[ad_1]
Bayern Munich dominated Mainz for 90 minutes with an 8-1 win at the Allianz Arena. Bayern were brutally effective with their 12 shots on goal. Harry Kane scored his first hat-trick since November and four other Bayern players joined the goal line. Apart from a random heel in the face from Alphonso Davies and a shot from Nadiem Amiri from distance, it was another successful outing for Bayern.
Bayern finally connects with long balls into the area
All three first half goals were a direct result of successful passes to players running into the box. In a match where Leon Goretzka and Konrad Laimer constantly lost possession in an attempt to pass the ball through Mainz’s compact midfield, the long ball gave Bayern a commanding half-time lead.
Kane’s pass to Jamal Musiala for the fifth goal was absolutely spectacular. It was also great to see the chef, Serge Gnabry, back in action and finding the back of the net with a clever backheel.
The courage to send these types of passes has been missing for most of the time. Speedwaybut the attackers have also lacked the ability to calmly resolve the crosses and bury the final touch.
Of course, Mainz is squarely in the relegation zone, nine points away from another guaranteed season in the top division. But only seven Bundesliga teams have conceded fewer goals than Mainz.
IQ surpasses speed behind
Matthijs de Ligt, Eric Dier and Joshua Kimmich are significantly slower than the original combination of Dayot Upamecano, Min-Jae Kim and Noussair Mazraoui. But today’s defense had another dominant performance that sniffed out plenty of opportunities before they even had a chance to blossom. The defense is once again functioning as a single unit and continues to build trust and chemistry.
Mainz’s goal was the result of a foul committed by Jamal Musiala and would never have reached the net if Thomas Müller had not made the business decision to duck. Mainz finished the match with an xG of 0.74, but have now scored in six consecutive matches.
The league title may be lost, but Bayern is still chasing records
Kane now has 30 goals in 25 Bundesliga games. At this rate of 1.2 goals per game, he is on pace to score 40.8 goals in 34 Bundesliga games. While it’s hard to imagine a more dramatic finish than Lewandowski breaking the record in the final touch of the season, Kane is certainly doing his best to keep fans on the edge of their seats.
Bayern scored several goals for the fifth consecutive game and seems to have found the joy of playing again. With today’s explosion of goals, Bayern also regains its rhythm and scores 103 goals this season. This would break the record of 101 goals currently held by Bayern from 1971/72.
Looking for a more in-depth review of the game? Is Tuchel finally training the way he wants or has his dismissal liberated the team? We discuss that and more in our post-game podcast! Listen below or on Spotify.
As always, we appreciate all the support!