The disappointment in the FC Bayern camp after the 2-0 home defeat against Borussia Dortmund on Saturday evening was understandably huge. For the first time in five and a half years, the record champions were beaten in a Bundesliga clash by their old rivals, while the last league defeat against BVB at home at the Allianz Arena was almost 10 years ago. "We played a modest game today. Against Dortmund we need to play a special game – and we didn't show that," said board member for sport Max Eberl, summarising the evening.
Too little energy, too little esprit
Though Bayern saw more possession against BVB, they were missing the final determination and assertiveness. "We lacked a bit of energy and esprit," explained goalkeeper Sven Ulreich. "We're very disappointed with the way we played. We didn't do enough of the elementary basics that are needed to succeed," added coach Thomas Tuchel.
The opening minutes were emblematic of this Saturday evening, at least from Bayern’s point of view. FCB saw a lot of possession and applied pressure, but it was Dortmund who managed to score. The visitors approached the Bayern penalty area for the first time in the 10th minute and Karim Adeyemi applied the final touch to a swift counter-attack to give Dortmund the lead. After conceding the goal, Munich stayed in contention and also had some good chances, with Harry Kane narrowly missing the equaliser with a header from a promising position. The best chance fell to Eric Dier, whose header from close range was acrobatically cleared by BVB defender Mats Hummels. "We weren't lucky in the key moments either," said Tuchel, looking back on the two great chances in the first half.
Müller: "Didn’t have that proper power play"
"In the first half, we could or even had to equalise given the chances," said Thomas Müller, who added: "Overall, we didn't have that proper power play and intensity. You couldn't see in our eyes that we really wanted it. At the end of the day, we deserved to lose 2-0."
In the second half, Bayern initially lacked the drive to score. Goalkeeper Ulreich made a brilliant save to deny Felix Nmecha’s effort in the 53rd minute. Coach Tuchel provided fresh impetus with a triple substitution in attack after just over an hour. Kingsley Coman, who made his comeback after a two-month injury lay-off, was particularly noticeable and helped Munich regain their determination. However, efforts from Kane and the Frenchman failed to help Bayern draw level, with FCB lacking penetrative force overall. Dortmund's Julian Ryerson finally made it 2-0 in the 83rd minute.
With seven matchdays left this season, the defending champions are 13 points behind league leaders Bayer Leverkusen, who won their match at home to Hoffenheim 2-1 on Saturday afternoon thanks to two last-minute goals. "Our gap to the top of the table is much bigger than to those behind us. We have to do our job and win our games. We should represent Bayern Munich in the way the club deserves to be represented,” said Eberl.
Show a different side
Bayern are looking to the future. Next Saturday, they travel to newly promoted Heidenheim. Three days later, on Tuesday, 9 April, FCB visit Arsenal in the first leg of the Champions League quarter-final. "We need to show a different side to ourselves now, perform as a team and show what we can do, what we're made of. We need more energy so that we can be successful in the games over the next few weeks," said Ulreich, setting the tone for the coming days.
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