Crisis striker as a match winner
Amazing sounds come from FC Bayern
05/07/2023, 7:48 p.m
The demands at FC Bayern Munich have dropped a bit at the moment. After the end of the DFB Cup and the Champions League, the championship would be “a great achievement”. Two national players seem to have left their slump behind in time for the decisive phase of the season.
After the work victory at the favorite opponent from the Weser, it got unusually loud in the Bayern dressing room. “We cheered, we were happy, the coach gave a good speech, we pushed ourselves. That was nice,” said Serge Gnabry. A special celebration after a 2-1 (0-0) win at newly promoted Werder Bremen – that alone shows how great the pressure and how low the demands are now on the people of Munich.
In the past ten years, winning the German soccer championship was mostly just a chore, successful seasons were measured by the performance in the Champions League. But this season everything is different. After the double-out in the DFB Cup and in the European premier class, even the eleventh national title in a row is no longer taken for granted. Instead, the German championship would even be “a great achievement” for the counted CEO Oliver Kahn, as the former goalkeeper Titan said on Saturday evening in ZDF’s “Aktuelle Sportstudio”.
“Every goal counts for self-confidence at the moment”
A “great achievement”? There are amazing sounds that can be heard from the cosmos of FC Bayern. After all, two national players seem to have left their low form behind in time for the decisive phase of the season. Serge Gnabry and Leroy Sané, severely criticized several times this season and here and there already traded as candidates for sale, ensured the victory in Bremen with their goals (62nd minute, 72nd). Bremen’s goal from a dream goal by Niklas Schmidt (86th) came too late for the struggling hosts.
“Every goal counts for self-confidence, for the team and for victories at the moment,” said Gnabry. He was pilloried earlier this year for flying to Paris Fashion Week on a day off. But with his two goals in the arduous 2-0 win against Hertha BSC and now in the lackluster 2-1 in Bremen, the international striker twice paved the way for his team. Which also earned him praise from sports director Hasan Salihamidžić. “He did exactly what he has to do. Really good. He played a good game,” said Salihamidžić after Bayern’s 27th consecutive win against Bremen – which is a Bundesliga record. “It’s important for him because he’s a player who can score goals. He’s done that twice in a row now. It’s important for him, for his confidence. And also for us as a team,” said Salihamidžić.
The same applies to Sané. The highly talented winger has not really arrived at Bayern in his third season. In Bremen, too, like Thomas Müller, he only sat on the bench at first. But when he came on after just over an hour, he revived the visitors’ action and scored a nice goal. “I’m glad that Leroy scored. He left a few things behind recently,” said Tuchel.