They are human after all. Bayern Munich slipped to a surprise 2-0 home defeat to Borussia Monchengladbach on Sunday, though the scoreline wouldn’t have been the factor truly troubling Pep Guardiola at the final whistle.
Bayern’s talisman Arjen Robben limped off after just 24 minutes of the game, and the club have since confirmed that the Netherlands international will now miss several weeks of action with an abdominal tear.
It’s hard to feel sorry for a behemoth such as Bayern when injuries come calling – after all, they were able to replace Robben with Thomas Muller – but to say Guardiola will miss the winger is an understatement.
Why German giants vfB Stuttgart are likely candidates to be relegated from the Bundesliga
The 31-year-old is the Bundesliga’s second-highest top scorer this season with 17 goals, and is by far and away Bayern’s best player this term with a Squawka Performance Score of 1427 – that’s 596 ahead of nearest team-mate Juan Bernat.
Bayern’s top performers this term
The Bundesliga champions will still likely retain their title given they still have a 10-point advantage over second-placed Wolfsburg, but the absence of Robben will be a big boost to opponents in the coming weeks.
Guardiola has always tasked his sides with playing high-intensity possession football, with the likes of Franck Ribery and Robben stretching the play and tormenting full-backs.
They pull and tear at back lines, opening space up for forwards and fellow midfield runners, and Guardiola will now need to find a new combination to ensure that Bayern retain the title.
Of more concern will be their European hopes, with Porto likely to be breathing a huge sigh of relief at Robben’s likely absence for the Champions League quarter-finals.
Another key Bayern player suffered badly against Gladbach; Manuel Neuer made an uncharacteristic error in allowing Rafael’s 30th minute shot to squirm underneath his body and across the line, while the second goal was no better for the German No. 1.
Watching the man who came third in this year’s Ballon d’Or make such a simple error was like waiting in line at Santa’s grotto only for the big man to clock off, remove the beard and take a swig from a hip flask.
Neuer handed us a timely reminder that despite his sweeper-keeper moves and regular astounding saves, he is in fact a mere mortal. Pepe Reina made his first appearance for Bayern recently, and though he is most certainly a back-up to Neuer, the Spaniard is talented.
It will be intriguing to see whether Guardiola decides if another game on the sidelines would benefit Neuer, or whether Reina could even make a shock grab for the No. 1 role.
Though the focus is rightly on a shock defeat for Bayern, praise must rightly go to Lucien Favre and his Gladbach side. Though they created just four chances to Bayern’s 19, they scored twice and held on to their first-half lead, even adding a second with 13 minutes remaining.
Martin Stranzl was impressive for the visitors, making 10 of their 32 clearances, winning five of seven tackles and four of six headers as Bayern desperately pushed forward.
Stranzl’s clearances against Bayern
Rafael was deadly up-front in notching both goals with his only two shots for a Performance Score of 64, and Patrick Herrmann excelled in the middle – the 24-year-old came off better in five of eight tackles and made four interceptions to frustrate Bayern.
Every team suffers off days, and Bayern are no exception. Guardiola will still likely steer them to another Bundesliga title, and they will undoubtedly make additions this summer to prolong their dominance.
What the defeat showed however, is that they are certainly not unbeatable. Gladbach are third in the table and growing stronger with a fine crop of young players, and this victory will do them the world of good going forward.
Robben and Ribery are not getting any younger, and the Dutchman’s frustrating injury will have reminded Guardiola that despite his stunning form this season, both he and the Frenchman are the wrong side of 30. It may be time to start scouring for replacements.
BVB back in business
Fourth place and Champions League qualification may ultimately be too far off for Borussia Dortmund, but Jurgen Klopp’s side are certainly giving it a fair old go.
After sitting bottom of the Bundesliga earlier this year and contemplating the horror of relegation, Dortmund are now 10th on 33 points after a seven-game domestic unbeaten streak.
Klopp’s side were soundly beaten by Juventus in the Champions League, and a return to the competition looks a long way off with fourth placed Bayer Leverkusen 12 points ahead of them. However, a 3-2 win at Hannover handed BVB their fifth Bundesliga win in seven, with Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Shinji Kagawa and Marco Reus starring.
Reus’ chances created against Hannover
The Japan international has found life back at BVB tough this season, but scored and set-up another for Aubameyang in an assured display – the assist was a thing of beauty, finding the forward with the outside of his right boot for a diving header.
With Ciro Immobile struggling to fire in front of goal, the Gabon international’s strikes will be crucial this season. So too will Reus, who has been quiet since signing his new deal at BVB. Still, the playmaker was at the heart of everything his side did on Saturday, creating five chances of which two were assists.
It is no surprise that the side’s form has turned since Reus announced he was staying at the Westfalenstadion, and though one player does not make a club, one departure can break one. What a coup for Dortmund – and next up in the league after the international break? Bayern Munich of course.
Spare a thought for Lars Stindl – the 26-year-old scored twice for Hannover, but his efforts were ultimately in vain. The defeat leaves them just two points above the drop zone, though just 11 points separates eighth and bottom. Few are safe, and Germany is set for a thrilling relegation run-in.
The Schmid brothers
Augsburg’s fall from grace continued after being beaten 2-0 at struggling Freiburg. The Bavarians now have just one win in eight, and need to return to form in order to avoid being sucked into mid-table or worse.
However, it was a superb moment for the Schmid family – Jonathan Schmid opened the scoring in the 71st minute, and celebrated by grabbing a nearby ball-boy in a bear-hug.
If that sounds overly enthusiastic, it turns out that said ball-boy was in fact his 16-year-old brother Anthony. It’s another memorable celebration from the Bundesliga, and as far as fraternal moments go, one to make a fair few eyes weepy at all the dust in the room…
Elsewhere in the Bundesliga
Wolfsburg were unable to make a proper dent in Bayern’s lead as Mainz held the title chasers to a 1-1 draw on Sunday. Luiz Gustavo equalised for Die Wolfe in the second half after Niko Bungert’s opener, cutting the gap at the top to 10 points.
Good, but not good enough for Dieter Hecking’s side, who were clearly suffering from Thursday night’s Europa League exploits at Inter Milan.
Hertha Berlin kicked off the weekend’s action with a 1-0 victory at Hamburg on Friday evening. Sebastian Langkamp scored in the final seconds to lift his side four points clear of the drop zone, leaving Die Dinosaurier in 16th and in real danger of being relegated from the Bundesliga for the first time ever.
There was better news for bottom-placed Stuttgart on Saturday, as they secured a vital 3-1 win over high-flying Eintracht Frankfurt. The hosts came from behind to pick up their first win of 2015, with goalscorers Alexandru Maxim and Daniel Ginczek starring to lift Stuttgart to within three points of safety.
At the other end of the table, Bayer Leverkusen took a huge step towards qualifying for the Champions League with a 1-0 win at fifth placed Schalke. Karim Bellarabi continued his fine season with the only goal to extend the gap between the sides to six points.
Werder Bremen had to settle for a 1-1 draw at Koln, leaving both sides in mid-table. Davie Selker handed Bremen a first-half lead, but a late Matthias Lehmann penalty earned the hosts a point.
Paderborn are in trouble, slipping back to second from bottom as they were head to a goalless home draw by 10-man Hoffenheim. The visitors are chasing European football but will be happy with the point, while Paderborn have the worst goal difference in the division – not a pretty sight considering teams will surely end this Bundesliga season on similar points totals.
The post Bundesliga weekly round-up: Manuel Neuer slips cost Bayern Munich, Borussia Dortmund back to winning ways appeared first on Squawka News.