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Initial reactions and observations
Phillipe Coutinho had another good game: Scoring 1 goal and registering 1 assist, the Brazillian dazzaled yet again. His vision, dribbling and flair was on full display in the number 10 role.
Bayern didn’t dominate and were poor overall: As the scoreline suggests, Bayern didn’t dominate Paderborn and even came under pressure from the minnows during the last 25 minutes. Performances like this are sure to worry Niko Kovac and given that tough matches are ahead for the Croat’s men, performances will have to improve.
Bayern remain shaky at the back: Paderborn bested Bayern in terms of corners and had chances throughout the night. Bayern will need to close up the gaps in the defense if they are to challenge for the Bundesliga and CL this season. A few nervous passes from Thiago, Kimmich, Pavard, Boateng and Hernandez didn’t help matters.
Thiago had a poor match while Kimmich was very good: The Spanish Maestro wasn’t able to dictate the tempo like he so often does and nearly scored a howler of an own goal. His performance was so bad that he was hooked at half-time in favour of a fresh option of the bench. Of course this may just be a precaution for the Tottenham game on Tuesday.
On the other hand, Kimmich played another great game in the double pivot and was integral to attacking move as he displayed his vision and precision. However, Kimmich still seems a little static defensively in this position and was still bypassed several times. Though, it was still a solid performance from the new ‘6’.
Kovac’s champaigne lineup was played: Bar David Alaba, Kovac fielded what I believe was his preferred team, against Paderborn. A full strength side, supringingly, given that there is a huge CL tie on the horizon, it will be interesting to see if the coach sticks or twists with this lineup.
Fulltime: Although not always pretty, a win is a win and Bayern leave Paderborn victorious with a 2-3 narrow win against the Bundesliga minnows.
94’—Coutinho’s free-kick comes close...to row Z.
93’—Coman wins a free-kick close to the goal
90’—Gnabry misses another one, after good play between Thomas Muller and Coutinho.
87’—The Paderborn onslaught continues, Bayern needed to score early chances!
84’—Paderborn score a goal of the season contender. A lighting bolt from 30 years
80’—Lewandowski scores a beutiful chip, Goal for Bayern and 3-1 to the champions!
78’—Another Paderborn attack leads to a shot on the frame, however the attacker had another teammate in wide open space, they might rue missing that chance.
75’—As the commentator just said, “it’s Paderborn, Paderborn, Paderborn”. This will be a real test of Bayern’s character to close out this result
73’—Brilliant feet from Coutinho nearly results in a good chance, Bayern re-affirming their grip on the game now.
70’—The Paderboorn striker takes a shot from an hard angle outside the box which almost seeps it. Bayern really are under the cosh right now
68’—Goal: Paderborn, the substitute striker slots the ball into the bottom corner. Bayern will rue missed chances
65’—A fantastic pass by Kimmich eventually leads to a Gnabry thunderbolt that gets parried out. Another Gnabry shot follows however this one is blasted over the woodwork
63’—Cheeky trickery from Gnabry results in a Bayern corner, he’s playing quite well this fine Saturday
60’—Paderborn are surprisingly not crumbling and have had 3 more corners than Bayern! This is far from over
55’—A finely worked team goal ends in a Coutinho tap in! In the words of Phil Bonney, “Coutinho’s first REAL goal”. 2-0 to Bayern!
51’—Bayern have a good passage of passing play which ends in some nice interplay between Coman and Davies, the Canadian shoots a cross into the box however it cannot find any red shirts
50’—Javi Martinez and Alphonso Davies came on for Thiago and Lucas Hernandez respectively, smart subs from the coach.
47’—Neuer palms out a Paderborn cross after a early chance for the home team
Second half starts: We are back underway after the break, the home side kicks off!
Halftime observations and analysis:
Bayern have been sloppy so far: The game remains scrappy and possession has been turned over many times. Bayern really should be playing better against the worst team in the leage.
