How angry can FC Bayern get?

FC Bayern concede a disastrous defeat in the Bundesliga - and after weeks of good results, discussions are already raging at all levels. How are the Munich team reacting? Will the "anger engine" kick in? A week full of truths awaits.

Coach Thomas Tuchel blames himself and the match report sheet, experts and fans feel that icon Thomas Müller has been humiliated and Lothar Matthäus takes a swipe at Joshua Kimmich, who is no longer on show. Because FC Bayern was torn apart by Eintracht Frankfurt in the Bundesliga (5:1), the record champions are once again making a louder and more colorful noise than on New Year's Eve. In truth, hardly any damage has been done. Munich have lost just one point to Bayer Leverkusen in the table. The Werkself won that in the thrilling top match at VfB Stuttgart (1:1). But the situation in Munich is not that simple.

Because FC Bayern don't lose 1:5 just like that. A 1:5 is always a big topic, but please don't have a crisis! We are a long way away from that, emphasized sporting director Christoph Freund. And that twice. A bit of vehement plain speaking can't hurt in a discussion that is going in all directions after the debacle. Does FC Bayern have a mentality problem? Does FC Bayern even have a leadership problem? And if so, why is the old leadership figure Müller not playing (anymore)? This process was already inexorably initiated under Tuchel's predecessor Julian Nagelsmann (and is also continuing in the national team under the new national coach). Or why does Müller only ever play when it's not really important? Like against Frankfurt, when he was only substituted when there was nothing left to win.

Manchester becomes a stress test

On one of the biggest stages in the world, Munich can now provide answers to all these questions, which they have not really been able to answer since Saturday. But the truth lies on the pitch anyway, this time at Old Trafford, the theater of dreams. Maybe it will be a Müller game? Not because there's not much at stake in sporting terms - first place in the preliminary group of the Champions League can no longer be taken away from FC Bayern - but because once again it's all about the atmosphere. And nobody is better at driving the good emotions into the team and the bad ones out of the club.

And at least the task is not lacking a certain magnitude. Because for Manchester United, the rattling giants since the departure of cult and successful coach Sir Alex Ferguson in 2013, everything is at stake. In last place, the Red Devils must win and hope that there is no winner in the parallel match between Galatasaray Istanbul and FC Copenhagen, only then will United remain in the top flight. And even the Europa League turn-off option is only safe if they win. And so the crisis-hit England not only serves as motivation to prove it to the soccer world once again, but also as a cautionary tale of what can happen to an ex-giant. Nothing can be taken for granted.

"For some time now," Müller said of the Bavarian nemesis from the legendary 1999 final (1:2), United have "only been running behind their own standards". The yet again sobering 3-0 defeat against AFC Bournemouth was the Red Devils' eleventh defeat in 23 games this season and the ninth time they have conceded at least three goals. In the league, they hit the target with only 7.4 percent of their shots - a negative record. United, wrote the Manchester Evening News, are "their own parody". Even if sixth place in the table still conceals these appalling figures to some extent. Nothing can be taken for granted.

"We thought we were already further ahead"

They had thought in Munich that certain things were clearly self-evident in their own game when they were now proven wrong. "We thought we were already further along. But we've been proven wrong in a very brutal way," admitted Tuchel. It's about stability. It's about leadership. And it's about mentality. For the third time this season, Munich's stars were puzzling. They were embarrassed by RB Leipzig in the Super Cup (0:3), by third-division side 1. FC Saarbrücken in the DFB Cup (1:2) and now by Eintracht Frankfurt, who were anything but in a heady state beforehand.

Afterwards, Tuchel puzzled over "what exactly was wrong". Spontaneously, he was only aware that everything had to improve very quickly: "There's no way we can continue to play at this level." Tuchel's first immediate measure is to "defend with more determination". This could (have to) involve personnel changes. Konrad Laimer and the finally fit Raphaël Guerreiro will push into the team for the shaky full-backs Noussair Mazraoui and Alphonso Davies. In contrast, there are no real alternatives for the error-prone center-backs Dayot Upamecano and Min-Jae Kim. Leon Goretzka would be one, but then Laimer or Guerreiro would have to play in midfield alongside Joshua Kimmich, who is still searching for his best form.

How will FC Bayern react now? Will the "anger engine" that Müller wanted after the debacle kick in? Will Munich strike back as mercilessly as they did in Dortmund, when the cup defeat was wiped away with their best performance of the season? The answers this week, which ends on Sunday with the Bundesliga's top match against the furious VfB Stuttgart with its super strikers Serhou Guirassy and Deniz Undav, will tell us a lot about how quiet Christmas will be and how intensively Munich will have to engage in the transfer window that opens afterwards. And what profile potential new arrivals must have.

Who will lead the way?

The only thing that seems clear after last weekend is that Bayern's game needs to be more robust. "We had 22 critical ball losses, an absurdly high number," Tuchel calculated once again before the clash in Manchester. This absurdly high number resulted in five goals conceded and the biggest defeat of his Bayern tenure. And it provided arguments for the "holding six" that has been urgently desired since the summer. The name Joao Palhina still haunts the corridors. And there's also a lot of pressure in central defense, because neither Min-jae Kim nor Dayot Upamecano are able to fill the role of defensive leader with lasting confidence. A leader like David Alaba or Jérôme Boateng once were is missing. Matthijs de Ligt has not been that so far, which may also be due to his many injuries. Which in turn leads to the next topic: As soon as someone from the defense gets injured, creative solutions are needed. Goretzka as a central defender was the most prominent one.

Three games remain for the record champions, and at least the next two will be under particular scrutiny - before they head to crisis club VfL Wolfsburg at the end of the season with ex-Bayern coach Niko Kovac, who was sacked after a 5-1 defeat against Eintracht Frankfurt in Munich. However, the next two games in particular will be scrutinized in detail when assessing the personnel situation. How much resilience, how much resistance there is in this team will remain one of the questions. Who will lead the way after the debacle? Who will pull the team along? Harry Kane would be a candidate. After his sensational start to the season, things have become a little quieter around him in recent weeks. A great performance in his home country would help the record champions to moderate debates.

Read also:

Despite the disappointing 1:5 loss against Eintracht Frankfurt in the Bundesliga, FC Bayern still holds a strong position in the table, leading with just one point lost to Bayer Leverkusen. This following week in the Champions League, FC Bayern will face Manchester United, a crucial game for both teams as United struggles to maintain their place in the top flight.
In the aftermath of the 1:5 defeat, FC Bayern coach Thomas Tuchel acknowledged the need for improvement, particularly in stability, leadership, and mentality. Munich's stars, including Thomas Müller and Joshua Kimmich, have been under scrutiny, with experts and fans questioning the team's performance and mentality.
FC Bayern will be looking to bounce back from their disappointing Bundesliga defeat against Frankfurt and prove their dominance in the Champions League against Manchester United. Müller, known for his ability to drive good emotions into the team and negative ones out, will be a crucial figure in this game, aiming to regain the team's form and confidence.

Source: www.ntv.de