Bayern Munich secured yet another huge win over Schalke thanks to masterful performances from Thomas Muller and Joshua Kimmich.
Bayern Munich extended their lead at the top of the Bundesliga table to seven points after securing a convincing 4-0 win over Schalke on Sunday.
Compared to their recent outings, the Bavarians enjoyed a far more comfortable game at the Veltins Arena. They dominated possession and created a lot of chances going forward. But more importantly, they were solid in defence aside from one or two promising moments from Schalke, who were wasteful in front of goal.
Yet, a slender 1-0 lead for Bayern at half-time was not a fair reflection of how the game was played, although the German champions did make amends for their lack of productivity in the second half. Robert Lewandowski doubled Bayern’s tally with an excellent finish before goals from Thomas Muller and David Alaba added further gloss to the scoreline.
It was the 13th win for Bayern this campaign while on the flip side, Schalke succumb to their 13th defeat as their struggles continue, even under Christian Gross. Here, at The Hard Tackle, we will run the rule over the two sides following this entertaining encounter at the Veltins Arena this past weekend.
FC Schalke 04
Ralf Fahrmann: 6/10
Ralf Fahrmann made some important saves in the first half to keep his side in the contest, but should have done much better in keeping out David Alaba’s long-range effort late in the game.
Timo Becker: 6.5/10
Timo Becker held his own against the marauding duo of Serge Gnabry and Alphonso Davies for the most part of the game. A diligent display from the young Schalke right-back.
Ozan Kabak: 4/10
It was yet another disappointing performance from Ozan Kabak, who lost out a header to Thomas Muller and was half asleep defending Robert Lewandowski for the second half. Simply not good enough to play against such an opposition.
Matija Nastasic: 4/10
Matija Nastasic did not fare any better than Kabak at the heart of the Schalke defence, struggling to contain the likes of Muller and Lewandowski. Schalke need a major reshuffle in the backline.
Dangerous header from Nasti from a corner – just wide though ?
⏱️ 53' | #S04FCB 0-1 | #S04 pic.twitter.com/IDSUaBOcBa
— FC Schalke 04 (@s04_en) January 24, 2021
Bastian Oczipka: 6/10
Bastian Oczipka looked very bright in the early stages of the game, notably creating an early chance for Mark Uth. His influence waned after that, though the former Eintracht Frankfurt full-back did well defensively.
Benjamin Stambouli: 4/10
Benjamin Stambouli simply did not offer enough support to his centre-backs and looked lost in the holding midfielder role. His lack of responsibility allowed the opposition to dominate this game.
Suat Serdar: 6/10
Suat Serdar had a couple of decent efforts on goal but to no avail. He tried hard to prevent Bayern from dominating the game, despite lacking the support.
Benito Raman: 5/10
It was a quiet evening for Benito Raman, who did not provide much from the right-hand channel. A disappointing display from such a talented attacker.
Mark Uth: 4/10
Mark Uth had a miserable game in front of goal, notably missing a couple of excellent opportunities from close range. He failed to execute most of his forward contributions as well, ultimately providing very little threat to the Bayern defence.
Amine Harit: 6/10
Amine Harit showed glimpses of his talents whenever he had the ball. However, the lack of involvement made it difficult for him to properly influence the game.
Matthew Hoppe: 5/10
It was a quiet evening for Matthew Hoppe, who had his struggles dealing with the likes of Jerome Boateng and David Alaba. Needs to quickly get used to facing such quality.
Game recognizing game! Mueller trying to get that pregame fist bump from @MatthewHoppe9 ! Keep living the dream man! pic.twitter.com/z0eDH3OTpj
— AOmemberGermany (@AOmember) January 24, 2021
SUBSTITUTES
Nassim Boujellab: 5/10
Nassim Boujallab was brought on to add more steel in midfield, but Schalke ended up conceding two more goals late in the game.
