Bayern Munich 5-0 Fortuna Dusseldorf: Initial reactions and observations

Initial reactions and observations

• Good substitutions by Flick today. With Batista-Meier getting his debut and some good minutes for Zirkzee and Cuisance, he finally used all five of his subs.
• It’s cool how Bayern have four of the top 5 fullbacks in the world. Pavard, Kimmich, Davies, and Alaba — most teams don’t even have a single fullback of that quality.
• Joshua Kimmich had yet another polished performance in midfield. He moved to center back in the second half, but honestly Bayern were so dominant that it didn’t make much of a difference. His run to set up Lewandowski’s first goal was a thing of beauty.
• Alphonso Davies’ attacking renaissance continues. His goal today is part of the beginning — we hope to see Marcelo-like numbers from this kid someday. His pace is the least of his qualities, he has the composure and killer-instinct of a top level attacker.
• Yet another assist for Thomas Muller, bringing him closer to Kevin De Bruyne’s record. If Hansi keeps playing him at the second striker’s spot, he’s almost certain to get it.

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Full time: Bayern win 5-0.

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77’: Oliver Batista-Meier comes on for Gnabry. That’s all the subs done by Flick. First time too.

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74’: Joshua Zirkzee comes on for Thomas Muller. Can he score?

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69’: Gnabry, Lewy, and Davies all fail to score in a mad scramble in front of goal.

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61’: Perisic and Odriozola come on for Coman and Pavard. Good subs by Flick today.

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52’: Daviessss! It’s five now, I can’t keep doing this.

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49’: GOAL! It’s a bloodbath. Lewandowski makes it 4-0, Gnabry assist.

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45’: The second half is underway!

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Halftime observations and analysis

• Fortuna look like they’re playing in slow motion. Bayern are relentless.
• The goals are coming in intervals of 14 mins. Is the next one coming at the 56th minute?
• Another goal for Lewy and another assist for Muller, no one is stopping these two.
• Lucas Hernandez looks so solid out there, great performance from him so far. Let’s hope he keeps this up in the second half.
• David Alaba’s contribution to Bayern’s buildup play is as important as any midfielder. He’s finally living his dream of playing in midfield, but at center back. What a player.

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42’: We’re getting goals at 14 min intervals. Lewandowski makes it three, Muller assist. This is a barbecue for Bayern.

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28’: GOAL! Benji Pavard makes it 2-0 from a corner. Great header.

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14’: GOAL! It was coming. Muller crosses to Gnabry who passes to Pavard and it’s touched in by a Dusseldorf player.

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Kickoff: We’re underway in Munich!

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One hour until kickoff: We have lineups! Lucas finally gets a start after lockdown.

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It’s matchday and Bayern Munich are back in business. Having won against Borussia Dortmund in midweek, the Bavarians will be looking to keep the momentum going against Fortuna Dusseldorf. Being seven points clear in the table, Hansi Flick inches ever closer to his first title.

Of course, this being Bayern, nothing’s quite as easy as it first seems. Philippe Coutinho, Corentin Tolisso, and Niklas Sule are still out with injury, while Thiago Alcantara is yet to return to fitness (he’ll be back by next week). Still, the team has Robert Lewandowski and Thomas Muller fit and looking for records, while Lucas Hernandez has a decent chance of starting for the first time since the Bundesliga restarted. While a relegation scrapper like Fortuna is unlikely to make things easy for the Bavarians, Flick and his men have more than enough talent at their disposal.

It’s Bayern time.

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Match Info

Location: Allianz Arena, Munich, Germany

Time: 6:30 pm local time, 12:30 pm EST

TV/streaming: Fubo.tv, Find Your Country

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