Champions League
Former coach Flick shocks FC Bayern: clear defeat in Barcelona
Symbolic image of the evening: FC Bayern simply seemed at a loss against FC Barcelona
© Sven Hoppe / DPA
Raven-black evening for FC Bayern: There was a clear defeat when they reunited with former coach Hansi Flick and his FC Barcelona.
The great triumphant was Hansi Flick. After the 1:4 (1:3) dismantling in the Champions League, the new Bayern coach Vincent Kompany could only congratulate the former Munich triple coach in the service of FC Barcelona. Players like Thomas Müller also high-fived their former coach.
“There are zero excuses. There is only a clear defeat,” said Kompany on DAZN. Joshua Kimmich also said: “The game wasn’t 4-1. But it was still a deserved defeat. It’s partly hara-kiri what we did.”
FC Bayern is running into the open knife with offensive football
With high-risk football à la Kompany, FC Bayern experienced a very bitter evening at this reunion with Flick. While the outstanding Brazilian Raphinha scored three times for Barcelona and Flick enthusiastically celebrated every single goal on the sidelines, two dangerous realizations remained for the Munich team:
After only three points from the first three preliminary round games, direct qualification for the round of 16 in the Champions League is increasingly in danger. And what’s more: unlike in the Bundesliga, the daring pressing football without protection and without strong defenders is not capable of winning an international title in the form it is presented.
“I’m not worried,” said Kimmich. But Barça’s offensive stars used the many spaces through Raphinha (1st/45th/56th minute) and ex-Munich player Robert Lewandowski (36th) with brutal effectiveness. “We are super happy with this night. We played really well,” said Raphinha.
An initially strong center forward Harry Kane, who scored to make it 1-1 (10th), was not enough as Bayern’s answer in front of 50,312 spectators in the 1992 Olympic Stadium. The Munich team only lost more clearly twice in the premier class – each time 0-4 in Barcelona (2009) and against Real Madrid (2014).
Thomas Müller played for Jamal Musiala in the tenth position at Bayern, which meant that Bayern had seven players in the starting line-up who were 29 years old or older. At Barcelona there were six who are 21 or younger.
These two giants of European football are very similar in terms of the game system: high risk, constant pressing. Both defensive lines defended on the halfway line.
Goal conceded after 58 seconds
Barcelona’s attack exposed the weaknesses of this style after just 58 seconds. A simple through ball from Fermin Lopez left the Brazilian Raphinha completely alone towards the Bayern goal – 1-0!
However, the people of Munich initially reacted maturely and confidently to this cold shower. Kane’s first goal was conceded for offside (10th). The second, after some nice preparatory work by Serge Gnabry, counted.
At this point it still looked as if the Englishman would win the duel between the two super nines between Kane and Lewandowski. Because Bayern’s current goalscorer could have scored three times before Bayern’s former star striker shot on goal for the first time (26th).
But that changed when Spain’s league leaders were much better prepared for the Bayern game after half an hour. Driven by the outstanding trio of Fermin, Raphinha and Lamine Yamal, Barça now really turned up the heat.
Fermin also did the preparatory work for Lewandowski’s first Barcelona goal against Bayern. After this goal, the Munich team protested because of an alleged foul against Min-Jae Kim. At 1:3 they couldn’t get Raphinha under control again.
Kompany changes four times
And it continued in the same way after the break: At 4-1, Raphinha ran away from Bayern’s entire central defense. In the summer, the former 58 million transfer from Leeds United was still a candidate for sale. Since Flick became his coach, the 27-year-old Brazilian has been playing in the form of his life.
Kompany reacted to the debacle with a quadruple substitution in the 60th minute. Among others, Musiala and Leon Goretzka, who was hardly taken into account, came into play.
But this evening was over for FC Bayern. Offensively, despite some good attempts from Kingsley Coman (66th) and Leroy Sané (78th), nothing came together.
The only time the stadium got really loud was when the outstanding Raphinha was substituted in the 75th minute. After Roy Makaay, Sergio Aguero and Cristiano Ronaldo, he is only the third player to score three goals against FC Bayern in a Champions League game.
