Something is amiss at Allianz Arena this season. Lewandowski’s transfer has left a gaping hole in the team that no one has been able to fill. And the consequences are there for all to see, the results speak for themselves.
Losing your star striker can weaken any team. Just ask CD Leganes, whose striker Martin Braithwaite was stolen by FC Barcelona in the 2019-2020 season. The club was subsequently relegated and has since been plying its trade in the Segunda Division, Spain’s second division of football.
This summer window, Barcelona were again the culprit, taking away one of the most prized jewels of Bayern’s crown, Robert Lewandowski.
The Polish international helped the Germans win 8 Bundesliga and 1 Champions league title during this time at the club.
So when the sharpshooter underlined his intentions to leave the club in May 2022, there was understandable worry and disappointment in Munich all around.
His €45 million transfer to Spain has not affected his form, scoring 11 goals in 8 games for Barca.
Things, however, have not remained so rosy for his former club.
Poor run
Yesterday’s match against local bavarian rivals Augsburg saw the German giants succumb to their first loss of the season, thanks to Mergim Berisha’s goal.
This has left the Bavarians 4th in the table, ending their undefeated streak of 6 games (3 wins and 3 losses).
However, this so-called undefeated streak was less praiseworthy than it sounds.
An inspired goalkeeper
The team lacks an out-and-out forward with Gnabry, Sane, Mane and others filling the position.
And they were not helped by an inspired goalkeeper in Rafał Gikiewicz.
The Polish keeper faced 6 shots on target and kept all of them out, including a late header from Munich #1 Neuer.
Mane disappoints
With only 3 goals in 6 games so far, the fans are demanding more from the former Liverpool player.
The player is struggling at the club and patience is running thin when it comes to the Sengalese.
Some also think that the manager is not able to utilise the talent at his disposal in the best manner possible.
Arch-rivals revel
And as if all this was not enough, arch-rivals Borussia Dortmund sit atop Bundesliga with five wins and two losses.
After their 1-0 win against Schalke over the weekend, goalscorer Moukoko was revelling in Bayern’s loss, which allowed them to leapfrog the defending champions for pole position.
Personnel changes
It was not all doom and gloom though, with Alphonso Davies and Neuer performing well for the team.
But with stature, comes high expectations, and finding small positives in a defeat is not something that the Bavarians are used to.
There are now calls for a change not just on the pitch, but in the dugout too, amid the poor run.
The rumour mill has linked newly unemployed manager Thomas Tuchel with the Bayern gig.
Cristiano Ronaldo and Harry Kane’s names have also come up as possible transfer possibilities to solve the club’s woes.
However the club decides to react, be it the manager’s sacking, the starting XI changing or bringing players in, it needs to decide soon because if they do not decide soon, this year’s title could slip away from them very fast.
