The new Bundesliga season got underway tonight with defending champions Bayern Munich taking on last season’s third-placed team, Hoffenheim, at the Allianz Arena.
The perennial German champions saw off the visitors in a 3-1 victory, with goals from Thomas Muller, Robert Lewandowski and Arjen Robben, but didn’t have it all their own way as Hoffenheim asked them plenty of questions in a match marked by VAR controversy.
However, it was three points nonetheless in Niko Kovac’s first league match in charge of Bayern.
Here are five things we learned from tonight’s Bundesliga curtain-raiser.
1. Kovac’s 4-1-4-1 restricts Bayern’s attacking options
(Photo credit CHRISTOF STACHE/AFP/Getty Images)
Just as he did in the German Super Cup mauling of Frankfurt last week, Niko Kovac chose to send his Bayern Munich side out in a 4-1-4-1 formation. However, it did not pay-off with the same results it did in that 5-0 success.
Bayern only managed two shots on target until the 80th minute saw a tenacious Hoffenheim side tire and, especially when the energetic Kingsley Coman was forced off through injury, the German champions looked lethargic at best.
It took the ever-reliable Thomas Muller’s goal in the first half and all the experience of Frank Ribery to win a penalty, scored by Robert Lewandowski at the second attempt – Arjen Robben had scored from the rebound but it was pulled back by VAR, in the second half to spare Bayern’s blushes, with Robben bagging the third goal late on.
Despite the win, Kovac will need a lot more dynamism in his side’s play as they advance into the Bundesliga season.
2. A game of two halves as Nagelsmann shows his class
In the first half, it was all Bayern. Hoffenheim were giving the German champions far too much respect, standing off them, allowing Bayern to dictate the game without having to break a sweat and also being very wasteful in possession.
Hoffenheim’s 31-year-old manager, Julian Nagelsmann, must have given one hell of a team-talk at halftime as, in the second half, Die Kraichgauer came out looking like a totally different team.
Nagelsmann’s side got the ball on the deck in the second half, passed it with great authority and asked a lot of questions of Bayern’s defence – questions they couldn’t answer when Adam Szalai equalised for the visitors.
Hoffenheim eventually went down 3-1 after what could be deemed as a soft penalty restored Bayern’s lead before Arjen Robben sealed the result late on, but Nagelsmann will take plenty of positives from his side’s second-half performance.
3. VAR has a hard time after a positive World Cup
(Photo credit CHRISTOF STACHE/AFP/Getty Images)
VAR is now in use across most top leagues in continental Europe after its success at this summer’s World Cup in Russia however, it didn’t cover itself in any glory here in Germany.
First, in the 81st minute, Arjen Robben scored from a rebounded Robert Lewandowski penalty before the referee ordered it to be retaken following a very confusing VAR review – the eventual reason was given as ‘offside’.
And then, in the 87th minute, a Leon Goreztka shot deflected off Thomas Muller into the back of the net before the goal was disallowed for handball, despite Muller making no clear attempt to move his arm toward the ball.
Both decisions were questionable but what was worse was that the decisions took such a long time to come to, with no clear indication for anyone in the stadium as to why the final decisions were actually made.
4. Injury derails promising Coman once again
(Photo credit CHRISTOF STACHE/AFP/Getty Images)
After missing no fewer than 20 games for Bayern Munich last season, resulting in him being left out of France’s World Cup winning squad, nobody would have wanted to make an impression tonight more than Kingsley Coman.
The 22-year-old winger showed great promise throughout the first half, causing Hoffenheim’s left side no end of problems.
That was until, just before halftime, an unfortunate challenge from Hoffenheim left-back Nico Schulz lead to Coman’s ankle becoming trapped.
Coman was unable to continue and looked visibly distraught as he was carried off and replaced by Arjen Robben – here’s hoping it won’t be another lengthy lay-off for a player who has obvious talent.
5. Bayern’s stalwarts do the business once again
(Photo credit should read CHRISTOF STACHE/AFP/Getty Images)
With plenty of critics citing the age of Bayern’s squad as a reason why they may not find it so easy in the Bundesliga this season, Niko Kovac will have been worried to see his side going into the 80th minute at 1-1.
Bayern had struggled to stretch Hoffenheim and their slow build-up play was causing a large amount of frustration among their fans.
However, Bayern eventually managed to see off Hoffenheim 3-1, with the goals coming from Thomas Muller, Robert Lewandowski and Arjen Robben.
The trio has a combined age of 92-years-old and have made 923 appearances between them for the club – they showed once again why they are still such valued commodities in Bavaria.
The post Five things we learned as the Bundesliga returns with Bayern 3-1 Hoffenheim appeared first on Squawka News.
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