Bayern Munich’s 2-1 victory over VfB Stuttgart revealed a hidden weakness in this treble-winning side. Have the Bavarian giants become too good for their own sake?
Pep Guardiola was probably not expecting this. Going into the match against 12th-placed VfB Stuttgart on Wednesday night, the Catalan trainer was very likely expecting a routine win. What he got, however, was one of the most challenging matches of his tenure at Bayern Munich so far.
Stuttgart took the lead in the 29th minute and looked very unwilling to relinquish it, challenging all of Bayernai??i??s moves and threatening to go up by two at multiple points. It was not until a set-piece in the 75th minute the leaders managed to claw their way level, and even then it looked poised to end in a draw.
While Thomas Schneiderai??i??s men should be very proud of themselves once the dust of disappointment settles, Pep Guardiola should be deeply concerned about his teamai??i??s performance. Though Thiagoai??i??s scissor kick goal was truly spectacularai??i??particularly since it came in the last minuteai??i??Bayern were very poor until the last 20 minutes. From Dante in the back to Mario GAi??tze in the front, Munich looked asleep in this game, lethargic and complacent on the ball and off.
On paper, the Bavarians dominated the match, with 24 shot attempts and 73 percent possession to the Swabiansai??i?? 11 shots and 27 percent possession. But in action, Stuttgart unsettled the champions offensively, charging at them furiously every time they had the ball and refusing to allow them to settle into their passing rhythm. For long stretches of the game, Bayern could hardly string two passes together, and players like GAi??tze, who was so effective over the weekend against Borussia MAi??nchengladbach, were anonymous. Dante and Boateng looked uncomfortable at several points with the Stuttgart offense, unable to deal with their intelligent distribution and quick runs.
Schneider should be applauded for taking the game to the champions, not only instilling an attacking mentality but daring to play four attackers up front. Despite their lack of possession, Stuttgart were the more dangerous side throughout the game. The young team, featuring 17-year-old Timo Werner, 20-year-old Rani Khedira, and 21-year-old Moritz Leitner, showed no signs of intimidation before the likes of Philipp Lahm and Toni Kroos, while defender Antonio RA?diger and keeper Sven Ulreich were outstanding in silencing the free-scoring triple champions for 75 minutes.
In a way, it is only natural that Bayern were so complacent. They are now undefeated in 43 league games, with 16 wins and two draws in this season alone. Playing the 12th-placed team probably did not seem like a daunting task at all, particularly since they were already 10 points clear at the top. But while Bayern narrowly escaped punishment for their complacency this time, punishment will come sooner or later.
The Bundesliga is more or less won, but Bayern still have much to play for this year in the cup and particularly in Europe. Despite their dominant ways last season, they will come up against quality opposition who will challenge them to their very limits. As good as they are, they cannot expect to simply cruise against weaker opposition and turn on the quality whenever they want against sides like Borussia Dortmund or Arsenal.Ai??Bayern Munich may have become too good for their own sake ai??i?? and their hubris, on show at the Mercedes-Benz Arena on Wednesday, will come to haunt them.
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