An equaliser in added time. The sort of thing that hits you right in the stomach. But anyone who saw the FC Bayern players after the 3-3 draw against Eintracht Frankfurt on Sunday evening will have noticed that the mood afterwards wasn't all bad.
The battle with Eintracht was hard-fought, the performance was characterised by dominance and goal threat, and what's more, Bayern remain top of the Bundesliga table after Matchday 6. Everyone's aware that there have been no wins in the last three games, but constructive discussions began already on the pitch.
Kompany keeping calm
"Let's stay calm," coach Vincent Kompany stressed and added: "It was a very good display from our team. When I see how much the team ran, how many chances we had, then it was a great performance. I know we'll be judged on results in the end but my job as a coach is also to interpret that. And I think if we keep playing like this, we'll celebrate many more wins."
Frankfurt are something of the form team in the Bundesliga at the moment – particularly with the lethal threat of top goalscorer Omar Marmoush. Goalkeeper Kaua Santos also had a brilliant day with 10 saves. Nevertheless, Eintracht had their backs to the wall for much of the match.
Lots of positives in Bayern play
Everything was right with FCB from the start: effort, pressing, positioning, willingness to run. "We have the dominance because we immediately win the ball back a lot," Thomas Müller told DAZN as he explained the strength in winning possession with counter-pressing. "If I was a Frankfurt player, I'd have hoisted up the white flag after 20 minutes."
Only one team was playing at Deutsche Bank Park: Bayern made 632 passes in the opposition half, Frankfurt just 94. The Reds hit 32 crosses, the Eagles one. There were 11 corners for our side, not a single one for the hosts. The goal attempts figure read 24-6 in favour of FCB, the touches of the ball in the penalty area 69-8. Set pieces are proving to be a real threat to every opposition. All three of Bayern's goals from Minjae Kim (15'), Dayot Upamecano (38') and Michael Olise (53') came from dead balls.
Of course, there's no avoiding the fact that all three of Eintracht's goals – two from Marmoush (22', 90'+4) and one from Hugo Ekitiké (35') – came on the counter, along with the lapses in concentration that allowed them. The 1-0 defeat at Aston Villa in the Champions League in midweek is also still fresh.
The feeling is right
But the underlying feeling that pervades at FCB was summarised by Müller: "It was a pleasure to see how we constricted our opposition and created chances." He rubuffed anyone uttering the word 'crisis': "If this is a crisis, I'm happy to be in it."
The team trusts itself and the playing philosophy of their coach. They're learning and growing together. The team exudes confidence and optimism ahead of more big matches to come against VfB Stuttgart and FC Barcelona after the international break (fixture list).
The pursuit of constant improvement remains unchanged, as Kompany highlighted: "The question is: how do we manage to perfect the style of play that's led to our dominance, so that we maybe allow even fewer chances for our opponents? I'm experienced enough to know that if we keep doing what we did today, we will reach the next level."
Bayern are now level on points with RB Leipzig at the top of the table. After the international break, it's about translating the important lessons from the past couple of weeks into actions.
Pack ma’s!
All the reaction to an eventful contest against Eintracht Frankfurt:
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