Phew! After four straight games without a home win, Bayern Munich not only won on Wednesday, but it also made a big step towards the UEFA Champions League first knockout round by beating AEK Athens 2-0 thanks to a brace from Robert Lewandowski at the Allianz Arena.
In the standings, the Germans are alone in front of group E with 10 points, ahead of Ajax (8 pts) and Benfica (4 pts) who drew 1-1. AEK is eliminated with 0 points. Three days before the first "Klassiker" of the season in Dortmund, leader of the championship with four points ahead, the Munich have therefore offered a break in the crisis that has now mine for more than a month.
Zusammen. Ein Ziel.
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Coach Niko Kovac has, for a few days at least, disconnected the ejection mechanism from his coach seat. Even if a defeat at Dortmund on Saturday would obviously raise speculation about his future. It will still have taken a half-time to the Bavarians, who started the match with the handbrake, to break free and deliver after the break a benefit more worthy of their ambitions.
Failing to remove all doubts - the opponent was too weak - this victory will at least mute the critics for a few days, and allow men Niko Kovac to prepare more calmly their trip to Dortmund. By the times that run in Bayern, all the satisfactions are good to take!
With a virile (but incorrect) sentence, Joshua Kimmich had tried to translate the determination of his teammates: "Even when it does not work, we are Bayern Munich players and we must have + balls + when we enter on the pitch, let it be said: this is Bayern. " But if Kimmich wanted to talk about aggression and fighting, then we have to admit that Bayern is still a long way off, and he will have to show a different attitude Saturday in Dortmund if he wants to be up to it.
Generous penalty
Desperate for landmarks and confidence, Niko Kovac had trusted the cloakroom, even if all were not at their peak in recent weeks. In a usual 4-2-3-1, Boateng and Hummels were united in central defense, while Thomas Müller regained his place as holder, as well as Franck Ribery.
Unable to put the pace early in the game, the champions of Germany have benefited from the 31 minute penalty very generous for a foul on Lewandowski, that the Pole has itself transformed. Failing to ignite the match, this goal has at least helped them to reassure themselves.
But the audience of the Allianz Arena did not have much else to put in their mouths for 45 minutes, apart from a powerful but unframed head of Goretzka (7 ') and two or three combinations interesting in the Greek surface, countered or diverted for a corner by the AEK group defense.
After the break, Bayern moved up a gear, but struggled to find the fault. Greek goalkeeper Vassilis Barkas repelled a superb volley in mid-flight Goretzka (55 '), Gnabry set a shot above the frame (57), and Lewandowski lost a duel against Barkas (60').
Finally, in the 71st minute, the Pole regained a kimmich corner kick. A doubled, two kicks set, which makes a huge difference in level. But there is still plenty of work in Kovac, if given enough time, to shape another Bayern before the knockout phase of 2019.