Bayern Munich isn’t ready to relinquish its spot atop the Bundesliga standings just yet. However, If Pep Guardiola’s side doesn’t find its form soon they could be at risk of missing out on another title. Last weekend’s 4-1 loss to Wolfsburg should serve as a major wake up call for a side that is far too talented to be blown away the way that they were. Apparently that wakeup call didn’t serve the proper notice as Bayern followed up that performance with a lousy 1-1 draw at home versus sixth-place Schalke.
Fortunately for Bayern Munich and their fans, the club has built a solid enough record that they will have time to figure out what has gone wrong and get back on track before conceding top spot in the Bundesliga table. However, with Shakhtar Donetsk bringing a different type of threat with their Champions League match coming up, there will be a sense of urgency for Guardiola and his players to fix the mess they have created.
Wolfsburg Found The Weak Spots
Wolfsburg made a statement with their win over Bayern but more importantly, it sent a message to the rest of the league that the Bundesliga leaders could be vulnerable after all. The Wolves were playing for the departed star Junior Malanda but that is no excuse for the poor form that Guardiola’s side showed. The midfield looked completely lost at times and poor defensive coverage resulted in Manuel Neuer needing to get the ball out of his own net four times on the day.
To understand the underlying significance of that number, consider that Neuer had given up just four goals in 17 league games through the first half of the Bundesliga season. Arjen Robben talked after the game about the loss not being a terrible thing as it could serve as a rallying point for the second half of the season but they have to be careful not to take that idea for granted with a couple of intriguing matches coming up.
Lesson Not Learned
Robben had a point but that proved to be a bunch of hot air as Bayern drew Schalke on Tuesday. Considering their similar style of play to the Wolves, it was an interesting match. One loss can be an aberration. Two so-so performances start to create a trend. The other difference is that Wolsfburg is at least in second place. Schalke has been prone to inconsistent stretches throughout the course of the league season and is sixth.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SpwFE4ojcsw
On the bright side, Schalke had only lost one of their previous seven league games and did pull out a 1-1 draw versus Bayern earlier this year. That result led to Guardiola calling out his team’s effort and demanding more from them moving forward, and now things have come full circle.
Champions League Looming
Bayern still holds a healthy eight-point lead in the Bundesliga, so it’s not time to panic there. Their upcoming league schedule isn’t very difficult with Stuttgart, Hamburg and Paderborn all on the slate. However, the layups might not be a good thing if Guardiola’s players once again become lax.
Putting that aside for now, though, what’s more important is the looming task of battling with Shakhtar in the Champions League. They’ll be squaring off on Tuesday, Feb. 17. While there is still a couple of weeks time until then, it’s pretty clear that Bayern isn’t playing at the level they need to be at for that matchup.
It will be on the players to come together and play for both themselves and one another the rest of the way. The talent on the roster makes Bayern an easy pick among the favorites to win both the Bundesliga and the Champions League, but they will have to find a way to band together and get back on track. The way they’ve played over their last couple of games is cause for concern and isn’t going to cut it in the long run.