Alessandro Schopf: 5.5/10
Alessandro Schopf had a promising moment upfront after coming on for Harit in the 72nd minute.
Bayern Munich
Manuel Neuer: 8/10
Manuel Neuer was excellent at the Veltins Arena, with his save to deny Uth, in particular, helping him beat Oliver Kahn’s legendary record of 196 clean sheet – an all-time Bundesliga-high.
A new #Bundesliga record for @Manuel_Neuer ?? pic.twitter.com/CtpKxs6rI4
— Bundesliga English (@Bundesliga_EN) January 24, 2021
Niklas Sule: 8.5/10
Niklas Sule was quite useful for Bayern in the right-back position. He was extremely solid in defence and even ventured forward whenever it was necessary. Looks like a better option than Benjamin Pavard.
Jerome Boateng: 8/10
Boateng was simply too good for the young and inexperienced Hoppe. As a result, the Bavarians had a relatively easy time defending Schalke’s offensive threat.
David Alaba: 8.5/10
It was a comfortable evening for Alaba as well, who capped his impressive performance with a long-range effort that found the back of the net.
Alphonso Davies: 7.5/10
Alphonso Davies had a tidy game for Bayern Munich in the left-back position. He was solid in defence and provided adequate support going forward. His pace, in particular, was too much for Raman.
Leon Goretzka: 7.5/10
Up against his former club, Leon Goretzka was a rock in midfield for Bayern Munich. He sensed danger quickly and helped his team dominate the middle third of the pitch.
Joshua Kimmich: 9.5/10
While Goretzka took care of potential counter-attack, Joshua Kimmich had a field day, providing the creativity in the final third. In fact, the German international registered three assists and was one of the best players on the pitch. Very proficient from set-pieces.
⭐️ Joshua Kimmich: MotM – Schalke 0-4 Bayern Munich
? Shots – 4
? Key Passes – 8
?️ Assists – 3
? Dribbles – 4
? Tackles – 3
? Interceptions – 3
? Rating 10.0? A hat-trick (of sorts!) for the Bayern star this afternoon! pic.twitter.com/tBqZ8OsvIm
— WhoScored.com (@WhoScored) January 24, 2021
Leroy Sane: 7/10
Leroy Sane’s woes continue as he was once again taken off rather early after struggling to provide the penetration. He did look promising, but his link-up play was not backed up by actual penetration.
Thomas Muller: 9.5/10
Thomas Muller was a menace for the Schalke defence. His movement, intelligence and ability to find his teammates made it very difficult for the Royal Blues to deal with him. The German capped his performance with an excellent brace. Interestingly, both his goals came from headers.
Serge Gnabry: 7.5/10
Serge Gnabry looked lively in the first half, linking up well with the likes of Muller and Sane. He did lack the penetration, however, and was taken off around the hour-mark.
Robert Lewandowski: 9/10
Robert Lewandowski once again showed why he is the best striker in Europe right now, with a brilliant finish for the second goal. The Pole looked very lively in general, dropping deep and creating a few chances as well. The Bayern Munich talisman has netted 23 goals in 17 matches this season.
Robert Lewandowski scores his 500th senior career goal.
He joins Messi, Ronaldo and Ibrahimovic as the fourth active player to reach the milestone ? pic.twitter.com/owcoKtqNaB
— B/R Football (@brfootball) January 24, 2021
SUBSTITUTES
Jamal Musiala: 8/10
Jamal Musiala offered a lot of spark after coming on for Gnabry around the hour mark. His control on the ball combined with his dribbling made life even more difficult for the Schalke backline.
Kingsley Coman: 7.5/10
Kingsley Coman also provided more worries for the Royal Blues with his dribbles and runs in behind the backline during the final 30 minutes of the game.
Lucas Hernandez: 7/10
Came on for Davies to provide more freshness to the Bayern Munich defence. Had some good moments going forward.
Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting: N/A
A late replacement for Lewandowski. Did not play enough to warrant a rating.
