Three observations from Bayern Munich’s wild 3-2 win against Hertha Berlin

Bundesliga refs did their very best to get Bayern Munich to drop points against a pesky Hertha Berlin side who did NOT behave like a team who are part of the league’s Basement Boys™. The Bavarians managed to hold on for a 3-2 win against the lesser-known team from Berlin and go top of the table for now. Goals from Jamal Musiala and the legendary Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting (x2) were just about enough to invalidate the efforts of Dodi Lukebakio and Davie Selke from the spot. What were the standouts from today’s game?

That’s gotta Hertha!

Like I said earlier, for a team in the bottom half of the Bundesliga, Hertha were unusually attacking minded and gave Bayern all sorts of problems, Dodi Lukebakio among them. Man, this guy really has something against us and no one knows why. Anyway, Hertha mainly attacked down the wings and got themselves good opportunities to score from and got two right before halftime, both times they caught Bayern napping. The fact that they couldn’t capitalize on those chances was Bayern’s saving grace as everyone looked drained of energy, and it is only November. I wonder why that is so.

FIFA are indirectly pushing players to their limits

Holding a major international football tournament in the middle of the season has always been a bad idea, but now everyone can see the toll it takes on national team players at club level. Teams are forced to play games in a shorter period which results in a gap as little as three days between games. Increased workload means a higher chance of picking up an injury, and it seems that Alphonso Davies and Leon Goretzka may have done just that.

Everyone is starting to voice their disapproval of the World Cup, which will start in around two weeks. This was evident in today’s game where a large banner that read “Boycott Qatar 2022” banner was shown. FIFA really needs to rethink their approach to these tournaments as its prestige may take a hit with how things stand.

Bayern are the architects of their own downfall

I would say that we were done over by the ref and VAR who fell for Hertha’s players tripping over as if they’re playing with laces of each shoe tied to the other, but this time I’ll take a different approach. Bayern simply need to put the game to bed before the other team has any chance of making a comeback. Bayern won’t always get away with their inability to kill off games, with the Champions League’s resumption next year. This is a phenomenon that seriously needs to be addressed because it might be the thing that kills us off instead of us the game.

Interested in more analysis of the game? Why not check out our postgame podcast? We talk about the Davies injury, Mazraoui, Choupo-Moting for the Ballon d’Or, the World Cup, and more! Listen to it below or on Spotify.

As always, we appreciate all the support!