Bayern Munich 5-0 Hertha Berlin: Initial reactions and observations

Initial reactions and observations

• Bayern Munich have kept their first Bundesliga clean sheet under Nagelsmann. This Hertha Berlin team were basically toothless, but even so it’s a good defensive display by the players.
• The offensive fluidity in this game was a joy to watch. While Jamal Musiala will get rave reviews, all the attackers honestly deserve their share of the plaudits. Except Coman — he was bad.
• Leroy Sane got another assist from the left — this time against Bundesliga opposition. Even if Hertha played like a second-tier side, hopefully this is the start of the Sane renaissance.
• Robert Lewandowski is a total machine. The man just scored a hat trick and made it look unexceptional.
• International breaks suck! Bayern pls come back soon.

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Full time: Bayern Munich beat Hertha Berlin 5-0.

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83’ — GOAL! Lewandowski makes it 5-0!

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69’ — GOAL! Perfect by Sane! Great movement and the layoff sets up Lewandowski. That’s what we wanna see!

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49’ — GOAL! Musiala makes it 3-0! What a shot!

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45’ — The second half is underway! Nianzou on for Upamecano at HT.

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Halftime observations and analysis

• Maybe Hertha are just bad but Bayern Munich’s offensive fluidity has been on another level today. Thomas Muller, Robert Lewandowski, Jamal Musiala, Serge Gnabry, and Alphonso Davies (who’s basically playing as a winger today) have all been combining with incredible speed and finesse. Is this what Nagelsmann-ball is about?
• Leon Goretzka’s passing has been poor today. He needs to tighten it up in the second half.
• Lewandowski and Gnabry are forming a mini-partnership on that right flank. Lewy constantly seems to be finding him in space during open play, which is a new phenomenon in my view. Maybe Bayern’s game really is evolving.

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Halftime: Bayern lead 2-0.

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35’ — GOAL! Lewandowski scores! Ref ruled it offside, but the decision was overruled by VAR.

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5’ — GOAL! Amazing movement from Bayern! Thomas Muller scores from an assist by Davies.

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Kickoff: We’re underway in Munich!

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One hour until kickoff: We have lineups! So Musiala finally gets to start ... at the expense of Leroy Sane. Well the article picture aged poorly.

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Matchday! The season just started and it’s taking a break already. In the midst of pan-European transfer madness, Bayern Munich are set to take on Hertha Berlin in front of the biggest crowd the Allianz Arena has seen since March 2020. This will be the team’s last game before the international players jet out to meet with their national teams, so coach Julian Nagelsmann will want to end things on a high note.

Players like Robert Lewandowski, Leon Goretzka, and Alphonso Davies are all set to return to the XI after being rested in midweek, which bodes well for the team’s fitness. Meanwhile Hertha have started the season on a low note, which is nothing new. BUT that’s no cause for relaxation, because they always make games tough for Bayern. Nagelsmann himself said that the players have to be cautious against them, as the team’s defense continues to be a weak point in the setup. An early goal or two could set the tone for the rest of the game — the question is who will take the advantage.

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: ESPN+, Find Your Country

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