Many chances have been missed for the visitors: Lewandowski, Coutinho and co have missed easy chances which have often not even reached the target or goal keeper. Bad finishing has plagued Bayern in recent years and this first half was no indication that times were changing.
Paderborn down but certainly not out: While Bayern should have already put this game to bed, this hasn’t been the case and Paderborn have even had a few half-chances. This is by no means a lost cause just yet
This lineup looks like Kovac’s current preferred lineup: Which leads to the question of will the stylish coach make any changes for the Tottenham game? Given that the CL tie is only days away, it seems odd for Kovac to play his best team without affording players rest. Of course, there also will definitely be telling subs to indicate how Bayern will line up in London.
Halftime: The sides take their halftime break, Paderborn will feel fortunate to be only 1 behind at the break
46’—Paderborn almost score on a quick counter-attack with the home side’s striker nearly connecting to a cutback
43’—What is it with missed chances today! Gnabry misses another high xG chance
40’—Lewandowski’s shot is parried before quick feet from Coutinho nearly makes the ball find the goal, Bayern still failing to convert chances
35’—Gnabry drills a low-cross into the box however the Paderborn keeper calmly collects. Bayern aren’t reaping the rewards of their chances just yet
31’—Coman comes close with a cross/shot. The thunderbolt narrowly skips past the outside of the post
30’—Paderborn currently under the Bayern onslaught, these next minutes before half-time will be crucial for the home side
24’—Thiago almost scores an unbelievable own goal. Think Kramer’s horrendous one a few years back. Thiago hasn’t been great recently, a result of Kimmich being his partner in midfield?
22’—Bayern dominating, however, Paderborn are still very much in the game and they’ve had a few half-chances. The visitors must not take their foots of the gas!
15—Goal, Gnabry scores a great goal after a Coutinho assist. The ‘samba’ star displays his excellent vision with his pass to the winger, which is slotted coolly into the bottom of the goal
13’—And...it’s Coman who now misses a sitter, an easy 1 on 1 where the Frenchman should have hit the target
9’—It’s Coutinho’s turn to miss an easy chance off a superb cross, the Brazillian should have done better
7’—Robert Lewandowski misses an absolute sitter after a superb Coutinho ball finds Gnabry who feeds Lewy
5’—Looks like it’s a 4231 for Bayern Munich today
2’—Paderborn win a corner after a quick shot is deflected
Kickoff: The Bavarians are underway against Paderborn! With a strong lineup, Niko Kovac is making it clear that Bayern think of Paderborn as no pushovers.
One hour until kickoff: We have lineups!
STARTING XI and SUBS vs. @SCPaderborn07‼️ pic.twitter.com/g8jsYu2YRr
— FC Bayern US (@FCBayernUS) September 28, 2019
Ah yes, the classic hurdle. With a big game against Tottenham Hotspur over the horizon, Bayern Munich may be eyeing puny little Paderborn as an easy warmup. Then the game starts, the ref makes a series of horrific blunders (practically a given, since Felix Zwayer will be officiating) and the team go 1-0 down. Then it’s an uphill battle for Bayern to get all 3 points against a parked bus.
I’m not saying that’s what WILL happen, but it could, and those of you expecting a BBQ should keep it in mind. Niko Kovac, for his part, will be missing Leon Goretzka (thigh), Jann-Fiete Arp (hand), Ivan Perisic from his side today, and he’ll want nothing more than a comfortable victory, ideall so he can get David Alaba up to speed with a cameo in the second half. With the likes of Robert Lewandowski, Thomas Muller, Philippe Coutinho, and more, there’s no reason why it shouldn’t happen — but again these kinds of fixtures are a classic hurdle.
It’s Bayern time.
Match Info
Location: Benteler Arena, Paderborn, Germany
Time: 4:30 pm local time, 9:30 am EST
TV/streaming: Fubo.tv, Find Your Country
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