Match Awards from Bayern Munich’s dramatic 3-2 win against SC Freiburg

Bayern Munich’s squad returned from the international break battered and bruised (as usual), resulting in a lackluster, cagey performance against a well-drilled, organized SC Freiburg side. Freiburg, to their credit, pressed relentlessly from the start, giving Bayern very little room to maneuver and maintain possession, scoring two lovely goals in the process. Bayern was careening towards a defeat.

The midfielder-turned-fullback, who has been forced to play in a suboptimal position to make up for the squad’s deficiencies, has not had a taste of proper minutes in midfield in a while. So when he did get to play there in the second half, he had to make it count.

And that’s exactly what he did. Oops, I may have already spoiled the MOTM award.

Jersey Swap: Noah Atubolu

Brilliant saves, unbelievable goalkeeping. In a game where Freiburg dominated and scored two fantastic goals, their defense needed to be just as good to stifle the Bayern Munich juggernaut. And Atubolu was a man on a mission.

Save after spectacular save, he kept Freiburg in the game in the second half all by himself. His save on Olise’s curling long-range effort was the best of the bunch, followed shortly after by another outrageous save on Diaz’s long-range effort. With Olise and Diaz being the lone stars up front in a lackluster night for the rest of the attack, Atubolu had to step up to make sure they were silenced.

This was the best goalkeeping performance in the Bundesliga this season, in my opinion. A one-man-army type effort.

Honourable mention: Johan Manzambi

Industrious performance in midfield and a long-range belter to give Freiburg the lead. He was a thorn in Bayern’s midfield structure the entire game, using his physicality and tenacity to give Kimmich and Goretzka issues throughout the first half.

A young, rising star to watch in the coming months and years.

Did Bayern concede two goals? Yes. Could they have conceded a lot more? Absolutely.

Manuel Neuer returned to the pitch to show the footballing world that he’s still got it. He stunned the world with his reflexes and unbelievable shot-stopping ability. If not for some brilliant sweeper-keeping and shot-stopping from Bayern’s captain, the team could’ve been in deep trouble already in the first half.

Simply put, Bayern would have been down by at least twice the number of goals they conceded had it not been for the heroics of the greatest goalkeeper of all time. Yes, two of the saves he made were eventually ruled offside, but that doesn’t discount the quality of the effort or the other superb saves he made to keep Bayern in the game. With the defense leaking like a punctured hose, Neuer had to do some patchwork to control the situation.

The GOAT might be ready for Madrid, after all.

Der Fußballgott: Joshua Kimmich

I know I’m going to draw a lot of ire for this, and I will start by conceding that Kimmich was a liability in the first half. With enough misplaced passes to create a highlight reel, Kimmich contributed to the midfield’s disarray and was bypassed by Freiburg’s midfield with ease, almost as if he were a non-factor.

However, Kimmich gets this award for stepping up when it matters, for rising to the occasion, for being Mr. Clutch. When Bayern needed a goal in the dying moments, he showed up big time. His defense-splitting pass to Alphonso Davies stole the show and directly led to Bayern’s third, sealed by Lennart Karl. Moreover, he played like a man possessed in the final 20 minutes, dictating tempo, screaming orders, and coordinating the press.

In a game where Bayern was far from its best, Kimmich helped steal a victory.

Der Bomber: Michael Olise

Another game, another assist, and a show of dominance. It is absurd just how good this guy is. As soon as he entered the game, the entire dynamic shifted. Bayern began controlling everything, and every attacking move ran through the world’s best winger. He almost scored with his very first action.

With every passing minute, Olise kept getting better. This is especially surprising given he featured in both of France’s games in the international break. His tenacity, skill, drive, and defensive ability were all on full display, and his crossing was otherworldly. With 4 brilliant passes into the final third and a vicious shot that needed Atubolu to stretch to his elastic limit, Olise gave the Freiburg defense fits. And he was rewarded with an assist for a well-timed and weighted ball for Bischof’s second.

After what feels like an eternity, I finally feel somewhat confident heading into a Real Madrid fixture. And Michael Olise is the main reason why.

Meister of the Match: Tom Bischof

Who else but the prince that was promised? The player who is going to run Bayern’s midfield alongside Aleksandar Pavlović for the next decade?

Bischof, at the sprightly age of 20, has just capped one of the best performances we’ve seen in a Bundesliga fixture from a Bayern midfielder. As soon as Kompany allowed him to move to a spot from where he could make a bigger impact (after taking a certain traffic cone off the pitch), Bischof rewarded the coach and Bayern fans the world over with two superb golazos from way outside the box.

A brilliant first touch to take the ball away from his man and position it for a direct hit, and a sublime strike to seal the deal. Atubolu had no chance whatsoever for either goal. Bischof showcased quite a lot of his skills: his understanding of the positions of his own teammates and the opposition players, his timing, his striking ability, and his finesse. Moreover, he capped the last 25 minutes with a near-flawless midfield performance. Bischof completed 88% of his passes, completed 3/4 accurate long balls, was NEVER dispossessed, and had 4 key defensive contributions!

Now that is an MOTM stat line if I’ve ever seen one.

So coach Kompany… is it finally time for Bischof to return to his best position?

If you are looking for more Bayern Munich and German national team coverage, check out the latest episodes of Bavarian Podcast Works, which you can get on Acast, Spotify, Apple, or any leading podcast distributor…

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