July 16, 2022 is now a date forever etched in the history of Bayern Munich: the day Robert Lewandowski (375 matches, 344 goals) packed up for Catalonia, flying to Barcelona and a new European adventure.
The Pole, in the Blaugrana jersey, will find the spans of the Allianz Arena in Munich this Tuesday evening, in the Champions League, during the 2nd day of group C.
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With 19 goals scored in six Bundesliga games, Bayern remain the best attack in Germany today, despite the departure of Lewandowski.
Despite this a priori positive observation, critics fuse in Bavaria, pointing the finger at the sufficiency and irregularity of Julian Nagelsmann's men.
Sadio Mané, the new face
Arrived this summer from Liverpool for 32 million euros,
Sadio Mané
(30 years old) landed in Munich with a heavy status to bear: to become the appointed successor of Robert Lewandowski at the forefront of the attack.
After two months of competition, the balance sheet is rather positive for the Senegalese: nine games, five goals.
All in all good statistics but very far from the standards of the Pole.
And this is where the shoe pinches, the comparison is natural but difficult to achieve the lethal effectiveness of Lewandoswki's ten seasons at Bayern.
The former Reds' use in Germany also differs from the situations he has experienced earlier in his career.
At Southampton as at Liverpool, Mané has always been established on one side - left or right, while Nagelsmann makes him his striker.
Symbol of the lack of consistency at Bayern at the start of the season, Sadio Mané has not scored since August 31, during the victory (0-5) in the German Cup against Viktoria Cologne.
A slight drop in form which does not worry Hasan Salihamidzic, the club's sporting director: “
There were two matches which did not go as he had imagined.
Sadio is the one who criticizes himself the most, I have no doubt that he will play even better”.
Read also“I recognized myself in the Bayern project more than in any other”: the first words of Sadio Mané on his future transfer
Müller, Sané, Coman... The continuity of automation
To turn the "Lewy" page smoothly, Bayern Munich wants to rely on its attacking assets present at the club for several seasons:
Thomas Müller
,
Leroy Sané
,
Kingsley Coman
(injured in the right thigh, absent for some time) or
Serge Gnabry
.
In the 4-2-3-1 aligned by Nagelsmann in the league, the positions are flexible, capable of being filled by several players.
Müller was for example tenured sometimes in central attacking midfielder, sometimes at the forefront of the attack.
Same thing for Gnabry or Sané who often switch from the left side to the right side according to the different meetings played this season.
Julian Nagelsmann already pointed out by the locker room.
ANDREAS GEBERT / REUTERS
During the first games, the Bayern coach opted instead for a stretched 4-4-2 with two low midfielders and two high wingers, which allowed Müller to be placed in a false nine next to Mané.
It is with this system that the Bavarians crushed Frankfurt (1-6) then Bochum (0-7).
Knowing that his four players know each other perfectly, Nagelsmann takes the opportunity to test several devices, playing with his sure values in different ways... But would it not be precisely this lack of clearly installed philosophy which prevents Bayern from chaining and be regular and effective?
According to information from the German daily
Bild
, the Bayern locker room would be upset by the attitude and comments of its coach.
The players would like Nagelsmann to examine his decisions in detail and make his self-criticism after three consecutive draws in the Bundesliga.
Tel and Musiala, the work continues
In this fog which blurs the situation of Bayern in these first months of competition, two young people continue their development to register as well as possible in the renewal of the attacking Munich.
The young French
Mathys Tel
, landed from Rennes to everyone's surprise, puts in a solid performance with a first goal scored in the Bundesliga last weekend against Stuttgart, becoming the youngest scorer in the history of the club in the league at only 17 years old and 136 days.
As for
Jamal Musiala
(19), he exploded all the counters with six goals in eight matches.
On one side or in the axis, the German international represents a first regular key in Bayern's game.
He's been involved in a goal every 54 minutes this season.
Last evolution to observe:
Ryan Gravenberch
, signed from Ajax this summer, a training midfielder who tends to turn to a more attacking role.
