The Bundesliga, with the title now wrapped up in hand, finally continues its march toward a final that will bring the league’s best and brightest to the Bernabeu on May 26. The season got off to an extraordinary start thanks to Bayern Munich, but Eintracht Frankfurt and RB Leipzig will help keep things interesting too. The league is still tough, but it’s certainly less daunting than it was a few seasons ago. If you want to watch games of top-flight soccer played at its best level, this has been a great year for it.
Bundesliga Bayern Munich have the opportunity to separate themselves from other clubs in the Bundesliga this weekend. Will they rise to the challenge and prove that they are still one of the top teams in German football or are they on another dry spell?
Munich is being crushed by the metrics, but it doesn’t matter. They’ve got a five-goal lead in expected goals for the season at 17.7, having actually scored 19 goals. They’ve only been about as miserly as anyone, having the third best expected goals against on the season, behind only Union and Koln. No one even comes close to them on shots and shots on target per game
Munich's winless run of four matches is the latest in a series of poor results, especially at home. The club has managed just four goals in those four games while conceding eight times on XG (1.8 xG) alone. They were also lucky to escape with a draw against Borussia Monchengladbach and Stuttgart. On the bright side, their offense has been fairly consistent for most of this time span, scoring at least once per game.
AS things stand, Die Roten haven’t offered a clear-cut chance in the last four games. Though there have been few shots on target in the last couple of games, there is a sense that fatigue could be a factor in Munich’s performance. A draw and loss have followed their Champions League excursions (where they are admittedly 2-for-2 over Inter and Barca). That pace isn’t going to stop once this international break is over, and there is unlikely to be a club anywhere in Europe that won’t feel the crunch.
After perhaps the club’s most disappointing season, Bayern have looked an altogether different animal so far this year. With all of their main stars gone, they have continued to dominate possession, with FCB averaging 72.5 percent of the ball (third in the Bundesliga) and only making 6.90 successful passes per defensive action (second best in the league). This is down from their impressive 81.2 percent pass completion rate last season.
The team from Bavaria have been a wildcard in their preseason and in to the first few games of the season. The introduction of Julian Nagelsmann has brought some new flair to the side and the emphasis on defense has allowed them to be more dominant on their home turf. Any potential opponent would be wise not to underestimate Munich's determination throughout this season.
The world of soccer is a weird one, with no clear trends or patterns. This will appear to be nothing more than a blip in the season, but given when the underlying numbers say, you might want to start planning for the future right away.
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