Bayern Munich failed to capitalise on their winning run after being held at home by a resolute Freiburg defence.
Bayern Munich squandered yet another opportunity to keep up with league leaders Borussia Dortmund as they stumbled to a 1-1 draw with Freiburg on Saturday. The Bavarians dominated the proceedings for the most part of the game, especially in the first half when they created a lot of opportunities but had very little luck in finding the back of the net.
Freiburg, as usual, defended deep with two blocks of four covering goalkeeper Alexander Schwolow while Tim Kleindienst and Lucas Holer led the attack. Their tireless attitude, as well as their incredible commitment over the course of the game, helped them stay resolute at the back before a brilliant solo run from Serge Gnabry broke the deadlock in the 80th minute.
The German international drifted past a couple of Freiburg defenders and then produced a flawless finish to hand his side the lead. However, Freiburg responded quickly, sparking a few attacking surges into the Bayern box and eventually finding the equaliser when Christian Gunter’s cross went straight into the path of Holer in the 89th minute.
Bayern will be hugely disappointed with another draw, especially with the Bavarians due to play AEK Athens on Wednesday, which will be followed by the highly anticipated Der Klassiker on Saturday.
In the meantime, The Hard Tackle runs the rule over the Bayern Munich players in their dismal performance against minnows Freiburg.
Manuel Neuer: 6/10
8 – Manuer #Neuer has conceded 8 goals from the last 8 shots on target he has faced in the #Bundesliga. Cursed. #FCBSCF pic.twitter.com/1w65sGkjGT
— OptaFranz (@OptaFranz) November 3, 2018
Neuer was untroubled throughout the course of the game as Freiburg found it difficult to conjure up any clear-cut opportunity. In fact, Lucas Holer’s strike in the 89th minute was Freiburg’s only shot on target in the entire game. His distribution was decent but will be disappointing to have missed yet another clean sheet.
Rafinha: 6/10
Rafinha was defensively solid while he also provided adequate support going forward. However, he lacked the precision with his crosses and wasn’t as influential as Joshua Kimmich as regards his ball circulation.
Niklas Sule: 7/10
Another solid defensive performance marred by a slight lack of concentration late in the game. The German international dealt with Freiburg’s long balls well while his imposing presence at the back made it difficult for Kleindienst and Holer to breach the Bayern defence. However, he should have done a lot better in defending Christian Gunter’s cross in the 89th minute.
Jerome Boateng: 6/10
Failed to outshine his defensive partner Sule and was careless in defence late in the game, which allowed Holer to find a pocket of space in the box. Boateng was pretty decent in terms of positioning and ball circulation but not enough to justify his position ahead of Mats Hummels in central defence.
David Alaba: 6/10
Alaba struggled to impose himself on the left flank as he was completely overwhelmed by Freiburg’s intense pressing. His lack of ball retention when facing a high-press was horribly exposed as he had very little impact on the proceedings. He was solid defensively, however.
Joshua Kimmich: 7/10
It was a risky move from Niko Kovac to deploy Joshua Kimmich as the holding midfielder and the move did pay off at times, largely due to his immense quality as a footballer. However, he was restricted later on in the game thanks to Freiburg’s relentless pressing.
Arjen Robben: 6/10
Robben tried his best to breach a Freiburg defence, that remained resolute throughout the course of the game. Even though he made numerous runs across the flanks, the Dutchman always lacked the precision and was often bogged down by a well organised backline of SC Freiburg.
Renato Sanches: 7/10
Started ahead of Thomas Muller in the no. 10 role and did his job pretty well by roaming freely in half-spaces and playing a key role in Bayern’s transition play. He was also quite secure on the ball, attaining a pass accuracy of 92% but lacked the precision of Thiago Alcantara.
James Rodriguez: 7.5/10
Served as the main creative force behind the Bayern attack, conjuring up a series of chances in the final third. James made five key passes and also took four shots, making him one of the most active players on the pitch. But, none of his offensive contributions caused any kind of trouble for the Freiburg defence.
Serge Gnabry: 8.5/10
By far the brightest spark in the Bayern attack, Gnabry was a livewire throughout the entirety of the contest. The German international linked up well with Robert Lewandowski and made a few dangerous passes in the final third. His exquisite solo run to engineer Bayern’s goal was simply breathtaking and Kovac will be looking forward to having him at his disposal against Borussia Dortmund next weekend.
Robert Lewandowski: 6.5/10
Lewandowski was devoid of service upfront as the Bayern attackers struggled to breach the Freiburg backline. Although he did link up well with his teammates, at times, he was largely isolated by a swarm of Freiburg defenders in what was yet another disappointing display from the Polish international.
SUBSTITUTES
Franck Ribery: 6/10
Replaced Arjen Robben in the 63rd minute but failed to make an impact on the proceedings, although he did make a couple of mazy runs out on the flanks.
Thomas Muller: 6/10
Came on for James Rodriguez in the 71st minute but also had very little impact on the game.
Leon Goretzka: N/A
An 83rd-minute substitute for Serge Gnabry.
