Due to the superiority that was seen during the second half, Bayern Munich left the impression that the 2-0 over Paris Saint-Germain was cheap this Wednesday. After the first goal came out, the Bavarians wasted several counterattacks until the break was defined at the Allianz Arena. However, the great merit of Julian Nagelsmann’s team was in their work without the ball. As much as PSG is a weak team in the offensive plots, it has a series of individualities to bother. Bayern overruled any problem in this regard. He stopped the opposing stars and barely conceded clear chances. It was a relentless night for the German defensive line, in which it is even difficult to say who was better. Dayot Upamecano and Matthijs de Ligt were insurmountable in the middle of the defense, as well as Josip Stanisic and Alphonso Davies provided support on the wings.
You can’t say that Bayern’s defense line made a perfect performance because the team found a lot of difficulties in passing the ball, especially in the first half. The pressure from PSG’s marking caused a series of passing errors. On the other hand, the Bavarians had merit in not letting their opponents build on it. Time and time again, the team managed recovery to alleviate the risks. In a first half of few emotions, this ability of the Germans in combat made the difference to contain the opponents. Already in the second stage, especially after Bayern opened the scoring, the defensive system as a whole worked to stop PSG in its weak attempt at reaction. The area has always been well protected.
The first name to stand out is Josip Stanisic. The young full-back could be seen by some as a “weak point”, especially given the mission of having to fight Kylian Mbappé. However, the boy did the job and not only did not compromise, but managed to nullify the opponent most of the time. As much as the attacker tried his individual moves, he almost always had a hard marking from the Croatian. Stanisic played a somewhat conservative match, without advancing so much to the attacking field. On the other hand, he ended the night among the tackle leaders, five in total.
If on the one hand Stanisic was locked in his direct confrontation with Mbappé, on the other Alphonso Davies advanced on the left and bothered Achraf Hakimi. It was another clash with huge expectations in the match, and there’s no denying how much better the Canadian did. The Moroccan seemed much more concerned about marking and didn’t produce as much on the flanks. Davies had already been instrumental in the first leg, with the assist that earned the victory, and again remained an important escape. But not that he was limited to that. Defensively, the side was even better. He was among the most active in the blocks, especially in a crucial bid in the first half. When Lionel Messi painted free in the area, the defender stopped him at the exact time, in a savior cart.
That move would also feature an essential block by Matthijs de Ligt against the Argentine. And the quarterback was solid all night. He is a player still seen with suspicion, for not having succeeded at Juventus, but he manages to regain prestige at Bayern and is the best defender of the team in the season. There was a fear that his slowness would not cope with the clash with Mbappé. What we saw, in fact, was a very clever approach to reading spaces. And fast when necessary, especially when he tore Vitinha’s right goal practically on the line, after Sommer’s mistake. Already in the second half, when Bayern retreated their blocks to lock the area, the Dutchman’s firmness remained impeccable to protect the team.
Finally, Dayot Upamecano also broke through the night. He may not have been as spectacular as De Ligt, but at times he even seemed to multiply. In charge of coverage on the right, he was the one who doubled up against Mbappé when the striker tried to get past Stanisic. And the French national team defender showed a special taste for getting close to his Les Bleus teammate. He always came with a lot of vigor, very whole in each play. He managed to fill the sector very well and was the one who best played the role in building the quartet. Great on passes and shots, with only one error in 52 attempts.
Sommer is the one who lags a little behind in this defense role. The goalkeeper did not convey much confidence at times when he had to play with his feet and saw his slow blunder being corrected by De Ligt. He even promised to leave a “truck full of Swiss chocolates” at his partner’s door to thank him. Still, there is no denying the veteran’s excellence under the sticks. And if PSG didn’t react immediately, he is also responsible for the miracle he performed against Sergio Ramos. He flew to save a header that had an address, and which was practically the only clear move by the Parisians in the second half.
Mbappé found himself boxed in on the field. The passing lines around Messi were all cut. Even the obvious escape by the sides, with Hakimi and Nuno Mendes, didn’t work very well. That PSG’s lack of connection has its price, the talent didn’t work either because Bayern knew how to neutralize it. Others had good matches without the ball, like Thomas Müller in the goal. Understanding the playing field as a team and filling in the gaps so as not to let the opponent play was a virtue of the Bavarians. It was worth the classification, the praise to Julian Nagelsmann for his preparation and the applause to so many people who delivered a high-level job.
