Bayern Munich again looked to close the gap on Bayer Leverkusen as they hosted Werder Bremen to kick off their Ruckrunde.
In the first half, Bremen made it difficult for Bayern as they struggled to make meaningful goal attempts. Bremen had the best chances of the first half as Manuel Neuer was forced to make a big save to keep out Jens Stage. Justin Njinmah would then have a goal ruled out for a foul in the build-up.
Bayern improved in the second half but still struggled to break the deadlock mainly due to the heroics of Michael Zetterer. Then against the run of play, Mitchell Weiser opened the scoring after beating Alphonso Davies. Bremen then continued to keep Bayern out and saw out the win
The loss for Bayern sees them sit seven points behind Bayer Leverkusen with a game in hand against Union Berlin on Wednesday.
Bayern Munich:
Manuel Neuer – 6
Konrad Laimer – 5
Dayot Upamecano – 7 – Bayern’s best player today as he comfortably dealt with the threat of Justin Njinmah and his pace.
Matthijs de Ligt – 5
Alphonso Davies – 4 – Was poor for the majority of the game, it did not help that he consistently allowed his opponent Weiser to beat him, with the most crucial time being when the right-back scored. The lack of proper competition for the Canadian has become apparent due to his decline in performances.
Joshua Kimmich – 5
Raphael Guerreiro – 5
Kingsley Coman – 5
Jamal Musiala – 5
Leroy Sané – 6
Harry Kane – 5 – Frustrating evening for the Englishman as he never got into the game and any chances he was given would be handled by the Bremen defence.
Others: Mathys Tel (5), Thomas Müller (5), Leon Goretzka (5), Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting (-)
Werder Bremen:
Michael Zetterer – 9 – The man of the match, without his performance in this game, Bremen probably would not have won. The defence was also strong in front of him but when Zetterer was called upon he answered making several key saves.
Niklas Stark – 7
Marco Friedl – 7
Anthony Jung – 7
Mitchell Weiser – 8 – Scored the winner for Bremen but it was his defensive contribution that was just as if not more important. Initially matched up against Sané in the first half, Weiser dealt with the winger before he switched sides with Coman heading into the second, the 29-year-old was once again able to nullify the Frenchman.
Romano Schimd – 6
Senne Lynen – 6
Jens Stage – 6
Felix Agu – 6
Justin Njinmah – 6
Nick Woltemade – 6
Others: Rafael Santos Borre (5), Dawid Kownacki (-), Christian Groß (-), Olivier Deman (-)
GGFN | Jack Meenan
