Stand: November 27, 2024, 5:18 a.m
Von: Philip Kessler, Hanna Raif
PressSplit
FC Bayern is currently hard to stop and has an impressive record. The central defenders are one reason for this.
Munich – Six wins, six times to zero – That is Bayern’s outstanding record in the last six competitive games. Since the 4-1 defeat at FC Barcelona in the Champions League at the end of October, Munich’s defense has been a bulwark again.
Eberl emphasizes defensive stability
“I had to apologize on TV that we don’t play hurray football anymore, that it looks a little more reserved and controlled. I had to smile at that. Six weeks ago we had to explain why we were conceding so many goals. Now we are making things stable as far as defense is concerned and we still have our chances moving forward,” said sports director Max Eberl after the 3-0 win against Augsburg.
When you don’t concede a goal, it’s “always the best victory,” Eberl described the team’s emotional state and explained: “It’s also an expression of the defensive performance over the last few months. Manuel Neuer keeps a clean sheet, Minjae Kim and Dayot Upamecano clean up a lot beforehand. They usually play in very close contact with a lot of space behind them, but with incredible aggression and the midfield puts so much pressure on the opponent that they never have peace to keep the ball. This is the result.”
The burden on Minjae Kim and Dayot Upamecano is extremely high
In particular, Kim and Upamecano, who were often criticized in the second half of the previous season, have been playing almost flawlessly for weeks under coach Vincent Kompany. “In the second half of the season, both Minjae and Upa no longer played as stable. If you make mistakes, have to go to the bench and then come back in, that doesn’t inspire confidence in such an important central defender position. From game to game you gain confidence – and then it looks like it does right now.”
But the truth is also: the strain on the two central defenders is enormous in Kompany’s intensive playing system. It is currently not possible to rotate due to the injuries to Hiroki Ito (fractured metatarsal) and Josip Stanisic (knee). The rather slower Eric Dier doesn’t ideally fit the idea of how Munich currently plays football. Philip Kessler, Hanna Raif
Senegal
