Bayern Munich suffered yet another setback this weekend as they squandered their two-goal lead to draw 3-3 with Fortuna Dusseldorf at the Allianz Arena.
Bayern Munich were widely expected to come out all guns blazing after receiving a short break this month. But, the Bavarians have produced yet another disappointing performance against Fortuna Dusseldorf on Saturday, notably blowing away their two-goal lead in the second half to draw 3-3.
The German champions started the game on a positive note, however, scoring two goals within the first quarter of the game before their strong first-half display was somewhat dampened by Dodi Lukebakio’s 44th-minute strike.
The Dusseldorf striker was instrumental behind Bayern’s downfall as he took full advantage of their susceptible defending and high line of press to score two late goals. Newly promoted Fortuna will surely cherish this one point as they aim to get out of the relegation scrap within the coming weeks.
6 – Only 6 players have scored a #Bundesliga hat-trick at Bayern so far:
Klaus Toppmöller (1976): 3 goals
Detlef Szymanek (1976): 3 goals
Klaus Fischer (1976): 4 goals
Marek Lesniak (1993): 3 goals
Ebbe Sand (2001): 3 Tore goals
Dodi Lukebakio (2018): 3 goalsRarity. #FCBF95 pic.twitter.com/vu3YmzjhJq
— OptaFranz (@OptaFranz) November 24, 2018
Bayern, on the other hand, are now nine points behind league leaders Borussia Dortmund, who were extremely lucky to salvage all three points against a spirited Mainz side this weekend.
In the meantime, here are the Bayern players rated in their disappointing draw with Die Flingeranger.
Manuel Neuer: 5/10
Yet another disappointing performance from Manuel Neuer, who was beaten thrice by Dodi Lukebakio when he could have done a lot better, especially for the last goal. While he did make a couple of good saves, the German international has certainly been one of the most underperforming players for Bayern this season.
Joshua Kimmich: 7/10
Played a key role from the flanks, especially in the final third, where he combined well with Thomas Muller to keep the Dusseldorf defenders occupied throughout the course of the game.
His crosses made it difficult for the opposition but to his misfortune, Robert Lewandowski never really managed to complement his service from the flanks.
Niklas Sule: 6.5/10
He was hardly tested for the most period of the first half but struggled to maintain a high line in the second half and was often caught out by Dusseldorf’s swift breakaways. Bayern really missed the services of Mats Hummels, in that regard. However, Sule’s excellent finish in the 17th minute paved the way for Bayern’s sheer dominance in the first half.
Jerome Boateng: 6.5/10
Boateng was arguably Bayern’s best defender for the most part of the game as he looked extremely comfortable with the ball at his feet. He attempted 108 passes with an accuracy of 92% but it was his long balls which caused trouble for the Dusseldorf defence.
He fed Thomas Muller for Bayern’s second of the evening but defensively, he should have done a lot of better in dealing with the threat of Lukebakio in the second half.
David Alaba: 6/10
Made a host of promising runs down the flanks and his interplay with Franck Ribery was neat and tidy, as you would normally expect.
But, the Austrian international looked shaky with the ball, at times and was dispossessed twice, more than any other Bayern Munich player other than Ribery.
Javi Martinez: 6.5/10
Martinez’s ball-distribution was top-notch while he was also quite dominant in the air, winning seven-headed duels. However, he looked terribly out of pace against a proactive Dusseldorf midfielder and duly lacked the support in the middle, especially with Thiago Alcantara out injured.
Thomas Muller: 9/10
By far the most impressive Bayern player on the pitch, Muller was excellent against Dusseldorf and more or less, showed shades of his former self. He was neat and tidy in his link-up but most importantly, he was sharp in front of goal as he scored a brace against Fortuna.
This could be a positive sign for Niko Kovac, who hasn’t been able to utilize the qualities of the German international this season, largely due to his lack of form.
Renato Sanches: 6/10
Sanches offered energy and industry going forward as he looked to take on the Dusseldorf defenders whenever possible. But, the Portuguese yielded very little of the desired end product before being eventually taken off during the final phase of the game.
Leon Goretzka: 6/10
Certainly lacked the quality and vigour to replace the injured James Rodriguez in midfield. Although Goretzka more stability in midfield, his lack of creativity played a key role behind Bayern’s demise against the newly promoted Bundesliga outfit.
Franck Ribery: 5.5/10
Looked menacing whenever he was on the ball but did very little to trouble Dusseldorf, who defended deep and cleared away any danger provided by the Frenchman. Starting with Arjen Robben could have been the better option for Kovac.
Robert Lewandowski: 4/10
He is certainly the main culprit behind Bayern Munich’s draw against Dusseldorf as he missed a host of clear-cut opportunities to put the game to bed. In addition, he also got isolated in the final third and was afford very little time on the ball by the Dusseldorf defenders.
SUBSTITUTES
Arjen Robben: NA
Came on for Ribery in the 71st minute and made a couple of promising runs soon after coming on. But, it was too little too late as Bayern opted to see out their two-goal cushion, minimizing Robben’s influence in the process.
Rafinha: NA
Replace Sanches in the 80th minute as Kovac opted for an extra defensive body.
Mats Hummels: NA
Replaced Muller just a minute before Lukebakio scored the late equalizer for Dusseldorf.
