With the 5:2 at Union Berlin, FC Bayern showed a reaction to the cup debacle in Mönchengladbach. But: The 90 minutes also revealed many a weakness. Co-coach Dino Toppmöller didn’t want to make such a big deal out of it.
Dino Toppmöller was satisfied. With the exception of the last few minutes, his team had played a very good first half, they had always given an answer when Union Berlin revolted – and in the end they had claimed a deserved victory.
“I think we can be satisfied with the performance because it was a good response,” Toppmöller said. Especially in the first 40 minutes, Bayern had known how to convince, “totally controlled” the game, as Toppmöller said – and scored three goals in the person of Robert Lewandowski (15th, 23rd) and Leroy Sané (35th).
But then the team began to falter. With the crowd behind them, Union suddenly generated a rousing momentum that embarrassed Bayern’s defence a time or two. “We were aware that we were in for an extreme blow in the second half,” Toppmöller said later, admitting that “the bit of luck” was definitely on Bayern’s side in this phase.
All of a sudden Bayern lack clarity
The self-confidence of the opening phase, the sovereignty, the clarity in the game, all that was suddenly gone. After Niko Gießelmann’s goal (43rd), Union was closer to a goal than Bayern to 4:1 – but Kingsley Coman scored it (60th).
Maybe that’s why Toppmöller said about the 20-minute weak phase: “I don’t see it so critically.” But: At the highest level, and the 40-year-old also knows this, the team must not allow itself as many mistakes as on Saturday afternoon at the Alte Försterei.
