Bavarian FIFA Works - I Have No One to Blame But Myself

Well, we never expected Bayern Munich to be perfect, but I truly blame this loss on myself.

Allow me to explain: before our MD2 BuLi game against Schalke, we (and by we, I mean I) decided to change our offensive tactics prior to the game starting. I overestimated what Hansi Flick’s tactics have actually been in his time at the helm of the Bayern First Team. I should have selected “Balanced” but, instead, I chose “Fast Build Up” and it killed our squad in more ways than I wanted.

Bayern Munich @ Schalke 04 - BuLi MD2

Well, that offensive tactical change did more harm than good. Firstly, while the change did keep us more toward the offensive half of the pitch, it left us very much open to counterattacks. Most of our defense like David Alaba, Alphonso Davies and Lucas Hernandez were only able to keep up with this for one half.

Meanwhile, our lineup underwent experimentation, which, in hindsight, shouldn’t have happened against a good side like Schalke.

Lewandowski

Sané-Müller-Gnabry

Thiago-Kimmich

Davies-Alaba-Süle-Pavard

Neuer

The Schalke lineup was nothing special. The formation was slightly off, but no new players of note on the team.

45’ HALFTIME (S04 0:0 FCB)

To be honest, this was an intense first half. A lot of chances in our attacking zone, but Schalke was threatening on the counter attack. At this point, I should have realized what was happening and changed the tactics. I did not, and we pressed on.

Throughout this game, I had to put forth three substitutions: Hernandez for Davies; Coutinho for Sané; and Werner for Pavard. The three subs provided necessary pace, but not enough to really win this game. We seemed destined for a 0-0 draw.

Until...

90’ + 3’ GOAL from Omar Mascarell (S04 1:0 FCB)

We tried SO. DANG. HARD.

The defense bent but didn’t break during this entire game. Neuer was a rock in between the sticks.

That is, until, a late break from Schalke resulted in a cross into the box. A few deflections later and Omar Mascarell sent a goal past Manuel Neuer in the last minute of extra time to win it at the Veltins Arena.

Match Awards

Jersey Swap: Alexander Nübel

The young German keeper really did a fantastic job of stopping Bayern’s shots. For reference, Bayern Munich had a combined six shots on target. One was a close shot from Lewy off the post, another was a Timo Werner chance that went off the post, but no matter what Bayern challenged Nübel with, the keeper was able to meet it. He made the difference in this game.

Tip of the Cap: Robert Lewandowski

Timo Werner did the job that Lewy was able to complete throughout 90 minutes. His amazing work up front was the pillar of the offense, even though he wasn’t able to convert any chances.

Golf Clap: David Alaba

His first opportunity for this team at center back did not disappoint. His pace was necessary at times, much like Lucas Hernandez’s abilities, and he was a helpful addition to the defensive middle two. It might not be something we see all of the time, but Alaba at CB is a viable option for this team.

Shout Out: Thiago Alcantara

He was FIFA’s MOTM, completing over 80% of his passes and contributing four key passes. Once again, Thiago’s star quality was highlighted and his passing ability was unparalleled. In my eyes, for the games to come, he is not someone who can be easily replaced.

Meister of the Match: Manuel Neuer

Neuer somehow only received the teams’ fourth best rating at a mark of 7.2 and I guess that’s because this simulation doesn’t value him as one of the best keepers in the game. His six saves helped save this Bayern side from total annihilation as my choice for offensive tactics often left Neuer alone on an island. He deserves all the props he can for keeping the team in this game for as long as he did.

Poll Of the Day

So, those who have watched this team know there is a major problem along the backline. That problem is that Benjamin Pavard is not a good Right Back.

There have been many times throughout the first three games of the season that the Frenchman has been out of position, failing to properly defend counter attacks, and often being winded when running down attackers.

In my mind, it’s clear that he can’t fill this position any longer. There are two options ahead of us:

Keep Benjamin Pavard as a back-up CB or RB, start Kimmich at RB

• Pros: We’ve won two games with Kimmich playing at the right back position for an entire half. As much as he’s an asset at midfield, he’s even more helpful in a position that we can no longer treat as one we have a large amount of talent in. Plus, Pavard serves us in a back-up role, meaning we can get some help from him if some of our defenders go down.
• Cons: Kimmich may become angry and demand a trade (even though that happened once before in any simulation I ran with Bayern), Pavard may get angry and wants out of Bavaria, and we lose out on any chance of getting someone good at the RB position

Swap Benjamin Pavard for RB Leipzig’s Lukas Klostermann

• Pros: We get a good young German talent in Klostermann, who can serve us in the right back position for years to come, while getting rid of a player like Pavard, who both in this simulation and in real life, hasn’t always put forth the best efforts. It also eliminates the concerns for Kimmich and allows him to play in the position he wants.
• Cons: We walk into the Hindrunde with only 3 centerbacks to our name. We have no CB’s in our youth academy, and after selling off Boateng and Martinez, losing Pavard will make us light in case of an injury.

Because we just recently brought Pavard in, I doubt we could sell him to someone. The only way we could send him away is by swapping him. There are a lot of questions to consider.

Therefore, I’m keeping the poll open beyond a 12 hour period. It closes on Sunday at 1:30 PM ET.