Match Awards from Bayern’s thumping 5-0 victory against Hertha Berlin

Bayern Munich were in complete control of the game beating Hertha Berlin convincingly and deservingly. The visitors had no answers to Julian Nagelsmann and his men, resulting in a goal fest for the Bavarians. A lot of the players in the team were brilliant today and made it a tough job to give awards to just a handful. However, with more and more fans back in the stadium(!) and behind the team, a game like this does a lot of positive things to both the players and the fans. Without further ado, here are the match awards:

Jersey Swap: Nobody

Hertha never managed to seriously threaten Bayern’s goal. They started off well with a few diagonal balls but couldn’t link up effectively to create consistent chances. The lone goal was called offside by VAR and allowed Neuer to preserve his clean sheet.

Suat Serdar and Tousart were the start of a majority of plays and often looked to provide for the mobile Dodi Lukabakio. However, Alphonso Davies’ excellent work saw him contain Lukabakio’s threat and prevent any counters from breaking for Hertha.

On the defensive side of things too, the visitors couldn’t offer enough resistance to the Bayern players who overwhelmed the Hertha defense.

Der Kaiser: Niklas Süle

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Süle was bold, mobile and took no prisoners today. Rushing higher up the pitch in to make early interceptions or muscling the opposition players off the ball, Süle was the bedrock of the Bayern backline. Süle read the opposition players perfectly and went all in for his tackles, winning all four of his duels.

Fußballgott: Thomas Müller

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Joshua Kimmich had a solid game today, but Müller was once again at the root of the business on the pitch. Leading the Bayern press, Müller was often the first to steal the ball back from the visitors and begin fresh plays for Bayern. His goal to open the scoring came at the end of a delicious bit of teamwork, following which he provided one assist and was heavily involved in a lot of the attacks. Müller led the charge for 5 ball recoveries,often forcing the opposition to make awkward passes which demonstrates how crucial he is to the press — Müller started his career as a forward and he still is one of the best!

Der Bomber: Jamal Musiala

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This award is honestly a toss up between Serge Gnabry and Jamal Musiala. While Serge was brilliant right off the bat, Jamal slowly grew into the game and turned into the most annoying player for Hertha to deal with. Although he had just a goal in a high scoring game, Jamal was the primary charger in the Bayern ranks making 4 successful dribbles. His goal that came in the 49th minute was the result of a clinical finish after receiving the ball in the box with 3 defenders in front of him. Jamal’s agile feet and ball retention abilities have greatly assisted Bayern to retain and progress the ball under pressure — reminding us of Franck Ribery’s days at the club. The Allianz Arena showered its appreciation for the 18 year-old with a standing ovation during his substitution.

Meister of the Match: Robert Lewandowski

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Even without his hattrick, Robert Lewandowski was the deserving candidate to win MOTM. Such was the contribution and work put in by the Pole today. What has become a common sight off late is Lewy’s dropping behind to fill the playmaker role, allowing his teammates time and space to get ahead of him before pouncing back onto incoming passes and crosses. The results are dangerous chances that Lewy has put away with precision and vigor. His tenacious header and his genius dummy that led to Müller ’s goal were the highlights of his game. The rest of the game however was a masterclass in positioning.