Match awards from Bayern’s massive 8:0 win against Schalke

The new season of Bundesliga is underway! Bayern Munich has continued in the same way they finished the last season — plenty of goals, exciting football, and dominating their opponents. Schalke 04 offered little resistance as they were crushed by the well-oiled Bavarian machine. Bayern put on an amazing collective performance and scored eight goals on the opening match for the 2020/21 season and without further ado, here are the match awards!

Jersey Swap: Nobody

Seriously, not a single player on the opposing side had a memorable night. There were a couple of players who showed a glimmer of deserving the “Jersey Swap,” but after the full 90 minutes, the conclusion is that nobody on this Schalke team deserves an award. It was a shameful performance by David Wagner’s players. It was just like the 8-2 against Barca — but with no resistance.

Best Midfielder: Thomas Müller

Müller had a great match tonight. The fact that he is getting a tip of the cap for a goal and an assist speaks volumes of how well Bayern played tonight. Thomas put on a classic Raumdeuter show in the Bundesliga opener. He was always creating pressure for the opposing players and vocally motivated other players to maintain a high press. It seems that Müller has the lung capacity of a hot air balloon, as he ran tirelessly throughout the match. In the last minutes, he was often seen in front of Bayern’s back four to allow space for substituted players. He handed a smart assist for Leon Goretzka’s goal in the first half and scored a volley goal after Robert Lewandowski’s rabona assist.

Best defender: Joshua Kimmich

Kimmich, again, played for the full 90 minutes and was, again, superb. After Thiago’s departure, he took over the no. 6 shirt and it suits him well. His passing was other-worldly as he managed a passing accuracy of 97%. He made 65 passes, so that means he made only one bad pass in the entire match. He also made two assists — one for Serge Gnabry and another for Leroy Sané. Both of those were long passes with inch-perfect precision. Besides his passing, he was obviously very important in the defense, but what strikes me the most is his fighting spirit — he fights like it’s the Champions League final in the last minutes of the match.

Best forward: Leroy Sané

A fantastic debut match for Germany’s winger against his former club. From the very beginning, he was looking dangerous and found himself in a few very good opportunities. In the second half, he stepped up his game and handed two assists and scored one goal, just before being substituted in the 73’rd minute. His work-rate was phenomenal and he fits perfectly into Flick’s Bayern and looks already fully integrated. What surprised me the most is his fitness — he was able to keep up with Bayern’s high game tempo and constantly pressured the opposition.

Meister of the Match: Serge Gnabry

Masterchef of the Allianz Arena strikes again! Gnabry scored the first goal and it was a beautiful goal, but he didn’t stop there — he scored another two goals as he had his first hattrick in the Bundesliga. He also continued his fiery form from last season and a lot of things are expected from him this season, especially after he took over Franck Ribery’s jersey number. Gnabry and Sane make a venomous tandem and it will be a joy to watch them tear the opposing teams apart in the near future.

Honorable mentions:

• Lucas Hernandez - he started a match for Bayern after a long time. He had a decent match tonight, but it will take more convincing to replace the Canadian wunderkid.
• Jamal Musiala - he came in the 73’ minute and managed to score a beautiful solo goal. He is now the youngest goalscorer for Bayern in Bundesliga history.
• Robert Lewandowski - the Pole had a mixed night, it took him some time to get back at his best, but he missed too many open chances. In the end, he managed to convert a penalty and had two assists.

[Editorial note: We’re in the process of revamping our awards to distribute them more evenly among the players on the team. There was some confusion today, so Kimmich ended up with our “best defender” award — which a CDM can win, after all. I would have given it to Lucas, but it’s not as if Schalke did much attacking anyway! The idea is to pick a standout performance in each area of the pitch and to pick a Meister of the Match as the overall best. We’d like your input as we try to come up with better names for the awards.]