“Some with a 0 percent quota”: FC Bayern scolds vigorously, but only on themselves

“Some with 0 percent quota”
FC Bayern scolds vigorously, but only at themselves

Something is in the air: For the first time in eleven years, FC Bayern Munich is not at the top of the table after the 25th matchday of the Bundesliga. They brought this on themselves in a curious game. Those responsible are correspondingly angry.

Children born after May 5, 2012 have never seen a German soccer champion other than FC Bayern in their lives. Since then, they have completed their kindergarten days, some are now playing football themselves, they have all been enrolled in school, the first years are already attending secondary school. The end of “Wetten, dass …?” and one adventurer somewhere in between dropped 24 miles to earth with worldwide sympathy.

A lot of crazy things have happened since then, but never again has anyone else been at the top of a Bundesliga season than FC Bayern. And things were usually settled early on, like the end of “Wetten, dass …?!” no longer surprised anyone: FC Bayern was always leading the table even after the 25th matchday – until now!

“Some players with 0 percent quota”

Because for the first time since the beginning of his tremendous championship series, which is unparalleled in Europe, the record champions are only second at this point in the season. Due to the curious 1: 2 (1: 0) at Bayer Leverkusen, FC Bayern fell back behind BVB before the Bundesliga cracker on April 1 against Borussia Dortmund. The last time this constellation existed, Borussia Dortmund became champions – and FC Bayern did not.

And it banged at FC Bayern after the poor performance in Leverkusen. Sports director Hasan Salihamidzic and coach Julian Nagelsmann grumbled about their team, which had promoted Paris St. Germain relatively easily and with full concentration from the Champions League during the week. “Except for the last ten minutes, we were the worse team. There was little power on the field, we didn’t play well, so we deserved to lose,” said Nagelsmann at DAZN. “We had that again and again. In the last few weeks it had gotten better, this pairing of emotion and quality. Today we were sluggish. Defensively and offensively, some players had a 0 percent rate. We were very weak in our own game presentation .”

In fact, Joshua Kimmich’s opening goal came as a surprise in the 22nd minute, Bayer Leverkusen’s victory, which made it clear on Thursday against Hungary from Ferencvaros Budapest that they made it into the round of 16 of the Europa League, was deserved despite the strange circumstances. The fact that referee Tobias Stieler subsequently devalued two alleged swallows by Amine Adlis to two penalties on the advice of VAR was hardly an issue in the analysis of the Bayern greats afterwards. “It wasn’t what Bayern Munich means. We missed everything,” Salihamidzic complained. “We let ourselves be overrun by a team that was still playing on Thursday. Bayer were better in every respect.”

“Bitter but Fair”

The two penalty scenes, which the game also mathematically turned to the detriment of FC Bayern, were commented on unanimously fair. “I had a good view both times and it was therefore clear to me relatively quickly that both were penalties,” said Nagelsmann. “The first time I thought Adli had been hit on the heel. The second time I knew it wasn’t a swallow.” In both cases, referee Stieler initially gave Leverkusen’s Amine Adli a yellow card. Both times he took them back and apologized and awarded penalties that enabled Exequiel Palacios to secure Leverkusen’s 2-1 win.

“If it is checked via the video evidence, I think it will have been clear twice,” said goalscorer Joshua Kimmich. And Nagelsmann forgivingly drew a line under the topic. “I’m generally a friend of the VAR,” said the coach: “Today there were two penalties, so everything was in the spirit of justice, so it was bitter but fair.”

At FC Bayern they preferred to work on their own team on that annoying evening at Leverkusen – and so hard that there was hardly any time or air for anything else anyway: “So little drive, so little mentality, so little duel, I’ve rarely experienced so little assertiveness. This team is so good when they have a mentality right from the start and give 100 percent,” said sporting director Salihamidzic. “And she’s not as good when she’s playing like she is today. When she’s lazy and thinks that she can do everything with the quality of play. She just can’t.”

Now the record champion is going into the international break as a hunter. “The few players who are there are being trained. And from Wednesday we will be preparing,” announced Nagelsmann. On April 1, FC Bayern can quickly repair the poor performance: With a win against leaders Borussia Dortmund, you can regain the lead in the table. When FC Bayern was last in the role of the hunter on the 26th matchday, Borussia Dortmund became German soccer champion. After that no more.

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