18.02.2021
Bundesliga

Firing up front, fragile at the back

FC Bayern are leading the league as expected, but this season they seem to be less invincible than before.

Form: Top of the table – again

What a difference a week makes… Bayern went from winning the FIFA Club World Cup to only managing a 3-3 draw at home to promoted side Arminia Bielefeld in the league on Monday. Germany’s most successful club are still the cream of the crop in the top flight, however. Unsurprisingly, Bayern sit top of the table on 49 points, five more than nearest rivals Leipzig. The champions have picked up 19 of a possible 24 points thus far in 2021, with only one team – Eintracht – outdoing them on that front with 22.

FC Bayern head coach Hans-Dieter Flick.

Tactics: Holes in defence

Coach Hans-Dieter Flick favours a 4-2-3-1 formation with Robert Lewandowski as the lone striker. Bayern have scored in every game this season, hitting 61 goals in 21 Bundesliga matches. That said, the league leaders have been looking unusually shaky at the back this term. They only conceded 16 goals last season in 24 matches with Flick as coach, but this time around they have already shipped 29 after 21 matchdays.

Bayern are currently without three key players in Benjamin Pavard, Thomas Müller (both positive COVID-19 tests) and Serge Gnabry (muscle tear).

FC Bayern München 2020/21
Stats15 wins, 4 draws, 2 defeats, 61:29 goal difference, 49 points, 1st in the table
FormW-W-W-W-D
GoalscorersLewandowski (25), Müller (10), Gnabry (5), Sané (4), Coman (3), Musiala (3), Alaba (2), Goretzka (2), Kimmich (2), Boateng (1), Davies (1), Douglas Costa (1), Süle (1), Tolisso (1)

One to watch: Kingsley Coman

The fleet-footed winger originally joined the club on loan in summer 2015 from Juventus before making the move permanent two years later. And with every passing season, his importance to the team has grown. Coman is equally at home on the left or the right wing and has racked up 39 goals and 46 assists in 185 competitive appearances for the German record champions. This season, the France international has found the back of the net on three occasions and set up another nine goals.

Coman has racked up 39 goals and 46 assists in 185 competitive appearances for FC Bayern.