Match awards from Bayern Munich’s dominating 4-0 victory over Freiburg

Jupp Heynckes’s interesting choice of a starting eleven including Juan Bernat as a left winger and no Robert Lewandowski made no difference, as Bayern Munich picked up yet another Bundesliga victory, this time 4-0 over a hapless SC Freiburg.

Jersey swap: The 12th man. Ok, so picking the fans of Freiburg for the jersey swap really says it all. There was not a single player for the home side that stood out above the rest in a poor overall performance for the hosts. Freiberg had only lost one home Bundesliga match until today and conceded only 4 away goals the entire season until Bayern stormed into town. The home fans didn’t seem to care as new chants and songs picked up again and again, even in the 85th minute. And it appeared that the stadium was still at capacity long after the outcome had been decided.

Tip of the hat: Sandro Wagner. Wagner was solid, if not spectacular up front. He is proving to be the capable backup to Robert Lewandowski that Bayern had hoped when they signed him prior to the Rückrunde. Bayern seems to play a bit more directly with Wagner in the lineup, and today was no exception until they built up a big lead. Wagner’s job is to score goals, which he did to put Bayern up 3-0 and the game out of reach. As long as Wagner keeps scoring he will continue to get minutes, and that will keep main striker Lewandowski fresh for the all important Champions League matches.

Golf clap: Mats Hummels. It was the long cross-field pass from Hummels that was the catalyst for Bayern’s opening goal—the goal that put the visitors on their way to victory. Even though Freiburg came out playing more aggressively against the Bavarians than most teams do, it was this moment in the match that ensured that Freiburg could not fall back into a defensive shell and play for a draw. Hummels was also his usual self at the back, in conjunction with backline partner Jerome Boateng, not making any mistakes and winning headers and tackles while distributing well up the field. The duo made Freiburg’s Nils Petersen, the highest scoring German in the Bundesliga with 12 goals, mostly irrelevant.

Standing ovation: Corentin Tolisso. Tolisso played well throughout the match, working well with Thiago Alcantara as two numbers 8’s, with Arturo Vidal sitting in behind them as a number 6 in a 4-1-4-1 formation. However, Tolisso is getting the standing ovation for one moment of brilliance (check it out!).

Meister of the match: Thomas Müller. The lone Bavarian standing proved his mettle today in a performance filled with exuberance and determination. Bayern’s opening goal may have been credited as an own goal to Freiberg’s keeper Alexander Schwolow, but it was Müller’s quick thinking and fancy footwork that pressured the defense and ultimately got the ball into the back of the net. Müller was involved heavily in the buildup to Wagner’s goal and managed a nice finish of his own with some heady play off a corner taken quickly by Joshua Kimmich. What really stood out though was Müller’s enthusiasm, work ethic, and positive attitude. He was smiles all day.

Müller celebrated the birth of his first foal yesterday. That apparently put him in the right state of mind to score some goals...

The foal came into the world yesterday at 9:30. It’s a load off my mind that everything went well.

Congratulations, Familie Müller!