Thanks to our friends at Fear the Wall for providing commentary and visuals for each observation (unintentionally) as this match played out.

The Bayern Munich front five was ferocious, creative, and overpowering

If Bayern fans were looking for some optimism after the loss to RB Leipzig, it did not take long for attacking quintet of Robert Lewandowski, Thomas Müller, James Rodriguez, Arjen Robben, and Franck Ribéry to give the Allianz Arena a boost of energy. The Bayern offense was relentless behind a hat trick from Lewandowski and goals from Müller, Rodriguez, and Ribéry. The creativity and selfless play was off the charts. This was the exact kind of effort and cohesion that Bayern needed to show before it squares off against Sevilla in the Champions League.

Müller was at the top of his game

As Fear the Wall aptly put:

Müller was at his play making best today. He also scored on a beautiful feed from James to decimate Dortmund by volleying a goal past overwhelmed BVB goalkeeper Roman Bürki. Müller’s form returned when Jupp Heynckes took over for Carlo Ancelotti, but he seems to have taken his game to a completely different level now. He is the most valuable piece to the Bayern attack and truly is the glue that holds all of those powerful weapons together.

The back line was not to shabby either

Neither Mats Hummels nor Jerome Boateng—and heck, not even Joshua Kimmich—played exceptionally well for Die Mannschaft during the international break. Today, however, each of those players, plus Rafinha and David Alaba, were excellent. Hummels and Boateng put the clamps down on the BVB attack and Alaba, Rafinhna, and Kimmich were each a two-way menace.

Despite how hapless it looked, Dortmund really isn’t as bad as it appeared

Listen, Dortmund got steamrolled. It was not pretty for the squad, their manager (#PeterOut), or their fans, but they are not THAT bad. Dortmund is lacking confidence, no doubt, and it was also without its best player in Marco Reus. Reus is integral to the team and without him in this game, Dortmund had no identity. Reus helps Mario Götze and André Schürrle become more effective players, and he absolutely makes Michy Batshuayi more dangerous. Reus is simply a player that Dortmund cannot afford to be without at this stage. BVB will improve and find their way. They have enough talent to show their mettle in the final weeks of this season. For the betterment of the Bundesliga, let’s hope they get it together.