ynamo Kiev were no match for the German record champions on Wednesday night and were sent home with 5-0. This, of course, leaves FC Bayern top of their Group E in the Champions League with 8-0 goals from their first two games. And with that, the Munich side remain unbeaten this season under coach Julian Nagelsmann, who has made a really strong start.
Once again it was Robert Lewandowski who set Bayern on course with a brace and his fourth goal in this second top flight match. Seven more goals in the league and two in the DFL Supercup against Dortmund make a total of 13 goals in nine games. The world footballer was spared in the tenth competitive match, at Bremer SV in the DFB Cup. These are impressive figures for the centre-forward in this still young season – if you add to that the fact that the Pole has scored a whopping 24 goals in the last 18 CL games (98 CL games in total, 77 goals).
That’s why “greed” can “save grain” on the defensive side
Lewandowski’s goal quota is one of the reasons for the current Bavarian success. FC Bayern is still unbeaten in competitive matches under coach Nagelsmann. Ten of them have been victories, nine of which have never been achieved by a coach in the history of the Munich club. Only in the 1-1 draw at the start of the league did the Munich team drop points. Since then, the Bavarians seem to be becoming more and more stable. Especially in defence. In five of the past seven encounters, the FCB has kept a clean sheet.
“That can save us some energy,” says the head coach. The 3:2 against Cologne was a cautionary tale, when Bayern gave away a 2:0 lead and were challenged again. If “the greed”, as Nagelsmann explains, is also in the defensive work, his team is on a good path.
The FCB coach knows that it is a matter of both team tactical content and convincing the offensive talents, especially on the wing, of the defensive task in order to maintain the basically very balanced statics. Niklas Süle, celebrated by the fans after the final whistle, leaves an increasingly solid impression. Lucas Hernandez, injured for a long time and now back in the team, does a good job. Dayot Upamecano, with the exception of a few impetuous actions, is getting on better and better with the Bavarian system and his new colleagues.
Neuer: Everyone must work on themselves to avoid injuries
Thus, coach Nagelsmann’s start in Munich can be described as absolutely successful. He allows the individual talents the freedom; because he knows that this team is defined by a dominant offensive display; and the coach focuses on a cohesive defensive performance, which not only keeper Manuel Neuer “of course likes very very much”.
The captain also emphasises that the most important thing for this team is to avoid injuries. And every player has to work on himself right from the start. Because: If this Bayern team stays fit, they will be hard to beat in all competitions.