Manuel Neuer walks off disappointed after being sent off in the DFB Pokal clash against Bayer … [+] Leverkusen (Photo by Tom Weller/picture alliance via Getty Images)
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Bayern Munich has been eliminated from the DFB Pokal. On Tuesday, the Rekordmeister lost to their rivals Bayer Leverkusen 1-0 at a sold-out Allianz Arena in Munich thanks to a goal by Nathan Tella (69’). Bayern Munich was down to ten men after goalkeeper Manuel Neuer was sent off in the first half with a red card.
Neuer received a red card after taking down Jeremie Frimpong outside the box. The Dutchman would have been through on goal, and with Neuer preventing a clear goal-scoring opportunity, the decision by referee Harm Osmers was only consequential.
“Being sent off hurt,” Neuer said after the game when asked about his first-ever red card after 864 career games. “I didn’t try to hurt him; I tried to get the ball but didn’t get there in time. I was hoping he would be in an offside position. I can’t change it now. It was a mistake, and I have to accept it; unfortunately, I have no other choice.”
Bayern head coach Vincent Kompany then replaced Leroy Sané with no.2 goalkeeper Daniel Peretz. Leverkusen then had a couple of opportunities to take the lead, but Bayern would actually take control of this match.
Despite being a man down, Bayern had 58% possession and 14 to 11 shots on goal. The Rekordmeister also completed more passes, had more corners, and was more successful in one-on-one situations. Indeed, it almost felt like, at times, it was Leverkusen that had a player sent off and not Bayern.
“The first feeling is fact that we lost and won’t win the Pokal this season,” Kompany said after the game. “The second feeling is that this performance was special. With ten men, we didn’t just wait and hope. We were proactive and positive. If we keep this up, we’ll win many games – although we won’t win this Pokal.”
Joshua Kimmich (l.) argues with referee Harm Osmers after Bayern Munich’s DFB Pokal defeat to Bayer … [+] Leverkusen. (Photo by Alex Grimm/Getty Images)
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Kompany’s captain agreed. “The red card wasn’t the crucial point, and it’s no excuse,” Joshua Kimmich said. “We couldn’t have been much better or more dominant even with 11 men. We didn’t take our chances, especially from set pieces, and we didn’t defend the box properly in the goal situation. If you look at our performance, we can’t blame ourselves for much, apart from not converting our chances, but that doesn’t change anything now.”
Not converting chances has been an issue for Bayern for some time now. And it wasn’t going to be much easier without star striker Harry Kane, who missed the game with a torn muscle fibre suffered in the Klassiker against Dortmund on the weekend.
In truth, Bayern has struggled to score in big games even with Kane on the pitch. In the last six games across all competitions, Bayern scored more than once in just one game: the 3-0 victory over Augsburg. The other five results were a 1-0 win over Benfica and PSG in the Champions League, a 1-0 win over St. Pauli, and a 1-1 draw against Dortmund in the Bundesliga.
“The first title is gone, which hurts and is annoying,” Kimmich said before pointing out the struggles in top matches. “When I look at the results in the top games, it’s sobering. But I still think we are on the right path.”
The consensus feeling at Bayern is that the club is on the right path. Whether it is the players or the big bosses, the vibes surrounding Vincent Kompany are generally positive.
It is also sobering to compare the results to last season. Bayern is two points behind the pace set by Thomas Tuchel at the same time in the Bundesliga. Unlike last year, Bayern has lost two games in the Champions League, and like last year, the club is out of the second round of the DFB Pokal.
So where is the club at, then? Kompany has undoubtedly fixed the defense and created a more positive environment. But without scoring goals in big games, Bayern will struggle to win big games when the trophies are handed out in May.
