Five Observations from Bayern Munich’s 4-1 drubbing of Hoffenheim

Bayern Munich continued their hot start to the season with a 4-1 victory over Hoffenheim, courtesy of a hat-trick by none other than Harry Kane and a last-minute sizzler from Serge Gnabry. Here are some observations from another much-welcome victory.

Hoffenheim came into the game guns blazing in the first half. They bought a tempo that Bayern clearly struggled to keep up with, maintained pressure on the ball, and transitioned between halves flawlessly. Their deep-seated formation merged into a promising counterattack and back again, constantly intercepting Bayern’s passes across the pitch and hitting Bayern where it hurt. They kept the play tight, denied Bayern clear scoring opportunities, and made them fight for every moment they had on the ball.

They were shockingly wasteful and rather unlucky not to go ahead. Bayern were clearly taken aback by Hoffenheim’s approach, as Kompany seemed to admit post-game, and it simply cannot go unapplauded how well Hoffenheim set up against Bayern — arguably one of the best performances against the Rekordmeister this season. Christian Ilzer has worked something out this season, and it will be interesting to see where this team goes.

Bayern’s starting lineup today saw some big rotation taking place, with Michael Olise and Serge Gnabry left out in favour of Nicolas Jackson and Lennart Karl, both picking up their first Bundesliga starts. Joshua Kimmich and Dayot Upamecano also saw some rest following the win over Chelsea midweek. And while the rest was much needed across the board, the rotations weren’t very promising — at least not initially.

The centre-back pairing of Jonathan Tah and Kim Min-jae was clearly unaccustomed to playing together and, coupled with a deeply underwhelming pivot in Leon Goretzka and Aleksandar Pavlović, it left Bayern in a rather sloppy defensive position that leaked far too many chances in the first half. If it weren’t for Kim’s heroics on multiple occasions, Bayern would have found themselves behind after silly dispossessions and complacent passes. The midfield didn’t add anything in terms of chance creation, while also allowing Hoffenheim’s passes to go unintercepted far too often.

Jackson was largely invisible during his time on the pitch, managing only 15 touches on the ball and failing to contribute meaningfully to Bayern going forward. Karl was not much of a bright spot either — more on him later.

All in all, Bayern’s rotation yielded a far more uncoordinated team that played football at a noticeably worse level. This isn’t very surprising, given this was far from Bayern’s best, and Hoffenheim put up a very strong fight, but it was arguably worse than expected. This puts into perspective why Vincent Kompany refuses to rotate more often, and marks the difference in quality between the first team and the rest. Regardless, rotation is necessary, even if the football is worse. Bayern did well to settle into the game after the first half, control the tempo, and maintain their lead. Rotation is a lesser and more necessary evil than injuries to key players, and more of this in games of a similar vein will mitigate the problem with coordination and create comfort amongst this group of players.

Look, there is no hiding it: Lennart Karl did not have the best game today. In fact, he had a very underwhelming start, where he seemed far too raw and unprepared to start. Some fans were quick to call it out and blame the youngster for Bayern’s initial inadequacy, but Karl eased into the game extremely well. He had some bright moments before his fantastic corner to set Kane up for his first, after which he truly began to play comfortably. The fact is, it is games like these that teach players what it means to play at the highest level, and the fact that Karl was quickly able to adapt and change goes to show he belongs here and is on the right track.

Karl ended the game with an assist and solid minutes that will definitely go a long way for his development. Kompany made a fantastic choice by choosing to start him. This is the type of support Bayern has long desired for its youth system, and Karl’s case creates little but much-needed optimism for the Campus’ near-future.

You can read that as many times as you’d like, but it won’t change fact. Harry Kane might just be the best player in the world right now. He is in his element, and fans are treated to a symphonic performance every matchday that ends in goal after goal after goal. Kane’s goal-scoring instincts are second to none, as exemplified by the first goal. A perfectly timed and well-positioned run followed by a spontaneous finish gave Bayern the lead out of thin air. Two perfect penalties: he makes it look too easy.

He does more than just score, as has become obvious by now. He is just as good at orchestrating the attack from deep in his own half as he is at putting the ball in the back of the net. His work rate was amongst those that stood out in the uninspired first half. He continued to effortlessly move in and out of the right spaces both while going forward and tracking back.

The conductor and the concertmaster. Bayern’s striker is once again the world’s best player, and nothing can stop him. His kids must be getting tired of the match balls.

The substitutions were great. It was smart not to rush Tom Bischof back following his injury. Substituting Kim as a precaution was a smart move. Leon Goretzka went off too late. Gnabry had a relatively uneventful introduction, but scored another goal at the death from a very difficult angle that left fans in awe. He will look to maintain this hot streak of form and sudden burst of finishing prowess through the winter to shift his career trajectory.

Konrad Laimer had a game that is hard to characterize, but one that got the job done. Sacha Boey is beginning to prove his worth as a depth piece, which is very welcome. Both seemed pretty motivated, and Laimer pressed incredibly well at times. Luis Diaz was decent: nothing spectacular. Kimmich and Olise noticeably elevated the level of play.

It is hard to argue against “Hattrick Harry” for man of the match, but Kim Min-jae is undoubtedly a very solid shout. Single-handedly saved three goals and carried the defense: this was so missed. A healthy Kim is a fantastic player.

The first penalty was not much of a penalty at all. A weird call that would certainly have fans pressed if it were given against Bayern. The second one was far clearer and did not require deliberation, especially since the first one was given outright.

Bayern settled into the game extremely well, kept pressing for the win, and they certainly deserved the victory. These are the type of “scrappy” games — a midday kickoff at Hoffenheim — that are never easy to predict. Bayern could very well have lost this game a season or two back, so the win (and the associated margin) is a statement that says Bayern is here to shake things up. They will likely end the matchweek solidifying their lead atop the table in what has been a dream start to the new season. On to the next!

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