Four observations from Bayern Munich’s 2-2 draw against Borussia Dortmund

Halloween lived up to its terrible reputation, putting Bayern Munich in a scary position after suffering a horde of injuries in a Klassiker that won’t soon be forgotten.

Here are the key takeaways from a frustrating draw at the Allianz Arena.

A tale of two philosophies

What happens when sword meets shield? What happens when fluidity meets structure? What happens when the best attack in the Bundesliga comes up against the best defense? Well, they split the points and break each other in the process.

Bayern broke Dortmund’s steel armor. Niko Kovač’s men largely kept Aaron Danks’ men at bay for the first twenty minutes. But after repeated pressure from the Bavarian side, Black Gels would eventually reveal the crack in their shell: themselves.

In the 38th minute, Felix Nmecha’s pass to Daniel Svensson, the victim of an unfortunate slip, was stolen by an opportunist Konrad Laimer. The Austrian international finished the sequence by sending the ball into an empty net after his first shot was saved by Gregor Kobel.

Bayern had the opportunity to go two goals ahead early in the second half, but they encountered Dortmund’s best defender and the secret to their rock-solid defense: the goal frame.

The woodwork already denied Michael Olise a goal at the start of the first half, blocking the Frenchman’s fine shot, and that didn’t stop spoiling the Bavarians’ evening either. Harry Kane missed his second-half penalty after smashing the crossbar, and he also hit the post later in the match, while Lennart Karl’s late strike hit the crossbar.

In reality, Bayern should have won this match. After all, The orchestra master produced 4.18 xG compared to 0.63 xG for Dortmund. However, football is not played on the basis of what could have, what should have and what could have. So thanks to Kovač and his resilient Dortmund team.

The injury gods the demons strike again

Halloween spawns all kinds of scary creatures: vampires, werewolves, ghouls and ghosts. But injury demons haunted Bayern tonight.

The problem began in the 24th minute when Ismael Saibari was seriously injured. The Moroccan international’s shot on goal was saved after going one-on-one with Kobel. Saibari continued to chase the ball, but the Swiss goalkeeper pounced, hitting Saibari’s leg – a close call eerily similar to Gianluigi Donnarumma’s challenge on Jamal Musiala at the Club World Cup.

Just six minutes later, Serge Gnabry stopped and dropped to the ground, unable to continue. It didn’t stop there.

The injury demons then claimed Michael Olise. The Frenchman limped off the pitch into the dying embers of the match – a rotten cherry on top of an already sour evening for Bayern.

Heavy is the head that wears the crown

Harry Kane had a miserable start as the world’s best footballer.

The Englishman missed a penalty, missed a (mostly) open goal and simply couldn’t do what won him the Ballon d’Or: score.

Kane’s quality, character and leadership abilities are undeniable, but even a player with his mentality can be crushed under the crushing pressure of living up to the title of best player in the world.

Lennart Karl in the doghouse?

Lennart Karl produced a positive performance in Bayern’s 6-1 DFB-Pokal win over FCMagdeburg, despite struggling to stay fit all season. Many believed the 18-year-old had reached a major milestone, marking a much-needed fresh start. But Bayern coaches are still not convinced.

After Saibari was injured in the 24th minute, Karl seemed to be the natural replacement at attacking midfielder. Instead, Aaron Danks favored Nathaniel Brown. Moments later, Gnabry – who was deployed on the left wing – was injured. Moving Alphonso Davies to the left wing, dropping Brown to left-back and bringing in Karl in place of Gnabry would have been the logical move. Once again, Danks decided against Karl, choosing to replace Josip Stanišić instead.

Karl would eventually force his way onto the pitch, replacing Olise in the 84th minute and even hitting the crossbar late in the match. But his previous snubs in key moments do not give a good image of the young striker.

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