Bayern Munich 2-1 SC Freiburg: Initial reactions and observations

Initial reactions and observations:

• Deserved, but hard-fought win — Bayern was a better side throughout the match and deserved the win, although Freiburg gave them hard time in Munich.
• Freiburg showed strength in the second half — they weren’t an easy side to beat and caused trouble for the Bavarians on a few occasions.
• Bayern’s defense played a very good match today, especially Boateng and Alaba. But even Davies and Pavard showed some improvement since their latest outings.
• Poor refereeing — the man had some questionable decisions and often allowed rough play on cold winter conditions, which was quite dangerous for the players.

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Final whistle! Bayern Munich 2 — 1 Freiburg

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86’ — Javi Martinez and Choupo-Moting come in for Leon Goretzka and Thomas Muller

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76’ — Corentin Tolisso and Jamal Musiala come in for Joshua Kimmich and Kingsley Coman

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74’ — Thomas Muller scores and Bayern take the lead!

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63’ — Nils Petersen scores to make it 1:1

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46’ — The second half is underway!

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Half-time observations and analysis:

• Deservedly in the lead — Bayern was a better side throughout the match and was in control for the better part of the half.
• Bayern show mental strength - after some questionable performances of late, Bayern have put a strong performance in the first half and was relentless when attacking.
• Defensive stability - in the first half, Bayern’s defense very well. Especially David Alaba and Jerome Boateng. Alaba made an important acrobatic clearance and Boateng impressed with his passing, keep it up!

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Halftime break.

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28’ — Leroy Sane in, Serge Gnabry out with injury

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6’ — GOAL! Lewandowski makes it 1:0 after Muller’s assist!

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Kickoff: We’re underway in Munich!

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One hour until kickoff: We have lineups! Flick has chosen to go with the treble winning backline. Let’s see how it works out for us.

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I’ll be honest you guys, it looks bleak. I haven’t been this despondent before a Bayern Munich game since we faced Liverpool at the Allianz two years ago. Back then, it was because Joshua Kimmich and Thomas Muller were suspended. Today, it’s because of so many factors.

The team is exhausted. We can’t defend. The team hasn’t kept a clean sheet since October. The attack is starting to stagnate. We just lost to a 2nd division team. The coach is under tremendous pressure. This is a terrible situation to be in.

In normal circumstances, a gameweek like this would be an opportunity for Bayern Munich to put some distance between itself and its competitors. With RB Leipzig and Borussia Dortmund both dropping points, it’s an amazing opportunity. But Freiburg are a team in form, and Bayern are walking wounded. If the players can get a positive result out of this, then it’ll be a miracle. Can they do it? Definitely. Will they? That remains to be seen.

It’s Bayern time.

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Match Info

Location: Allianz Arena, Munich, Germany

Time: 3:30 pm local time, 9:30 am EST

TV/streaming: ESPN+, Find Your Country

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