Harry Kane, midfield maestros, and more: Three things we learned as Bayern Munich fell to defeat away to Aston Villa
On matchday two of the Champions League, Aston Villa overcame Bayern Munich with a 1-0 victory in a boisterous Villa Park.
Heading into the tie, both sides were hoping to maintain their perfect records in European competition so far this season, but from the first whistle, it was clear to see who would dictate proceedings.
However, despite Vincent Kompany’s side asserting dominance over their Premier League opponents, Villa would create more dangerous opportunities, and if it were not for VAR, they would have gone into the break one goal to the good.
Nevertheless, after the interval, with Der Rekordmeister unable to test Emiliano Martínez in goal, the visitors would be punished as Jhon Durán caught Manuel Neuer in no man’s land with an exquisite chip over the top of the Bayern shot-stopper to secure the winning goal for Unai Emery’s side.
It is a result that will highlight the progress Villa have made since appointing Emery as Steven Gerrard’s successor, but for Bayern, alarm bells will be ringing as to how they allowed their hosts to take all three points.
Do Bayern need more from Harry Kane?
Last season, the England captain was a relentless goalscoring machine for Der Rekordmeister, scoring 44 goals and collecting 12 assists in 43 appearances in all competitions.
With goal contributions against Bayer Leverkusen, Borussia Dortmund, Arsenal, Manchester United, and Real Madrid, Kane often showed up when it mattered.
However, since struggling with injury towards the back end of last season, the 31-year-old has been unable to replicate his stellar form, and it has affected Bayern significantly.
Against Die Werkself on the weekend, Kane went missing, and once against tonight, he was nowhere to be seen, failing to register a shot on goal while also only making three touches inside the box.
For the club record fee that Bayern paid for the Englishman, one season of effective goalscoring will not be considered value for money, and if they are to succeed this season, then they will need him to refind his form; otherwise, in big games, they will struggle to come out on top.
Bayern cannot break down top teams
So far this season, Bayern have made light work of Holstein Kiel, Werder Bremen, Freiburg, and Dinamo Zagreb.
Nevertheless, when it mattered in clashes against Leverkusen and Villa, they came up short despite dominating possession statistics.
At Villa Park, Kompany’s side struggled to threaten Emiliano Martínez’s goal, and with 70% of the ball, as per FotMob, they could only average 0.08 xG per shot on goal.
It is apparent that creating clear goalscoring opportunities is a difficulty for Bayern, and it will be an area of their game that will need to be ironed out.
Whether that means getting more out of their top attacking players, such as Harry Kane, or tweaking their approach, continuing as they are will not see them meet their ambitious aims this season.
Bayern Munich’s midfield maestros
When Aleksandar Pavlović emerged from the Bayern youth ranks last season, there was a sense that Joshua Kimmich would no longer be required at the Allianz Arena—a feeling that grew over the summer with reports linking the 29-year-old away from Bavaria.
However, despite there being uncertainty regarding Kimmich’s future heading into this campaign, under Vincent Kompany, the German international has been rejuvenated, playing a staring role for Der Rekordmeister this season.
Alongside Pavlović, the pair have been key to the way Kompany looks to maintain possession and dominate games, and this was no different against Aston Villa.
While the record champions struggled for creativity, both Kimmich and Pavlović were able to combine to register twenty-six passes into the final third, thirteen ball recoveries, and a 92% pass success rate.
With consistent performances like this, there is little surprise that they have been able to limit João Palhinha’s game time, and as the season goes on, the pair will only become more important to the Belgian head coach.
GGFN | Will Shopland
