Bayern Munich lost 2-3 to VfL Bochum last Sunday to remain eight points behind table-toppers Leverkusen after 22 matches. Prior to that, Lazio beat Bayern Munich 1-0 in the round of 16 of the UEFA Champions League in Rome last week Wednesday. The loss against Bochum was Bayern’s fourth loss in their last seven matches, and also their third one on the trot as Thomas Tuchel’s men are going through a rough patch at the moment.
Bayern suffered a humiliating 3-0 defeat to Leverkusen the week prior, which has made Xabi Alonso’s men the favourites to win the title in Germany.
Should they not be able to win the Bundesliga, Bayern will want to perform well in Champions League to make up for that.
The German champions are already out of the DFB Pokal, which means that they will have to win either the Bundesliga title or the Champions League to avoid having a season without a trophy.
Bayern’s attack has lacked edge of late
Bayern has failed to score in their last two of their last three matches. It is a bit of a disappointment for a side that boasts the likes of Harry Kane, Jamal Musiala, Leroy Sane, Thomas Müller and Kingsley Coman in their ranks.
Moreover, their decision to play with a back-three backfired against Leverkusen and Tuchel decided to switch to a back-four against Lazio. However, Dayot Upamecano was sent off against Lazio, which virtually ended any realistic chance of Bayern coming back into the match by scoring an equalizer.
Still, one can expect the Bavarians to stage a comeback in the second leg against March to ensure their place in the quarterfinals. However, for that to happen, they will need their attackers to fire again.
Kane, the English captain who has scored 29 times in 30 matches so far for Bayern, has scored four goals in their last five matches, but his inability to find the net in two big games must have disappointed Tuchel.
Kane should be raring to go in the second leg against Lazio to take his side into the last eight. He surely should have some personal goals, too, as he went close to winning the Champions League with Tottenham Hotspur, but failed ultimately.
The next month or so very crucial for Bayern
Bayern have relatively easy matches in Bundesliga in the next month or so aside from their clash with RB Leipzig on 24th February. Leipzig, who have qualified for the round of 16 in Champions League, are in the fifth position in Bundesliga and could prove to be a tricky opposition.
Bayern then has a couple of huge matches in March: their second-leg clash with Lazio in Munich and “Der Klassiker” with Borussia Dortmund. Bayern inflicted a 4-0 defeat on Dortmund in Dortmund last November, but the pressure will be significantly more on them for their return match in Munich.
Dortmund is currently in the fourth position in the league table and will be desperate to ensure qualification in the Champions League next season. Hence, they will try to earn at least a draw in the match, whereas nothing short of a win should be enough for the Bavarians.
It remains to be seen how the season pans out for Bayern, but at this very moment, Tuchel will be feeling some heat as their manager.