Match awards from Bayern Munich’s 3-1 victory against RB Salzburg

Bayern Munich managed to win their second consecutive game against RB Salzburg, taking their UCL winning streak to 15 games. Just as the last one, Salzburg played very well and will perhaps be disappointed they are leaving Munich without a point. Here are BFW’s match awards from today’s Champions League match.

Jersey Swap: Mohamed Camara

Just like last time, Mohamed Camara had a good game for the Austrians against Bayern. He’s far from a finished product and has a lot of maturing to do in terms of playing style, but he’s an impressive talent who gives his all whenever he plays. In the first half especially, Camara’s running and tackling helped Salzburg to often change the direction of the game. The Malian is not the most famous of Red Bull Salzburg’s many talented youngsters, but he’s someone to keep an extra eye on in the future.

Der Kaiser: Manuel Neuer

Manuel Neuer’s double saves before Mergim Berisha’s goal was another one of those saves that only the very best of goalkeepers can do. The Bayern captain was great in the first half as well and, arguably, was the main reason why the Bavarians could go into the halftime break as the winning side.

I’ve lost count of how many games in a row Neuer has rushed out to stop a clear one-on-one. With Hansi Flick’s high-line, Neuer’s natural knack at being the sweeper-keeper is on display more than ever.

Salzburg played very well today and, in my opinion, the difference was individual quality, Manuel Neuer included.

Fußballgott: Leon Goretzka

I was ready to give this one to Marc Roca. Don’t get me wrong, Roca has a lot of work to do to become a Bayern starter, at least under Hansi Flick. I don’t think Flick’s 4-2-3-1 and high-intensity tactical set-up suits Marc Roca very well. Roca is more of an underlying playmaker, who, I would believe, would thrive in a slower tempo squad that focuses more on retaining possession.

Roca’s defensive and box-to-box limitations are probably the main reason why he has not gotten a significant amount of playing time. Bayern’s midfield was extremely open in the first half and I think it is partly due to that reason. That being said, Roca is an excellent passer and a player who won’t lose the ball once he gets it.

The inexperienced red card takes away his award tonight though, and therefore Leon Goretzka gets the award. Goretzka is a better football player than he displayed in today’s performance, but he was also better than Thomas Müller, so he gets the award.

Der Bomber: Kingsley Coman

One, albeit extremely lucky, strike that leads to an own goal and one very well executed assist gives Kingsley Coman the award. Much like Goretzka, Bayern fans have seen Kingsley play better, although in this game he was better than Serge Gnabry. I, for one, also appreciated his winning attitude today as he often made honorable runs for the team.

Meister of the Match: Robert Lewandowski

‘’He is like Gerd Müller’’ my father said after Robert Lewandowski scored the game’s first goal, referencing Lewandowski’s ability to always seem to be at the right place at the right time.

He is so much more than a prolific goal scorer as he is crucial to Bayern’s build-up play and overall attacking threat. As mentioned before, the difference today was individual quality and Lewandowski joins Neuer in that statement.