Crisis virus infects Harry Kane: Simply full on FC Bayern

Two worlds in the Ruhrstadion: fans and footballers of VfL Bochum celebrate a big win against FC Bayern. Its players retreat into their shell after their third defeat in a game week. The evening would have almost turned out completely differently.

It was Harry Kane who saved the evening for VfL Bochum twice. Sorry, not saved, who made this evening a holiday. And once it was goalkeeper Manuel Riemann who gave the hosts great luck against FC Bayern. He quickly held his right paw to a shot from Leroy Sané. The Bochum team, who had a 3-1 lead, kept the record champions at bay by two goals. The fact that things were close again after that, but not shocking for VfL, had to do with Kane. First, in the final minutes, he pushed the ball over the line to make it 2-3 from the Munich team’s perspective, only to miss a huge chance to make it 3-3 with a header deep in stoppage time. A little later the final whistle and a Ruhr stadium, two worlds.

The Bochum team lined up in front of the east curve and celebrated as hard as they could. They wanted Bayern’s Lederhosen again. And sang about the eternity of the moment. They sang drunk with happiness: “No more second league!” The fact that they were still able to dance and jump at the end was quite remarkable. Because in the 90 + X minutes they had first let their hearts and then their bodies. At times he only sprinted across the lawn on autopilot. Without rhyme or reason. Otherwise they might have saved themselves the tremors in the last few minutes. Sports director Marc Lettau would have liked more cleverness. Also make a run to the corner flag and fix the ball there. Draw a foul. Or get a corner and seconds. Like in the district league. After all, it’s also Castrop street football, which is supposed to thrill the Ruhr Stadium. As it was, they sprinted towards the final decision. A breathless competition with an open visor. Bayern ran, Bochum countered.

They bravely stood up to FC Bayern, determined to get something worth counting from here. It wasn’t always like that. There was a 7-0 debacle in the first half of the season. Not the first for the defender Bernardo, who had already had so many bad experiences with the record champions in his career, whether as a player from Bochum, Leipzig or Salzburg. He later strolled through the mixed zone, animated and talked about how he noticed early on that something could be different here and today, that something could work here and now. Which brings us back to Kane. In the 19th minute he stood alone in front of Riemann and shot the ball into nirvana. He could have taken a few more steps or simply passed the ball to Thomas Müller. But he didn’t do anything and that’s why the evening remained exciting. Because it would have been 2-0. Jamal Musiala, who was again very noticeable this time but not without mistakes, had previously scored well.

Is it the DNA that decides?

The fact that England’s super striker is now in crisis, despite his 25th goal of the season (a record at that point!) in the Bundesliga, is something the Munich team can’t use. The fact that he has now become infected with the harmless virus that is rampant in his team comes at an absolutely inopportune time. Among other things, his individual class carried FC Bayern through the first half of the season, when many performances were slow, but the results were good. Now that is no longer the case either. The gap to Bayer 04 Leverkusen has grown to eight points. The championship is becoming a long way off. VfL Bochum is different, they have now gained nine points on 16th place 1. FC Köln. And in sixth place in the table for the second half of the season, they are four places better than FC Bayern.

There are many reasons why this game was overturned. Harry Kane is one. The other Munich players with their messed up top chances are another matter. But perhaps the main reason is that VfL lives its club DNA with every fiber. Sprint until the doctor comes, straddle, bite, punch. This is not for aesthetes, but it will warm the heart of every romantic. VfL’s style of play is the antithesis of Tiki-Taka, tilting triangles or whatever else is on the gourmet shelf of the tactics store. In Munich, on the other hand, they are still looking for the lost DNA, the “Mia san mia”, this absolute conviction that everything will be okay. Because you are simply FC Bayern. Very bitterly: title rivals Bayer Leverkusen live out this belief to the fullest and simply win badly against newly promoted Heidenheim in the highest Bundesliga stadium in the country.

