Wolfsburg 2-4 Bayern Munich: Initial reactions and observations

Initial reactions and observations

• Well, we got away with that one. On the balance of chances and xG, Bayern Munich did not deserve to beat Wolfsburg. The performance is deeply concerning with PSG only a little over a week away.
• Jamal Musisala went full Messi mode for that goal. If people aren’t talking about it years from now then we’ve failed as a fanbase.
• Niko Kovac will be satisfied with his side’s showing — outside of the first 20 minutes where Bayern came out of the gates blazing, the Wolves were the better side.
• Mathys Tel had a difficult job playing as a long striker with the team down to 10 men, but he executed it admirably. He deserves a start soon.
• Bayern Munich remain top of the Bundesliga. If performances like these continue, then that won’t last.

If you want more of our postgame reactions, check out our postgame podcast, which is part of our Flagship Show for this match below:

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Full time: Bayern Munich win 4-2.

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84’ — VAR rules out the goal, remains 4-2.

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80’ — Goal. Wolfsburg make it 4-2.

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72’ — GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOAL! Jamal Musiala has done it again! WHAT A GOAL!

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53’ — Red card! Joshua Kimmich gets a second yellow for a tactical foul on Maxi Arnold. Bayern down to ten.

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45’ — The second half is underway!

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Halftime observations and analysis

• The halftime lead is definitely deserved, though Bayern Munich definitely need to be tighter at the back. The Kaminsky goal was absolutely unacceptable.
• Early on this game looked like it was going to be a barbecue. Unfortunately, the team dropped intensity around the 20th minute and couldn’t recover.
• Jamal Musiala and Leroy Sane could be involved more in the attack.
• Joao Cancelo remains lethal in offense.
• Alphonso Davies has looked off all night, something seems wrong with him.

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Halftime: Bayern Munich lead 3-1.

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43’ — Goal. Wolfsburg make it 3-1 thanks to a goal from Kaminsky.

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18’ — GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOAL! Thomas Muller makes it 3-0 from the free kick by Kimmich!

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15’ — GOOOOOOOOOOOAL! Kingsley Coman makes it 2-0! What a shot!

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8’ — GOOOOOOOOOOOAL! Kingsley Coman somehow curls it in from an attempted cross to Muller.

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Kickoff: We’re underway in Wolfsburg!

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One hour until kickoff: We have lineups! With all the injuries, Bayern Munich were always going to field a weird lineup today. It looks like a 4-2-3-1 with Thomas Muller as the striker, which is not ideal. Leon Goretzka returns to the lineup, while Benjamin Pavard and Matthijs de Ligt start together at center back. New signing Joao Cancelo starts as well.

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Bayern Munich have not won a game since November, which is a pretty long streak for a club of this stature. Ignore the World Cup in the middle, we don’t talk about that. With Union Berlin winning against Mainz on Saturday, the Bavarians have fallen to second place in the league standings once AGAIN. Failure to secure three points here would be a huge blow to the team’s title hopes.

Julian Nagelsmann has a tough job ahead of him. Per reports, Dayot Upamecano, Ryan Gravenberch, and Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting all missed the final training session before the game, making their participation doubtful. If they all get ruled out, then Bayern will have no less than EIGHT players out injured vs Wolfsburg, a staggering number for any team. In that case, the onus will fall on the existing stars — guys like Thomas Muller, Leroy Sane, Joshua Kimmich — plus new arrivals like Yann Sommer and Joao Cancelo to make the difference.

It’s Bayern time.

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While you’re waiting for the game, why not check out our Weekend Warm-up Podcast? In the latest episode, Chuck previews the game vs Wolfsburg, does a retrospective on the winter transfer window, and talks about a lot more besides. Listen to it below or on Spotify.

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Match Info

Location: Volkswagen Arena, Wolfsburg, Germany

Time: 5:30 pm local time, 11:30 pm EST

TV/streaming: ESPN+, Find Your Country

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