Recap: Bayern Munich II’s 0-0 draw with FC Kaiserslautern

Bayern Munich II fought 1.FC Kaiserslautern to a 0-0 draw, but turned in a very impressive performance overall. At times, Bayern Munich II was outstanding with its movement and passing, but the lack of cohesion in the final third is still plaguing the squad ... and you know what? That should be expected given the roster turnover and the impact that the senior team’s hectic schedule has played on the reserve team roster.

Per Sofascore.com, Bayern Munich dominated possession with a 65% to 35% advantage over 1.FC Kaiserslautern and out-shot their opponents 10 to 8. Bayern Munich II tested 1.FC Kaiserslautern goalkeeper Avdo Spahic with five shots on target, while the visitors only managed three.

Here are some quick hitters on the match:

• Ron-Thorben Hoffmann was terrific. When Bayern Munich started to wear down and get a bit sloppy, the goalkeeper amped up his awareness and was fantastic. 1.FC Kaiserslautern had multiple good opportunities toward the end of the match, but Hoffmann showed his mettle in keeping them off the scoreboard.
• Jamie Lawrence is showing great promise as a defender, but lost a runner late in the game, which could have had a terrible outcome if not for Hoffmann anticipating the play. Overall, though, Lawrence turned in a very nice effort by a player who is normally on the U-19 team.
• Tiago Dantas had a rousing debut. The young-looking 19-year-old might look like he got lost on his way to the U-15 match, but his play and his poise on the ball were veteran-like. The youngster showed exactly why Hansi Flick had so much interest and Dantas should be a valuable piece of the squad moving forward.
• Leon Dajaku is relentless with creating offense. Given the score was 0-0, it could be assumed that the game was boring, but it was not because Dajaku was always looking for a way to kickstart the offense. Playing as wing (Bayern Munich has toyed with making him an outside-back to use his athleticism as a weapon from that position), Dajaku was a menace. One blemish he had was opting to go himself when he had Fiete Arp cutting down the middle. A pass there might have resulted in a goal, but Dajaku’s commitment to the offense was key to Bayern Munich II throughout the game.
• Arp played out-wide, while Joshua Zirkzee occupied the middle. Arp was solid on the contest and had an excellent free-kick attempt that hit the post. I’d personally like to see him take more chance with diagonal runs when playing out-wide, but he already tends to drift centrally and be in relatively good positions offensively.
• Zirkzee, meanwhile, was plagued by a lack of movement and not recognizing his spacing at times. The Dutchman was not bad by any means, but there needs to be some improvement shown with these aspects of his game. Is he suffering a little mental fatigue from being “demoted” or is he just going through a bit of a slump? That remains to be seen, but he has to start showing a little more. More physicality in his game would be a huge boost as well.
• Angelo Stiller turned in a good effort (again) before exiting the game with an injury. Hopefully, this will be a quick recovery.
• The overall mix of older players and young players seems to be working. This should pay dividends as the season goes on.

It is vital to remember that this team is still feeling each other out and learning how to play together. With a roster that is constantly in a state of flux, there are going to mistakes and growing pains, but so far, so good with this unit. Holger Seitz is doing a great job of weathering this storm.