SC Freiburg tried to contain Bayern Munich — but had one heck of an “off day”

SC Freiburg players were at an utter loss for words. Christian Streich’s typically effervescent and well-coached team trudged their way to a 5-0 mashing, with Julian Nagelsmann’s Bayern Munich team manning the stand mixer.

Caught between trying to play and go for it and remaining defensively compact, Freiburg accomplished neither and were cut apart and eviscerated for all the world to see. It wasn’t a pretty sight.

Facing the press after the game were left-back (and Germany international hopeful) Christian Günter and defensive mid Nicolas Höfler. Their comments, via FCBayern.com:

Christian Günter (SC Freiburg captain): “The speed Bayern have in the middle, especially with Leroy Sané, is of course just so difficult to defend. They have incredible quality there. We didn’t manage to defend that. Overall, Bayern were simply the better team, and you have to acknowledge that today. Everyone gave their all, you can’t fault the team’s effort. Obviously the margin of victory annoys us, it was a bit too high.”

Nicolas Höfler (SC Freiburg): “We didn’t bring the energy onto the pitch today that has been our USP [unique service provided] all season. We were not compact enough, it was an off day. At the end of the day, we deserved to lose by that amount. Bayern were there and fully motivated, as you have to be in a top-of-the-table clash. Everyone knows that they have real quality on the ball and we didn’t manage to stop them.”

At least in the first half, Freiburg did seem to try to keep it tight and narrow — something of a narrow 4-4-1-1, at least by average position. But the shell would get stretched and pulled apart by Julian Nagelsmann’s new-look 2-3-5 — a configuration that itself is hardly new to Bayern this season, but which deployed a box striker in Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting to lead the line for the first time in a Bundesliga game.

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The effects were devastating, through the middle as well as along the wings. In every aspect and on every part of the pitch, Bayern were able to overload and overwhelm their opponents at will.

In the end, a vintage Bayern demonstration, a 5-0 win — and an oft-heard refrain from the soundly-beaten opposition.

Interested in more Bayern Munich content? Check out our detailed Augsburg preview along with analysis of the win over SC Freiburg and a major question about Robert Lewandowski in the latest episode of our podcast. Listen to it below or on Spotify.

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