Joshua Kimmich produced a midfield masterclass as Bayern Munich strolled to a 3-0 victory over Arminia Bielefeld this weekend.
Bayern Munich moved one step closer towards securing the Bundesliga title thanks to a 3-0 victory over Arminia Bielefeld. The win helped them maintain their nine-point advantage over second-placed Borussia Dortmund, and a win in next week’s Der Klassiker could be enough to confirm the league title.
Coming on the back of a shocking midweek exit from the UEFA Champions League, Bayern Munich were under the pressure to deliver. Thankfully for them, a home encounter against the struggling Arminia Bielefeld did not prove to be a challenge for Julian Nagelsmann’s men, who were the completely dominant side in this fixture.
The Bavarians created chances at will, eventually finding the opener in the 10th minute thanks to an own goal from Jacob Barrett Laursen. While Arminia offered a decent resistance to keep themselves involved in the contest, they conceded the second goal deep in the added time of first-half, with Serge Gnabry making the most of Joshua Kimmich’s ball over the top.
Bayern continued to nominate for the majority of the second half, but they scored one goal to show for it, with the only strike from Jamal Musiala in the 84th minute. And here, at The Hard Tackle, we will run the rule over the Bayern Munich players in their comfortable victory over Arminia Bielefeld this weekend.
Manuel Neuer: 6.5/10
Manuel Neuer did not have much to do as Arminia Bielefeld offered very little threat going forward. He remained alert throughout the ninety minutes and while he did concede, it was swiftly disallowed. Not the most challenging outing for the Bayern Munich skipper.
Benjamin Pavard: 7/10
Benjamin Pavard once again looked quite comfortable in defence. He avoided making any defensive errors and kept close tabs on Alessandro Schopf. The former Stuttgart starlet looks much more convincing in the right-sided role in a back three, something Nagelsmann must have taken of this season.
Tanguy Nianzou: 6/10
Tanguy Nianzou started the game well, but his shocking challenge left Fabian Kunze on stretchers, with the Arminia Bielefeld midfielder later needing to go to the hospital. He was subbed off at half-time by Nagelsmann, who condemned the challenge by Nianzou and claimed it should have led to a red card.
Julian Nagelsmann on why he subbed Nianzou off: "That was a lesson for him, because going for the opponent's head like that is dangerous. He has to learn that at this age. For me that was a red card!" [DAZN] pic.twitter.com/WIJWdVgQOj
— Bayern & Germany (@iMiaSanMia) April 17, 2022
Dayot Upamecano: 7/10
Dayot Upamecano struggled at times in dealing with the threat of Patrick Wimmer. He was beaten for space by the Arminia Bielefeld winger, although the defender recovered brilliantly to produce a relatively decent shift at the heart of the Bayern backline.
Serge Gnabry: 8/10
Serge Gnabry was awarded a start after multiple exclusions in recent weeks. The winger made full of his opportunity, producing a dynamic display in the right wing-back position. His ability to thrust the ball forward made Bayern quite dangerous on the right flank, with the winger ending up scoring the second of the night.
Joshua Kimmich: 9/10
Joshua Kimmich was by far the player of the game in this comfortable win for Bayern Munich. The German international controlled the game brilliantly in the middle of the park, looking secure in possession while offering calculated through balls in behind the backline. One of his passes even led to the second goal for Gnabry.
Brilliant assist from The Best Midfielder itw, Joshua Kimmich ?❤ pic.twitter.com/R76OnYmcwl
— ?????•??? (@ntsy97) April 17, 2022
Leon Goretzka: 6.5/10
Leon Goretzka was not as impactful as Joshua Kimmich in the middle of the park. He found it difficult to impose his dominance but offered enough support to help Bayern stay on top of the proceedings.
Alphonso Davies: 8/10
After being criticised for his performance against Villarreal over the two legs, Alphonso Davies made amends with an extraordinary performance against Arminia. He looked unplayable on the left flank, at times, using his pace and dynamism to make life difficult for Guilherme Ramos.
The Canadian international also played a key role in the build-up to the opener, and his return to form could be a major boost for the hosts heading into Der Klassiker.
Alphonso Davies: “It's a good result, especially after last week. We wanted to keep our heads up and win this game. We're happy that we were able to get the three points. Next week is an important game, we're really looking forward to it and we're very motivated." [fcb] pic.twitter.com/4m2hXZdCC2
— Bayern & Germany (@iMiaSanMia) April 17, 2022
Thomas Muller: 6.5/10
Thomas Muller started the game well. He got into good positions and looked much more industrious than in the midweek fixture. While the German international should have been much more effective with his forward balls, he worked hard to make things happen.
Marcel Sabitzer: 6/10
Marcel Sabitzer was given a rare starting opportunity in this rather comfortable outing against Arminia Bielefeld. However, the former RB Leipzig star still struggled to make the desired impact and had to be substituted around the hour mark.
Robert Lewandowski: 7/10
Robert Lewandowski had a frustrating start to the game with one of his efforts being saved on the goalline by Stefan Ortega. When he did get his goal, it was deemed as an own goal from Laursen, meaning the Polish international was not able to get on the scoresheet. Nevertheless, he did put in a good shift in the final third and continued to work hard for his team.
SUBSTITUTES
Josip Stanisic: 6.5/10
Josip Stanisic replaced Nianzou at half-time. He was assigned an inverted role, and he did not disappoint either, remaining calm and composed throughout the second half.
Jamal Musiala: 7/10
After an indifferent outing against Villarreal, the late goal from Jamal Musiala should do a world of good to the youngster, who has not had the best start to the year so far. He will be hoping for a start in Der Klassiker.
Jamal Musiala: "After the game against Villarreal it wasn't easy, we were a bit down. Lewy played a great pass to me, and I finally scored again. Now we have a match point against Dortmund. It doesn't get any better than that. We're all looking forward to the game" [fcb] pic.twitter.com/muqAKFkEnu
— Bayern & Germany (@iMiaSanMia) April 17, 2022
Leroy Sane: 6.5/10
Leroy Sane was not able to make too much of an impact after coming on for Sabitzer around the hour mark. The former Manchester City winger might not be given the chance to start against Borussia Dortmund next week.
Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting: N/A
A late replacement for Lewandowski. Did not play enough to warrant a rating.
Gabriel Vidovic: N/A
Did not play enough to warrant a rating.
