Wow… just wow.
At a time when Bayern Munich absolutely needed a win, the boys went out and played their hearts out. There was plenty of heart, plenty of fight, and a tremendous amount of determination en route to shocking Atlético Madrid 2-0 in the Champions League.
This was one of those wins that can set the tone for the rest of the season. If the Bavarians can build from this, the possibilities are endless. Let's dive into it; here are some quick hitters on the match:
As always, let's begin with a look at the starting XI for Aaron Danks:
This was a very interesting XI for Aaron Danks. Lennart Karl and Tom Bischof were included, but not Nathaniel Brown and Aleksandar Pavlović. The question that immediately popped up was whether Pavlović was fully healthy. As we would find out, Pavlović was scratched during warm-ups due to some discomfort. Otherwise, everything seemed to make sense.
Bayern Munich came out with a high intensity, championship mentality. It was impressive to see how the Bavarians were buzzing around the ball defensively and looking for a quick strike on the attack. It was very clear: FC Bayern was not going to just sit back and hope to play for a draw.
Atlético Madrid, of course, came out with its own style, which featured some (bleep)housery.
Dayot Upamecano put in a "Superman" effort on the backline. How good was he?
This did not seem like the prototypical Atlético Madrid squad. There is far more talent and depth than in some previous iterations.
In a monumental part of the match, Karl created his own moment. After the ball bounced in a scrum following a shot from Bischof, Karl wedged his body in against the Atlético Madrid backline and found himself with a perfect angle to beat Jan Oblak for a 1-0 lead. That 54th-minute effort was the kind of play that can turn a season around for a youngster. A little confidence can go a long way.
Bischof and Joshua Kimmich just bossed the midfield. What an effort by those two — especially considering the late scratch of Pavlović.
Harry Kane and Michael Olise were good, but they were not at their respective bests — and that is why this end result was so impressive.
In the 74th minute, Konrad Laimer, who had his best game of the season, hammered a shot into the net. There were two other instances in the match where you could have argued that the Austrian should have scored. On this attempt, Laimer received the pass from Kane and just absolutely rifled his attempt past Oblak. It was a thunderous strike that was fitting for a guy who delivers so much energy to the squad.
There will be criticism of Josip Stanišić, but this was not a game where you can care too much about what he gave the squad offensively. This was all about him being a stable part of the backline. This was progress for the Croatia international.
It was not a perfect game by any means, but the midfield was extremely strong, the backline was stout, and the attack just worked its collective behind off. What… an… effort.
Maybe the most impressive thing about this win was that Bayern Munich just never stopped. The Bavarians were truly relentless, and even a very good (and healthy) Atlético Madrid side could not match them.
Overall, you cannot get worked up in a bad way with anything in this game. The Bavarians flat-out worked harder, and were more determined in a situation where there were plenty of reasons to just sit back and play for a draw. We wanted to see heart and fight, and that is exactly what the squad delivered.
If you missed our Initial Analysis , Recap , Match Awards , Observations , or Postgame Podcast give them a look or a listen:
Arsenal could be in the market for a striker to boost its attack and could be looking at Real Madrid's Endrick:
Arsenal are interested in a loan move for Real Madrid striker Endrick in January, says TEAMtalk. The Gunners already have Kai Havertz and Viktor Gyökeres up front, but have struggled to score goals this season and the versatile Brazil international, 20, has not had many minutes under Jose Mourinho this season. Mourinho is reported to want Endrick to stay, but his representatives are exploring options for a move.
Bayern Munich might have a new target for a center-back of the future — FC Twente's Ruud Nijstad:
Bayern are among a number of top clubs that have FC Twente's talented centre-back Ruud Nijstad (18) on their list, alongside the likes of Barcelona and Manchester United. Erik ten Hag, now Twente's technical director, confirmed the big interest in the player: "There's indeed interest in him. Quite a few clubs from the top 8 of Europe have come forward. I think that's a good thing. It's also particularly nice that he very consciously chose to stay with Twente for at least another year. Maybe even longer, but in any case, this season. Every club in the Netherlands has to sell every year. If you want to remain competitive in Europe, you need a certain budget. But to maintain that budget, you simply have to sell."
Nijstad is an interesting name, but obviously a little green. This should be a situation to watch in the coming months.
Bayern Munich star Michael Olise was named as WhoScored's Bundesliga Player of the Month:
Harry Kane and Dayot Upamecano joined Olise on WhoScored's Bundesliga Team of the Month:
For Bayern Munich prospect Adin Ličina, there is growing interest from both Brighton & Hove Albion and RB Leipzig:
Europe's eyes are on Adin Licina. The 2007-born playmaker, owned by Juventus , is currently on loan at Cremonese : the Bianconeri club strongly believes in him , but in the meantime… he has ended up in the sights of Brighton and Leipzig , with both clubs ready to evaluate a move as early as the January transfer window. After an excellent start to the season with the Grigiorossi in Serie B , who knows, perhaps the time has come for Licina to move abroad. But everything will depend… on Juventus.
Manchester United could be looking at several Borussia Dortmund players, including Serhou Guirassy, Jobe Bellingham, Felix Nmecha, and Daniel Svensson:
Manchester United scouted Borussia Dortmund striker Serhou Guirassy during Der Klassiker against Bayern Munich, TEAMtalk reports. The 30-year-old scored his eighth goal of the season in the 2-2 draw, with United also keeping tabs on his Dortmund teammates Jobe Bellingham, Felix Nmecha and Daniel Svensson.
If you are looking for more Bayern Munich and German national team coverage, check out the latest episodes of Bavarian Podcast Works, which you can get on Acast , Spotify , Apple , or any leading podcast distributor…
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