarter version.

Manuel Neuer: While Neuer could spend the majority of matches sitting in a beach chair, he always has to come up big when called upon. And, guess what? Neuer does it again and again and again.

Thomas Müller: He managed to convert the penalty and avoid completely slipping on his attempt and putting it into the empty stand. Otherwise, Thomas was very active on the day. He came close to adding a second goal several times and was just stymied by poor finishing.

Xabi Alonso: It's now a regular occurrence for the Spanish maestro to appear on this list game after game. He's so good.