Match awards from Bayern Munich’s 2-3 loss against Gladbach

Bayern Munich facing Gladbach has, for years, been among the best fixtures in the Bundesliga. A derby of its own kind, these two teams have always been at loggerheads. Past meetings with Gladbach had one huge factor causing worry — the presence of Yann Sommer between the posts. With Sommer on the Bavarians’ side, there was nothing more to worry about... right?

No.

It was yet another disaster against die Fohlen for the Rekordmeister. Despite being in a precarious situation with table second Union Berlin only a point away from snatching the first spot, the Bavarians underperformed and losing Dayot Upamecano eight minutes into the game certainly did not help. Gladbach looked simply brilliant, relentlessly pressing and seamlessly working like a unit.

A disappointing loss indeed, but here are the match awards.

Jersey Swap: Jonas Hoffman

Let’s be honest — the entire Gladbach team was brilliant. Lars Stindl and Alassane Plea were brilliant but Hoffman was simply on another level. Two assists and a goal to his name, Hoffman had everything going right — the right passes, beautiful touches, and the sheer work he put in with every duel.

There was not a single player on the Gladbach side who wasn’t putting in effort — they truly gave Bayern a run for their money.

Der Kaiser: Alphonso Davies

Alphonso Davies was the bright spot in Bayern. He was simply our best player on the pitch, creating fantastic chances and subsequently making two assists. When the rest of the team looked hapless and defense in particular, a nightmare, it was Davies that pulled things together and made Bayern look more potent. In all fairness, the Canadian was let down by the rest of the team and deserves better. Davies has always enjoyed being far up the pitch and he continues to prove his talent with every performance.

Der Fußballgott: Leon Goretzka

There was nothing too spectacular from the midfield today. Goretzka put in a decent performance, making good passes but not offering his usual attack output. An unwarranted yellow card aside, there was not too much to talk about Goretzka’s time on the pitch but the fact that he was still significantly more impactful than the others.

On that note, however, a question we must address is if given a better chance at playing, Ryan Gravenberch could end up more impactful than Goretzka.

Der Bomber: Mathys Tel

Mathys Tel is a very special player at Bayern, given the talent he has and the hopes Bayern fans have on him. His substitution was made in a desperation for goals, and the youngster delivered. A fantastic last-minute goal, though insufficient to win the game, certainly made the loss sting a lot lesser. In his half hour on the pitch, Tel managed to keep the ball away from the opposition, and provide quality in attack.

All in all, he is the striker Bayern need and has done more than enough to prove himself to be worthy of a starting position.

Meister of the Match: Alphonso Davies

There is no other way around it — Davies deserves the MoTM. A close enough candidate was Eric-Maxim Choupo-Moting, who has been nothing short of incredible all-season for Bayern.

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