VfL’s annoying wingers

But this “Mia san mia”, the great fire of the club, is only smoldering. The Munich team were humiliated in Leverkusen, they collapsed in the Champions League in Rome and now they failed because of themselves and the bilious Bochum team. They drew their unbridled energy primarily from the power sprints of Takuma Asano and Christopher Antwi-Adjei, who constantly kept their opponents busy and stressed. And Antwi-Adjei could do that so much more often if he made better decisions on and with the ball. As it is, alert attention is required every time Riemann plays quick shots into the path of the wingers. Or the outstanding playmaker Kevin Stöger sends the wingers flying.

But that’s VfL’s game. Especially here in the Ruhr Stadium. Totally on it. Striker Moritz Broschinski earned top marks in this discipline, which still receives little attention in football. The 23-year-old has challenged the established players Philipp Hofmann and Gonçalo Paciência for the regular place. Not because he is the best footballer, but because he runs everything into the ground. As annoying as a housefly, he cannot be shaken off. And when he gets thrown into the gang, he gets up again and goes wild. As if nothing had happened at all. They love “Anne” Castroper. A heroic story is being written. And a second one, one that’s a little more emotional. Because Tim Oermann, unlike Broschinski (came from BVB II), comes from his own youth. And is currently making his way as a right-back.

The “Magic of the Ruhr Stadium”

With Jamal Musiala he was given the toughest task of his career so far and needed some time and a tactical change in midfield (for more support) to survive. At the end of the first half, when he first won the ball in a tackle and then continued playing, the stadium went wild. And then unleashed his “magic,” as the outstanding defender Keven Schlotterbeck called it. He himself made it 2-1 with his head and turned the switch. The blue train drove into happiness, the white and red train into the next bitter disappointment. Albeit via the detours of thwarted opportunities. Because at least one point would have been possible even if they were outnumbered – Dayot Upamecano caused a penalty and was sent off for the second time this week.

It was thanks to Riemann that the Bochum team were spared the next stoppage time debacle this season. In the final minutes he was VfL’s “last man standing”. The rest of the team staggered towards the final whistle, which was extremely delayed due to two interruptions due to the tennis ball protests. On the last groove, Riemann’s front men let their opponents have their way, while he himself stood in front of Sané, full of energy like a Duracell bunny, and then almost burst with happiness. Even duels two or three against one were lost. In the grueling battle against their own physicality, Bochum lost control, but not the game. Keven Schlotterbeck, who was having “incredible fun,” once again felt the hematomas of his own game before he thought a “beer” was a good idea: “When we were eleven against ten, we did extremely badly. We have to “We no longer had the courage to defend forward.”

There was no contradiction from his inspired coach Thomas Letsch: “Today we’re certainly not going into error analysis. But it’s good that the players are self-critical. You have to honestly say that it would have been entirely possible for us to concede the third goal collect.” But it’s also like this: “If you win this, you can’t have done so much wrong.” His counterpart Thomas Tuchel saw it differently; he couldn’t understand VfL’s victory. He thought it was “unfair” and avoided the press conference due to scheduling constraints. The people of Munich left that evening. There was no direct confrontation between the coaches.

New concerns in Bayern’s defense

The topic of defense is likely to come up again in Munich. Defense remains a big problem this season. The Munich team simply cannot get rid of the burden of the wasted transfer summer, which only focused on the mega deal with Kane and was constantly criticized by Tuchel. Despite the commitments of Sacha Boey, who is already injured and could not indicate in his first game at the BayArena that he is his immediate help, as well as Eric Dier. And the worries are getting bigger.

Not just because right-back Noussair Mazraoui had to go down injured in the first half. But because it is still not clear which formation promises lasting stability. Tuchel’s experiments are certainly puzzling. This time the Dutchman Matthijs de Ligt, who had recently slipped down the hierarchy, was in the starting line-up. Dayot Upamecano was given a break before coming on as a substitute for Mazraoui. He also initially gave up on Dier. In Leverkusen last week, the new signing was still head of defense. If the old adage about defense still applies (and it does!), wins the championship, then you know what the problem is. No, it’s not just Harry Kane.