Bayern Munich 3-2 Koln: Initial reactions and observations

Initial reactions and observations

• Jamal Musiala was the gamechanger today. Brought on for a lackluster Leroy Sane at HT, the young German immediately turned the game around for Bayern. Every touch he took was applauded by the Allianz Arena, and his assist to Robert Lewandowski was a thing of beauty. He honestly reminds me of Franck Ribery when he plays — what a talent.
• Serge Gnabry stepped up in the second half with two goals. Koln are his favorite opponents, but let’s hope he can reproduce these performances against other sides too.
• Bayern’s defense was diabolical in the second half. More cohesion is needed.

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Full time: Bayern Munich beat Koln 3-2.

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70’ — GOAL! Gnabry makes it 3-2! Great shot!

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61’ — GOAL! Koln makes it 2-2! Could be offside tho.

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59’ — GOAL! Modeste makes it 2-1! Game on!

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58’ — GOAL! Serge Gnabry makes it 2-0 now!

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49’ — GOAL! Lewandowski makes it 1-0 from an amazing move by Musiala

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45’ — The second half is underway! Two subs for Bayern.

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Halftime observations and analysis

• Nagelsmann’s pseudo back-three formation isn’t working well at the moment. Koln have handled Bayern really well, limiting them to only one shot on target.
• Passing has been sloppy from the team — the accuracy and weightage are all off. Something needs to change there.
• Leroy Sane continues to be in a rut. Poor dude really can’t get anything right at the moment. This isn’t looking good.

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Halftime: 0-0 so far.

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5’ — We’re 5 mins into the game and it looks like a back three. Sane seems to be the right-wingback.

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Kickoff: We’re underway!

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One hour until kickoff: We have lineups! Surprisingly, Manuel Neuer was able to make it for this one, while Tanguy Nianzou makes his official debut under Nagelsmann!

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Matchday! With the Bundesliga season still in its infancy, Bayern Munich could really use all three points gainst Koln this week. The opening day draw to Gladbach was a disappointment, and coach Julian Nagelsmann will be looking for his first league win as Bayern manager this Sunday. This will also be the first official game to host fans at the Allianz Arena in over a year.

With Manuel Neuer out injured, Thomas Muller will likely pick up the armband while Sven Ulreich takes his place in goal. In the absence of their star keeper, Bayern's defense will have to work a lot harder to keep the Billy Goats at bay. While Upamecano and Sule managed to deal with Haaland in midweek, they have to prove that they can do it on a consistent basis.

It’s Bayern time.

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Match Info

Location: Allianz Arena, Munich, Germany

Time: 5:30 pm local time, 11:30 am EST

TV/streaming: ESPN+, Find Your Country

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