Slick Kimmich Seals Top Spot for Bayern

Sathvik Bharadwaj
3 min readMay 26, 2020

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In a top of the table Derby der Klassiker riddled with sub-plots, experience proved to be wealthy as Bayern Munich built a seven-point lead over rivals Borussia Dortmund in the Bundesliga.

Dortmund flew off the blocks quickly, red hot Haaland forcing Alphonso Davies to clear off the line after barely a minute had passed but Bayern took control of the proceedings soon after. Both teams played fluid football but in slightly contrasting styles. While Dortmund held a narrow shape, banking on the pace of their wingers and Erling Haaland’s well-timed runs for an attacking outlet, Bayern were happy to play wide and waited patiently for an opening. Both sets of players knew their roles perfectly and this was mirrored in the defences of both teams breaking counter-attacks by keeping their shape. Although the rustiness due to a long break was visible, the tackles did not stop flying in.

Possession was equally contested for throughout the game. Hansi Flick displayed yet another sign of his tactical acumen by using the 4–3–3 to neutralize Dortmund’s 3–4–3. It soon became evident that the game, in fact, The Meisterschale, hinged on a moment of brilliance or a critical error. That moment of brilliance came from the boot of Joshua Kimmich, who capitalized on a poor clearance to hand Bayern the crucial lead two minutes before half time. Dortmund struggled to find a way back, even after Lucian Favre turned to the bench. Only Haaland came close in the second half, his shot blocked by Boateng’s hand in a controversial moment. The Norwegian however came off with a supposed hamstring pull and could not influence the action further. Bayern then shut shop and after weathering a storm of Dortmund attacks towards the end, hung on to three precious points. While Dortmund sorely missed the famed ‘Yellow wall’ to egg them on, television viewers were mystified when they heard chanting and crowd noises, which were recorded sounds played over the speakers at the Signal Iduna Park.

Consistent bits of individual brilliance led to both teams fighting hard for every yard. Alphonso Davies, who has grown into the left-back role, had a flawless game in both defence and attack. His blinding pace prompted big Rom to tweet, “Alphonso Davis is fast as f***”. Veteran Lucasz Piszczek stood tall for Dortmund, pulling off some crucial blocks and clearances. The stand-out player was undoubtedly Joshua Kimmich. The versatile Germany international ran the show from midfield and the glorious chip was the fitting icing on the cake. Julian Brandt and Achraf Hakimi had nights to forget. They were well marked by the Bayern defence and could not influence the game. Brandt’s half time replacement Jadon Sancho also failed to inspire a comeback for Die Borussen.

Crucially, this might have been the game the Bavarians needed to re-capture their winning edge. It certainly was a statement of intent, which showcased that they are back to being the well-oiled machine we expect them to be. Already missing talismanic skipper Marco Reus, Borussia Dortmund now sweat over Erling Haaland’s fitness. They have six games to stop a rampant Bayern from winning their eighth Bundesliga title in a row. They will hope for Bayern to drop some points as they look to keep fighting till the very end.

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Sathvik Bharadwaj
Sathvik Bharadwaj

Written by Sathvik Bharadwaj

Reporter and Editor at Deccan Herald

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