Joshua Kimmich came to the rescue of Bayern Munich, netting an 89th minute winner in his side’s 1-0 triumph over a spirited Hamburg outfit.
The match was a feisty affair between the two clubs, despite Bayern having the majority of possession Hamburg made good use of space to launch counterattacks and worry the Bayern defence. It seemed as though Die Roten were in cruise control and that a goal would be imminent, but it did not come.
Of course, Bayern managed to draw upon a last minute burst of energy as Franck Ribery danced around the penalty area to lay the ball on for wonder-kid Kimmich to score, breaking Hamburg hearts in the process.
An undeniably poor performance from the champions
Carlo Ancelotti must be expecting so much more from his side, especially against Hamburg in their current poor form.
The lack of vigour from Robert Lewandowski, Kingsley Coman and Renato Sanches was particularly worrying as they appeared lethargic in attack. While Coman is still recovering from injury, Lewandowski and Sanches have little excuse for their performances. The Portuguese midfielder especially must put on improved performances soon, before fans grow discontent.
To make matters worse, the next opportunity the Bavarians will have to redeem themselves will be in the Champions League against last season’s finalists Atletico Madrid. There’s no doubt that this is a grudge match as the players will remember the sting of being knocked out by the narrowest margin earlier this year.
But with a few players out of form and Mats Hummels having to go off against Hamburg with an injury, this match could not come at a worse time. Bayern must pull themselves together.
REVIEW | It's curtains for Chelsea duo Ivanovic and Cahill, writes @C_Filippo23. #ARSCFC https://t.co/rQh71tPQ5z
— Outside90 (@Outside90) September 25, 2016
Hamburg woes continue
Hamburg remain winless this season and the look on the face of manager Bruno Labbadia after the match said it all. The entire team appears to be bewildered at their current situation. After holding Bayern Munich out at 0-0 for the best part of 90 minutes, they collapse and concede.
Unfortunately, there is no clear answer for the oldest club in the Bundesliga, but Labbadia has an extremely important task ahead of him. After being winless in five games, there’s little doubt that some level of panic will be emanating through the fans, players and executive. Labbadia needs to do his best to quell this before it grows out of control.
REACTION | Leicester City taken to the cleaners and the Man United fans are buzzing again #MUNLEI #MUFC #LCFC #PL https://t.co/elg6axKTl8
— Outside90 (@Outside90) September 24, 2016
Bayern’s makeshift line-up causes problems
One of the most significant problems that Bayern faces right now is attempting to create a stable line-up for each match. With such quality in their first team, it is immensely difficult to select who gets to play and who has to sit on the bench.
The introduction of Sanches was clearly designed to be a long-term solution on the wings for the ageing Franck Ribery. Yet somehow, the Frenchman has come back with a bang and put on wonderful performances this season while Sanches has floundered after his Euro 2016 triumph with Portugal.
Almost every attempt by Ancelotti to push Sanches into a starting position has ended with an early substitution which is very worrying. Ancelotti needs to establish a consistent starting line-up, with or without Sanches. With Bayern’s continual rotation of injured defensive players, the equation just becomes more complicated. With central defenders Javi Martinez, Jerome Boateng and Mats Hummels all fit, conundrums like these will continue until the boss figures out his system.
What are your thoughts? Let us know by dropping a comment below via our Facebook comment box. Make sure you follow us on Twitter @Outside90 and like us on Facebook.
