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MOTD: Bayern Munich 1-0 Manchester City

By on September 17, 2014

Pep Guardiola is the master of a move that hardly any manager dares to do – turn a defender into a midfielder. With Javier Mascherano at Barcelona he did the opposite, and after his year on a sabbatical, turned Philip Lahm from a full-back, the position Lahm had played in for over a decade, in two World Cups, into a central midfielder almost immediately after joining Bayern Munich. Recently, he has also turned David Alaba into a midfielder.

Tonight, both Alaba and Lahm started alongside Xabi Alonso in Bayern Munich’s midfield against Manchester City. City couldn’t have visited the Allianz Arena at a better time (if there is a good time to play the club champions the world), with Franck Ribery, Thiago Alcantara, Bastian Schweinsteiger, Javi Martinez, Holger Badstuber, and Arjen Robben all out of Bayern’s starting eleven due to injury. However, Alaba proved a pivotal point in The Bavarians attack and helped them cope without Robben or Schweinsteiger. Especially as the game wore on and Yaya Toure grew increasingly leggy, Alaba created multiple chances as well as take a few shots himself – with a great shot on him he came quite close on multiple occasions, as well. All after starting the game alongside Jerome Boateng and Medhi Bentia in a three-man center-back.

That one tactical switch – Alaba into a midfield three – might not have immediatly benefited Bayern, but as the game wore on certainly ground down a leggy City. Just seconds in Thomas Muller nearly scored an incredible opener, rounding Joe Hart after Roberto Lewandowski’s through ball put him in on goal. Muller just didn’t have his feet sorted out, however, and at a tight angle only found the side-netting. Soon after City found their feet and Guardiola implemented the chance to further confuse their English opponents, however, City responded well and evenly shared control of the match with Bayern. The one problem that would continue to haggle them for the rest of the match was their inability to get the ball out of the back on break Bayern down. Alaba and Lahm being former defenders might just contribute to that factor. Sagna would later see his near post header blocked by Manuel Neuer, but that was about the closest City would come to scoring for the rest of the match.

Bayern weathered City’s storm, though, and pushed forward once more. Muller was unlucky not to break the deadlock after flicking Juan Bernat’s cross towards the top right corner via a header, only for Hart to just scoop it over. In the twentieth minute Mario Gotze’s deflected effort forced Hart into another save, while also giving Bayern a penalty shout for Vincent Kompany’s blatant, but unintentional and legal arm to the ball. City certainly had their fair share of chances on the break, with Edin Dzeko curling a brilliant shot from the edge of the box inches wide of the upright just moments after Gotze’s earlier chance.

Alaba then sent a dipping twenty-five yard effort dipping just wide, before seeing Hart parry his screaming volley a thirty-five minutes in. City looked increasinglt laboured as the half went on, but Bayern couldn’t capitalize. City didn’t change anything at halftime, a move that only saw Bayern push further up the pitch. Muller, Bentia, who caught Hart out of his goal only for City to hack clear the full-back’s shot from the left, and Rafinha would all come close, yet City seemed to have gotten away with one. David Silva, who had played the whole match as a creative outlet behind Dzeko, was moved out wide late on for Aguero to come on, but the Argentina proved unable to make something happen for City, largely because Bayern had so much of the ball. City were just praying that Bayern wouldn’t score.

However, Boateng wasn’t pressured as City cleared a cross straight to him, and sliced a brilliant fifteen yard volley into the bottom right corner of the net, granted, a deflection off of Lewandowski was largely the reason it beat Hart. Right as play restarted the clock struck the ninetieth minute. Injury plauged it was tough, but Bayern saw off City.

About Alex Morgan

Alex Morgan, founder of Football Every Day, lives and breaths football from the West Coast of the United States in California. Aside from founding Football Every Day in January of 2013, Alex has also launched his own journalism career and hopes to help others do the same with FBED. He covers the San Jose Earthquakes as a beat reporter for QuakesTalk.com and his work has also been featured in the BBC's Match of the Day Magazine.