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Bayern Munich dropped two important points against Union Berlin in an intriguing Bundesliga encounter. The result keeps Bayern Munich in 1st place on the table with 67 points, but only 5 points clear of RB Leipzig who sit 2nd.
A dull first half left Hansi Flick and Co. scratching their heads as Union Berlin managed to frustrate Bayern's front four. Despite managing to have 7 attempts, the Bavarians had zero shots on target as Andreas Luthe had a comfortable outing at the Allianz Arena in the first exchanges.
But the men in red changed gears in the second half and in the 68th minute18-year-old wonderkid Jamal Musiala made the breakthrough for the home side. He got on the end of Thomas Muller's pass, dribbled his way past two white shirts and struck it home, dispatching the ball past Luthe with ease.
Flick's men were in control of possession throughout the game, and with a goal in hand, they were close to seeing out the game. However, substitute Marcus Ingvartsen had different plans. The 25-year-old made a darting run into the box as Robert Andrich found him with a cut back from the byline. The duo combined to score in the 86th minute of the game, killing Bayern's hopes of making it 6 league wins in a row.
On that note, let's take a look at the 5 talking points from the game.
#5 Injuries have come at the worst time for Bayern Munich
As we enter the business end of the season, coaching staff and players would look to keep their squad's fitness levels up and rotate effectively as every game till the end of the season matters. But it has gone all downhill for Hansi Flick's men.
The home side were without 7 of their first XI players, as Flick's aspirations of defending their Bundesliga and Champions League title suffered from perdonnel issues. In just 2 days, they will have to travel to Paris to take on PSG in the second leg, and it looks more and more likely that Bayern Munich would have to play the return leg with a half-fit squad.
Players like Robert Lewandowski, Alphonso Davies, Serge Gnabry and more are likely to be sidelined for a few weeks, and to add to their woes, Joshua Kimmich played the whole 90 minutes tonight vs Berlin. Is that a decision that would eventually backfire? We'll find out soon.
#4 Jamal Musiala steps up to the occasion again
There's something special about Jamal Musiala. The 18-year-old started the game as a right winger to accommodate Tiago Dantas. It was another day of sublime touches for the young man as he was Bayern's biggest threat throughout the game.
It was through his brilliance that put Bayern ahead, as experienced players like Leroy Sane, Thomas Muller and Choupo-Moting couldn't break the deadlock. Bayern's golden boy scored a signature goal as he danced through white jerseys to find the net.
Hansi Flick has a decision to make. Kingsley Coman and Sane were up against PSG's second-choice fullbacks in the first leg, and they could not impact the game at all. With 4 goals under Musiala's belt, is it time for Flick to start his golden boy in the biggest game of the season?
#3 A lucky but important point bagged by Union Berlin
The visitors came into this game with a gameplan to sit back in their own half, frustrate Bayern's forwards and hit them on the counter; a game plan which worked perfectly.
Union Berlin barely managed to create a clear-cut chance throughout the game. With just 2 shots on target, the away side were definitely lucky to take home a point and capitalised on a moment where Bayern's defence fell asleep.
Union Berlin's aim for the season was to stay in the first division, but after 28 games, Urs Fischer's men find themselves just 3 points behind 5th place. The club are very much in the race, especially if Dortmund drop points this weekend.
#2 Bayern Munich's season could collapse
It's an open secret that Bayern Munich are struggling. The team that won the treble last season are now trailing in the Champions League quarter-finals, while also struggling to kill the title race in the league.
Hansi Flick's men are in a tough situation as injuries, rumours about the boss' exit & issues behind the scenes have seemed to have impacted their form.
Amidst all the woes, Union Berlin ran away with a point against the league leaders, while Wolfsburg are rubbing their hands at the prospect of facing an injury-riddled, fatigue-hit & mentally drained Bayern Munich next weekend.
#1 Hansi Flick's tactical nous need to come to the fore
Bayern Munich have gone from being the favourites to win the Champions League to being underdogs in the quarter-finals. And they'd be just 2 points ahead of RB Leipzig if Wolfsburg pull off an upset next week. On the brink of losing in all competitions, the situation demands the very best of Hansi Flick and his coaching team.
Mauricio Pochettino certainly outclassed him in terms of tactics in the first leg, as Flick had no answer to PSG's counter-attacking transitions throughout the game. But on the hand, if not for a poor outing by Bayern's forwards, it could've comfortably been game over PSG.
With big games coming up in Europe and in the league, Hansi Flick has a tough job retaining the confidence of his squad while also bringing his tactical acumen to the fore in order to get the best out of the players he has at his disposal at the crunch time.
