The loss last Saturday to newcomer Bochum (4: 2) was one of the humiliations suffered by Bayern Munich in recent years, a blow that is a direct result of a worrying trend that the Bavarians have been facing since the beginning of the 2021/2022 season.
For most Bayern fans, and also for coach Julian Naglesman, it's the straw that broke the tough camel's back.
The machine creaks, rusts and cracks.
Although on the offensive side the Bundesliga leader should not worry, the goals will come, especially as Robert Lewandowski continues to provide impressive numbers (26 league goals in 22 rounds), but at the same time the back line is full of problems: players who do not meet expectations, injuries and absences and 25 goals. Games.
That's a lot for her.
For Bayern, tonight's game in the last eight of the Champions League against Salzburg can have a big impact on the continuation of the season, and the eyes are on one of the main reasons for the defensive weakness, the brakeman Dayo Opamcano.
He arrived in the summer along with Naglesman from R.B. Leipzig and there were high expectations from him, but he is showing poor ability.
The ambition to get into Jerome Boateng's box does not come true, whether in a four-player lineup on defense or in a three-player lineup as our coach prefers to play.
Opamcano.
It is impossible to drop everything on him, Photo: AFP
"There is definitely a reason why people in the system are asking if Opamkano is the man who can lead the defense. The coming weeks could be very turbulent in the locker room," former player Dietmar Haman said after the defeat to Bochum.
Luther Mathews also attacked the Frenchman when he said: "How much longer should he be given? He looks like a foreign body within the group."
Trouble in bundles
but it is impossible to drop the whole case on Opamcano: Alfonso Davis, who has become one of the best left-backs in the world in the last two years, has long been absent due to Corona complications.
Relations between brakeman Nicklas Zola and club bosses have run aground, and he has already signed for Dortmund, which he will reach at the end of the season in a case reminiscent of the departure of David Alaba, who also left a big void.
And if that's not enough, then goalkeeper Manuel Neuer is also injured and will be out tonight, with his replacement Sven Ulrich light years away from the ability of the walking legend.
Add to that Leon Gorczka's very significant injury, and you get Bayern exposed in bursting attacks.
While it may very well be possible to complete a tenth consecutive championship win, like his predecessors, Naglesman knows the main measure of success is in the Champions League, probably after the humiliating relegation from the Cup with a 5-0 defeat to Mönchengladbach.
Towards Salzburg, who have raised their heads in recent seasons and hold on to talents like Karim Adeimi and Noah Okpur, Bayern future captain Joshua Kimich concludes: "We need to be careful."
And he knows what he's talking about.
Were we wrong?
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