Behind the scenes: Bayern-Stars beim Fotoshooting nach der Frankfurt-Gala

Bayern power rankings, February 2014

Bayern power rankings: there is a shift in this month’s edition. Ratings have been more volatile, with player form changing in comparison with the first half, with only two games to focus on.

Many stars are unrated because they haven’t played since the winter break.

Bayern devours eagles, 5:0 against Frankfurt

5:0

A return to form? Whether you answer yes or no, you certainly missed a good show on Sunday when FC Bayern defeated Eintracht Frankfurt 5:0. Franck Ribéry, Mario Mandzukic, Mario Götze and Thiago all offered strong performances.

First half: solid

Bayern stormed out of the gate with pace, fast passing and accuracy. Despite taking two big blows to the head, Mario Mandzukic came up with a monster contribution. He pressed the central defence and the keeper and provided two assists, making himself one of the best men on the pitch.

This game marked the return of Franck Ribéry, in style. He drove the attack from the left wing, often linking up with Thiago, who had a great first half in terms of passing. Franck created several scoring chances and was also accurate with his passes in the last third of the pitch. He forced the opposing defence to make mistakes and to make rough challenges.

The team as a whole played with more confidence, save for Xherdan Shaqiri. His only scoring chance turned into a shot that hit the side of the net. Many of his passes were misplaced.

Thiago was strong in that half, except in the tackling department. He plays much better when there is a second man near him in central midfield. Perhaps even better than when he is sent forward as an attacking midfielder.

Whenever Frankfurt went forward, the defence pulled back quickly to mark the attackers, not giving them the kind of space they needed to make big plays. Dante was especially strong when making tackles.

Second half: turning on the jets

The restart went slowly with battles for the ball near the edges of the pitch. Several corners and free kicks were earned but nothing came out of them.

Bayern took an even firmer grip on the game, however, but goalkeeper Trapp and his posts were in form, preventing a few goals.

Think of when Götze provided Ribéry with a nice short pass. The Kaiser lobbed it skilfully but it hit the crossbar. A couple of minutes earlier, a good exchange between Rafinha and Götze led to a Rafinha shot, saved by the keeper.

Not being too efficient, Shaqiri was replaced by Arjen Robben on the right wing. Within minutes, he scored a beauty and Bayern was rampant in the final third of the pitch.

The spin

This was quite a game. Bayern carved Frankfurt’s defence with runs and high quality passing. Mario Mandzukic showed why he is one of the best strikers in Europe, deserving a starting spot with Bayern. Franck Ribéry’s presence also made a difference. This was far better than the dramatic win in Stuttgart.

Goals

1:0 Götze receives a cross from Mandzukic, chest controls it and volleys it in goal. Dante initiated this with a long pass (12')

2:0 Bouncing ball goes around Mandzukic, who just put a header down, but Ribéry cuts in and scores (44')

3:0 Robben gets a pass from Götze and he roofs it inside the crossbar (67')

4:0 Off a corner from the left, Dante rises up and sends the ball in the back of the net (69')

5:0 Mandzukic finally gets his goal! He dribbles, cuts in from the right and curls the ball inside the far post.

Lineups

Bayern – Frankfurt tactical analysis: how the win was earned

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Bayern Frankfurt analysis: you are right to say that FC Bayern was brilliant against Frankfurt, on its way to a 5:0 win. Here is how pressing for the ball and taking advantage of Frankfurt’s mistakes paid off.  Also some key match stats.

Tactical points

First and foremost, I congratulate FCB for applying a tremendous amount of pressure on the Eagles. They couldn’t get their offence going, the Reds took the ball away from them multiple times. Mario Mandzukic was at the front of that effort.

Number 9 not giving them any space.

Götze also did his part

Die Bayern were aggressive, sometimes double-teaming a Frankfurt player to steal the ball away. Mandzukic and Franck Ribéry did it brilliantly in the 21st minute.

One moment you have the ball… then you don’t.

In my match report, I said that Dante had a very good game. A few of his tackles were textbook perfection. Here is one of them to prevent a scoring chance low, near the corner.

No, sir, you won’t cross this one.

On the other hand, Dante did have one bad moment in the very first minute of action, allowing a counterattack to go through.

He should have gotten the ball back there.

I have been singing Mandzukic’s praises this week and rightfully so. Look at how he pulled back for a good early shot, receiving a pass from the right. Unfortunately, Trapp saved it well.

Perfect position

On the other hand, I have been criticizing Xherdan Shaqiri as the offence’s weakest link during the game. His best scoring chance of the match was a shot that hit the side of the net. Why did he go at the keeper while his right side was uncovered?

Picking the wrong side

Bayern’s passing game was at its best. One of the reasons is the number of options that the passer gets, thanks to support by his teammates. On the following screenshot, Götze (ball carrier slightly up to the left) has four open guys in very little space.

Thiago had another strong game in that department and it was due mostly to his creativity. On the following snapshot, he lobbed one to Ribéry, a clever play that opened things up for the left winger.

No chance for the Frankfurt defender

Who deserves credit for the goal scored by Ribéry? Philipp Lahm. Look at how he attracted players on the right side, preparing to center the ball that was then fought for by Mandzukic and Ribéry.

Come after me!

Out of five goals, let’s admit that two came directly from Frankfurt mistakes. On the Dante header, there was no coverage for the tall central defender. Very strange.

Thanks for the space!

The Robben goal, however well executed, also was due to lack of pressure by the Eagles. A moment before getting the pass, Robben has no one marking him.

Spectators

Statistical points

Mario Götze

In addition to his goal, he had 3 other shots on target and created 5 scoring chances with his passes. 85 runs!

Set pieces

Only one chance created throughout the game.

David Alaba

It is not a mystery that he has a great partnership with Franck Ribéry. He provided mucho mucho support on the left flank with 70 runs.

Dante

His positive streak continues. 2 monster tackles, 2 interceptions, 7 clearances and one blocked shot.

Intercepting in the middle

Look at the following graphic. Frankfurt’s attacks were broken down in the middle.

Clearing machine

15 clearances were successful, out of… 15.

Passing accuracy

92% of passes found their man. That is very strong!

Losing in the air

This is becoming a chronic disease. Only 40% of air challenges won. 12 out 26 of such challenges won defensively. This is a risk factor.

Credits to FourFourTwo and whoscored.com for the stats.




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Cijelu utakmicu on line možete pogledati na: http://www.matchhighlight.com/full-matches-review/bundesliga-full-matches-review/bayern-munich-v-eintracht-frankfurt-3/

FRANZ BECKENBAUER, počasni predsjednik Bayerna, razočaran je što Pep Guardiola koristi Marija Gotzea kao lažnog napadača.

"Nema smisla da Gotze igrao kao napadač. Nizak igrač poput Gotzea se ni ne vidi kada ga stavite između tri obrambena diva", poručio je Beckenbauer u razgovoru za Sky90.

"Ako Guardiola nastavi tako koristiti Gotzea, Bayern će prosipati svoj potencijal. Naravno, on može igrati kao napadač, ali ne pruža tada svoj maksimum."

Beckenbauer je otkrio i najbolju poziciju za Gotzea, strijelca šest golova u Bundesligi ove sezone.

"Mislim da je najbolji na poziciji iza napadača. Mnogo je opasniji na tom mjestu."

Podsjetimo, Guardiola je dosad u napadu naviše koristio Marija Mandžukića, drugog strijelca Bundeslige s 11 golova.