Four Observations from Bayern Munich’s emphatic 4-0 win against FC Heidenheim

Bayern Munich ended their winless woes by recording a 4-0 win against FC Heidenheim thanks to goals from Harry Kane, Konrad Laimer, Kingsley Coman, and Joshua Kimmich. Here are some observations from what was a blowout of a game as Bayern edged closer to the Bundesliga title.

Some beautiful, unserious football

In the first half, Bayern played an unconventional set-up and style of football. There was a lack of structure, particularly defensively, prioritizing pressing Heidenheim in their own half while churning out a variety of decent chances. It was fluid and loose, perhaps too fluid as it often forgoed a clear backline, nor did it make use of distinct attacking channels. It is an approach that could be described as outrageous and unserious at times, furthered by the many moments in the match which seemed uncharacteristic of the modern game, which prioritizes a far more structured and planned approach. The system saw a back three system whose constituents constantly changed, played in a manner that goes against all traditional rules of a system akin to it.

Yet, it worked like a dream. A large part of that can be attributed to Bayern’s utter dominance of the ball over Heidenheim, who simply couldn't seem to retain it for themselves due to their high susceptibility to press and a gap in ability between the two teams that appeared so large, the first half seemed like a pre-season friendly. Bayern’s unserious, almost playful approach, combined with Heidenheim’s extremely lackluster performance, allowed for a deeply enjoyable game for Bayern fans.

The approach created chances in a variety of areas that were subsequently converted in world-class fashion. It was a breath of fresh air after what had been a troubling week, and saw some beautiful goals from Kane and Coman. Bayern needed this, and so did the fans. Sure, it wouldn’t work against a better opponent. But it worked tonight.

What’s that? Bayern converted their chances!?

As an extension of the discussion concerning the high quality of the goals scored tonight, it displayed what Bayern needs in the final third. The Kane goal, a perfectly placed strike from outside the box, is the type of goal only a striker as experienced and well-versed in the game as Kane could score, but it’s the exact type of goal that has been missing from his catalog as of recent. The ability to score out of thin air with the smallest chance you get is what this Bayern team has been looking for and not yet found. It is only then that you can afford to miss the bigger chances.

This extends to Coman’s goal, and even to chance creation. Gnabry’s incredible assist to Laimer and his many attempts at goal throughout the game come from quick and unexpected decisions going forward. The same can be said about Raphaël Guerreiro.

Bayern’s overreliance on systematic chance creation allows teams to predict and pre-empt their goalscoring opportunities, which makes it all the worse when Bayern begin to squander these chances at a higher rate than usual. The missing factor is surprise. It is not something that can be coached, and it comes from a player’s decision-making ability within existing systems. Today’s system amplified the players’ decision-making and displayed how important this surprise element can be in games.

Youth and substitutions

When you are 4-0 up at the 60th minute in a game you have full control over, it is foolish not to introduce youth players into the game. Kompany’s substitutions tonight left a lot to be desired. Bringing on Thomas Müller, Leroy Sané, and João Palhinha (that late?!) is simply not the right thing to do in such a situation. It is gutting that aside from Gabriel Vidovic, promising youth talents like Lennart Karl and Jonah Kusi-Asare did not get minutes. It would have been a fantastic opportunity for both.

How can the club have expectations for youth development if there is a certain unwillingness from the coach to play Bayern’s academy players when there is the chance to do so? It is not every game that Bayern will hold such an uncompromising lead over their opponent, and it is opportunities like these that need to be taken and made advantage of to give Bayern’s youth their much-deserved chance.

Uli Hoeneß seemed very vocal about this matter under Thomas Tuchel (almost ironically), but seems to be completely silent when it seems to be worse. One can only hope that fans see bits of the club’s youth once the title is hopefully secured in the coming games.

A quick note on the players

Josip Stanišić: phenomenal again. Bright future ahead, and his versatility at such a young age is of key importance (although he is slightly better at RB). Michael Olise showed the same issue as against Dortmund: his final product has taken a hit. Aleksandar Pavlović had a statement game, running the midfield. Eric Dier had a few screamers. Joshua Kimmich had a decent game from midfield and scored, but was less effective than his partner.

Jonas Urbig finally recorded a Bundesliga clean sheet and thoroughly deserved it, making some fantastic saves in the process. Glad to see the steady growth.

That’s all for the observations. Do you agree with them? Disagree? What did you think of the game? Tell us everything in the comments below!

Looking for more thoughts and analysis on Bayern Munich’s 4-0 win over Heidenheim in the Bundesliga? Awesome, then check out our Bavarian Podcast Work — Postgame Show for a break down of how it all played out. You can get the podcast on Patreon, Spotify, or below:

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