DFB Cup – Leverkusen increases the pressure on FC Bayern with a round of 16 win

Footballers are always annoyed about losing games. The frustration at FC Bayern is increased by the fact that the Munich team lost their first trophy of the season in December. It’s all about winning, said midfield boss Joshua Kimmich after the 0-1 defeat in the round of 16 of the DFB Cup against Bayer Leverkusen. “It’s extremely annoying that the title is gone.” For the record cup winners, it was the fifth year in a row that they were eliminated well before the final.

The most important statement came from Max Eberl on Tuesday evening. When asked about a possible weakness of the Munich team in top games, FC Bayern’s sports director replied: “I know that they question everything. I don’t give a shit about that.« The anger over the home bankruptcy we’d just experienced also determined the tone here. Beyond that, however, this question appeared to have hit a sore spot. Because in Munich they believe that after the first titleless season in twelve years and the change of coach to Vincent Kompany, the direction is right again. “We still feel like we’re on the right track,” assured Kimmich immediately after the defeat. But not knowing exactly where the sporting journey is going makes the dethroned champion nervous and insecure – made more so by the growing resistance of the competition.

Ridiculous and nonsensical

Eberl is right with his hidden media criticism. The exaggeration of seven wins at the start of the season was immediately followed by the equally ridiculous general criticism after two defeats and two draws. The Munich team are by no means “better than under Pep Guardiola,” as the eternal expert Lothar Matthäus judged early on, who even sees FC Bayern as number two in Europe behind Liverpool. And even if nonsensical things come from within our own ranks, like from honorary president Uli Hoeneß, who recently saw the championship trophy again in Munich – it is not others who are responsible for the joy and suffering on the football field, but only the players, coaches and officials of the club.

He showed what FC Bayern is and can do on Tuesday evening. The dominant initial phase was stopped by the red card for goalkeeper Manuel Neuer after 17 minutes. When they were outnumbered, the Munich team played on an equal footing with the double winners from Leverkusen. The drawback: The danger of scoring usually only arose in standard situations. On the one hand, this was due to the clever defense of the opponent. On the other hand, FC Bayern could not replace Harry Kane, who was missing due to injury. And not just because an attacker who has already scored 20 goals this season is hard to find. But also because Munich doesn’t have any other center forward in the squad. The sporting leadership around Eberl has to accept this accusation.

Insecure defense

What FC Bayern wants to be is not what it wants to be. The defense, which was highly praised not only in the media but also internally after the last seven games without conceding a goal, did not make the safest impression in the cup round of 16, just like in the recent 1-1 draw in the Bundesliga. The opponents weren’t Bochum, Union Berlin, St. Pauli or Augsburg – but Borussia Dortmund and Bayer Leverkusen. Weaknesses in defense as well as problems in attack logically become apparent against good opponents.

The question about Munich’s weakness in top games is therefore entirely justified. And that after the defeats in the Champions League against Aston Villa and FC Barcelona, ​​not only internationally, but also here. This question only arises when FC Bayern insists on its lost supremacy. Because neither leading the table after twelve match days in the Bundesliga nor Hoeneß’ mia-san-mia chatter are enough.

A question of time

The Munich team is putting the greatest pressure on themselves. The Leverkusen team has now increased it – and will continue to work on it. After initial difficulties, the championship team seems to have slowly found their rhythm. The success on Tuesday evening is proof of this. Although the winning goal only came after a long period of superiority in the 69th minute, Nathan Tella’s header was, like several other scenes, an example of how the Bavarian nut can be cracked. The sending off of Manuel Neuer was a result of Leverkusen’s tactically excellent offensive play and poor Munich defensive work.

You can still believe that a leader like Kimmich still feels like he is on the right path with the team and coach. What matters is how long this can be in order to actually be the national number one again. If Kompany, who was by no means the first choice in the summer, misses out on the championship title after the DFB Cup, the high praise could be followed by expulsion. Because FC Bayern Munich often functions similarly to the media industry.

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