Match awards from Bayern Munich’s commanding 3-0 win over Arminia Bielefeld

Bayern Munich delivered a dominant performance against Arminia Bielefeld, shaking off their Champions League defeat to Villarreal. Here’s who stood out.

Jersey Swap: Patrick Wimmer

Arminia didn’t really have a game to remember, but Wimmer really stood out from a bad bunch. He was at the starting point of almost every Bielefeld attack, and he might have had an assist to his name had it not been for some stellar defending from Bayern. It was a good showing from the midfielder, especially considering he was shorn of his main striker Fabian Klos due to a head injury. Speaking of which, how many more head injuries can Bielefeld take? They already had two before this game, and they suffered one more. This does not bode well for the relegation threatened side.

Der Kaiser: Dayot Upamecano

Upamecano was Bayern’s best defender by a mile. His partner Tanguy Nianzou was rash, unsure of himself, and careless. He was lucky to escape with only a booking. Upamecano was in charge of sweeping up all his mistakes, which he did brilliantly. Not only that, he was also responsible for making sure that Bayern’s high line didn’t break in the second half. His headers and tackles were on point, and he was a strong, steady presence in the heart of the defense. I don’t think he made any mistakes today. Yes, it was against lowly Bielefeld, but it’s good to see Upamecano putting in good performances week in week out nowadays. If he keeps this up, he’ll become a great asset to the team, especially in the light of Niklas Süle’s departure in the summer.

Der Fußballgott: Joshua Kimmich

Kimmich has had a few games to forget in recent weeks, but he turned his doubters inside out with today’s performance. He was mainly in charge of delivering long lofted balls behind Bielefeld’s defense line, and he played that role to near perfection. It was his long balls which resulted in Bielefeld’s own goal and Serge Gnabry’s strike on the stroke of halftime. Not only that, but he also cleverly played in Robert Lewandowski for Jamal Musiala’s goal in the second half. Kimmich was Bayern’s playmaker of the day, and my goodness, was he good at it. Hopefully he can build on this performance and work his way back up to his lofty position as the world’s best central midfielder.

Der Bomber: Robert Lewandowski

To be completely honest, none of Bayern’s attackers were stellar despite the big win. Gnabry got on the scoresheet but was wasteful, Thomas Müller looked tired (good thing he was subbed off early), and Marcel Sabitzer wasn’t in the right place. Lewandowski wasn’t too impressive either, but he worked very hard on and off the ball all game. Yes, there are reports coming out that he isn’t too happy with Julian Nagelsmann’s attacking tactics, but even so, I applaud the professionalism and grit that he showed today. He also got an assist with a well timed pass in the second half for Musiala to slot in, before being subbed off for Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting. Fingers crossed he can add some goals in the coming games as well.

Meister of the Match: Alphonso Davies

The Roadrunner is back! Davies capped his second start since his injury with an absolutely brilliant performance. He constantly terrorized Bielefeld’s defense with his galloping runs, and also didn’t do a half bad job in his own defensive area either. He latched onto Kimmich’s long ball to create Bielefeld’s own goal, and he was just busy and diligent throughout the whole 90 minutes. Davies had a stellar season up until his bout with myocarditis, and it’s good to see that he’s picking up from where he left off. The only gripe I have with his performance today was his skyward pass? shot? in the final seconds of the game, but hey, no one’s perfect. All in all, Davies was Bayern’s best player today, and it’s so good to see him back doing what he does best.