The lessons of the 15th match day: The quality problem of FC Bayern

Bayern have a problem when they give their best and still lose. Erling Haaland is back, in Cologne FC is turning the wrong way around and two coaches are trusted, but this only increases the doubts.

Gladbach keeps the promise to FC Bayern

"Bayern like to defend very well because it helps them too," said Marco Rose before Borussia Mönchengladbach's game against the record champions. And it actually helped the Munich team, after all Leon Goretzka scored the supposedly decisive 2-0 from winning the ball in the pressing. But, Gladbach trainer Rose also said: "That creates a chance in other rooms of coming in as an opponent." Which the foals then proved three times on this 15th matchday of the Bundesliga and turned the game so surprisingly and deservedly in their favor.

At 1: 2 it was a brilliant pass through the high center of Lars Stindl to Jonas Hofmann, who exposed the headquarters of the Bayern defensive. At 2: 2 it is a rustic ball win from the towering Stindl, who with a steep pass from just behind the center line overcomes the high defense and puts on Hofmann's second goal. At 3: 2, the Munich team missed the assignment in the center when the equally outstanding Hofmann hung up for Neuhaus, who completed the top right corner.

At least afterwards nobody could say that they hadn't known anything beforehand. Rose had at least communicated this approach to his tactics openly and his team implemented it excellently. If Borussia maintains the exploitation of chances shown, the quartet at the top of the table will soon become a quintet.

Haaland, Haaland, again and again Haaland

Erling Haaland is the best striker in 58 years of the Bundesliga. At least that's what the statistics say, because 25 goals in the first 25 games, nobody has managed that before the Norwegian. He initially spent a quiet Saturday evening at RB Leipzig, there was little to be seen of him in the first half. Almost as if even the often irrepressibly energetic attacker needed some start-up time after a torn muscle fiber.

Once again, after changing sides, what has been clear for months: BVB's offensive force stands and falls with the 20-year-old. The Black and Yellows scored three goals, Haaland scored two himself and prepared the third. In view of this dependency, Emre Can chose the rather cautious answer to the question about title ambitions: "It's still too early to say that, but with quality, that has to be our goal."

Here you can read more about it.

1. FC Köln has turned around again

If the 2-1 victory against Borussia Dortmund was a turning point for 1. FC Köln – then Effzeh turned back at the latest with the appearance at SC Freiburg. "In the end we weren't up to our opponents," summed up coach Markus Gisdol after the 0-5, which was obvious anyway. Cologne has been without a goal for 395 minutes in the Bundesliga, four games in a row have already been offensive zero. "All the eleven who are on the pitch have to perform and we definitely didn't manage that today," said captain Jonas Hector after the gossip in the Breisgau.

Two wins from 15 games, only the bottom of the table Mainz and the table penultimate Schalke have won less often. With 13 goals Cologne is the third weakest offensive in the league, with 27 goals conceded the fourth most vulnerable defense. After the home game against Hertha next weekend, it will be against Schalke, Hoffenheim and Bielefeld until the end of January. With performances like in Freiburg "you don't win a single game," said Marius Wolf. What would be fatal for the target "relegation" would be.

FC Bayern has (not) a problem with quality

Since the end of October, Manuel Neuer has missed a single zero-match for the Bundesliga record. Since then, he has not been able to concede ten times, which is a statistically significant innovation for Neuer in view of 420 appearances in the top German league to date. Neuer has zeroed 195 times, Oliver Kahn's record is 196. This long wait illustrates the huge problem of FC Bayern.

Man of the evening at 2: 3 in Gladbach was Niklas Süle, but not in the positive. When the goal is followed, he does not follow Hofmann's path into the free space, when equalizing he plays offside in vain. At the decisive goal, he failed first with an actually simple 20-meter pass to Benjamin Pavard in the build-up, then Hofmann was allowed to simply dribble past him and play for Florian Neuhaus.

"When you see our game, it is noticeable somewhere where we have problems. We just have to improve," complained coach Hansi Flick and still refrained from changing on the defensive. Jérôme Boateng, Lucas Hernández and also Bouna Sarr sat on the bench ready for action, Flick left them there.

Which came as a surprise in view of the form crisis that both Süle and Pavard are going through. "Everyone on the pitch tried their best," said Flick at the press conference after the game: "I decided not to change. It had to do with the course of the game and not with the quality of the bench. " In view of the defects shown there, the question is whether FC Bayern currently has a quality problem.

A vote of confidence with great doubts

It is never a good sign when football coaches say that they will "be sure to be on the bench next game". Because that means that it is not unlikely that you could lose that place on the bench until the game after next. Such a guarantee, which causes more concern than security, was given to two trainers this weekend: Markus Gisdol and Sebastian Hoeneß.

Gisdol has been controversial at 1. FC Köln for a long time, because of the poor results on the one hand and the often too harmless performances of his team on the other. In view of the no-turn-around (see above), the disastrous 0: 5 in Freiburg and the prospect of (pre-) decisive direct duels until the end of the month, the desire for at least a short-term fresh impulse from the sidelines could be great.

At the beginning of the season, the coach and the famous relatives represented such an impulse, but the magic around Hoeneß in Hoffenheim seems to have evaporated. The sovereign group victory in the Europa League is opposed by a cup against second division team Fürth two days before Christmas Eve, in the Bundesliga there were only two experiences of success in 13 attempts after two wins at the start of the season – including the furious 4-1 against FC Bayern.

Hoeneß would "not duck", he said after the clap on Schalke. But given zero points and 1: 7 goals in 2021, this decision could also be made for him, even if there is no trend reversal against Bielefeld, Hertha and Cologne.