Bayern Munich vs Salzburg in the Champions League: Walking a tightrope at the start of a difficult time

In his 407th match in the German Bundesliga with Bayern Munich, Muller scored his goal for the first time. Much like the spectacle of Michael Ballack’s legendary goal at SpVgg Unterhaching in the 1999/2000 season finale – the beginning of the end of all Leverkusen championship dreams.

At the same time, it presents a dilemma for Bayern – at least from Thomas Muller’s point of view: “In the Bundesliga we don’t have much pressure because the stalkers are reasonably far away.” The team needs that pressure to get the best performance out of it.

Thomas Muller is enjoying the pressure in the Champions League

That’s why Muller craves the premium class. “We’re not used to the Bundesliga, the Bundesliga, the Bundesliga these weeks. From September to December, it’s always the Saturday/Wednesday rhythm. We’re used to it, we want it. We’re under pressure again now and I’m enjoying this,” he said.

The anticipation for the Salzburg game is great because “we can once again win something that everyone can see”.

On the contrary, you also lose a lot. A Round of 16 elimination will inflict lasting damage to the season, even if it’s the 10th consecutive championship title at the end.

“If it doesn’t finish well, it’s not a special season,” says Julian Nagelsmann. “But I’m not puzzled and I have legitimate hopes that we can make progress.”

The high error rate always causes problems for Bayern Munich

However, recent performances by Munich do not necessarily mean that Salzburg has been expelled from the competition by passing.

Bayern Munich have won only two of their last five official matches, scored very late in the first leg in Salzburg, and later have to thank Leverkusen for their inability not to take advantage of several obvious scoring opportunities.

“We won’t go out on Tuesday and say: ‘We’ll send Salzburg out, they can’t do anything anyway.’ We have to be careful, winning 1-1 in the first leg is not the result of a dream,” Muller said.

There are two things about FC Bayen that have drawn attention lately: his high error rate on the defensive side and his lack of scoring opportunities. “These – in tennis one might say ‘unintentional mistakes’ – always get us into trouble,” Muller said.

“We need to have a better understanding of which areas we can risk in and which areas need a long ball or even a free kick. We don’t always have to dribble our way out of our penalty area. The ball stands in for nothing wrong at the right time.” Mueller’s conclusion: “We have to deal with better risk management.”

A balance between a fun solution and a “pinch” of the ball

Nagelsmann emphasized that Bayern Munich is used to “wanting to solve everything in a playful way. This was my plan at Hoffenheim and Leipzig. This applies even more to Bayern, because there are simply better players here,” said the coach.

But even Nagelsmann will have no problem “pinching” the ball from time to time. Especially since there could be an idea behind a long shot. “With the long balls there is always the potential to get behind the chain,” Nagelsmann said.

Balancing the always need for playful solutions with the need to resort to unconventional means is Bayern Munich’s current run on the tightrope. The question arises of how much risk the team can take, especially in the “do or die” game against Salzburg, capable of punishing mistakes on the spot.

Against Leverkusen, the team chose the element of play, even when the guests pressed hard. The result was a few losses on the ball, giving Bayer a chance to score first-class goals.

Leroy Sane before the beginning of Return of Eleven

Obviously, the risk should increase in the opponent’s half if you have possession of the ball. Torgarant Robert Lewandowski hasn’t been a factor in recent games.

“We have to adjust our attacking game and involve Lewy a lot,” Mueller demanded. Nagelsmann also admitted that “Robert didn’t get enough balls”.

It is Leroy Sane who should provide new impetus. The 26-year-old was only on the bench against Frankfurt and Leverkusen.

“I haven’t decided yet, we need Leroy in good shape. But he’s an incredibly good player and I don’t want to be without him. If he crosses his limits, he’s untenable. As of today, he’ll play and I’m sure he’ll make a game,” said Nagelsmann. Good too.”

Making a good game applies to the whole team. It’s (finally) a tough time at Bayern Munich.