Three Things We Noticed: Hanover 96 – FC Bayern 0:3 (0:0)

After the victory in the DFB Pokal semi-final, the Munich team still had a mandatory task in the Bundesliga before the match against Real Madrid.

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The biggest surprise came 75 minutes before kick-off. Lars Lukas ‘Lasse’ Mai was in the starting XI. The captain of the U19 could make his dream probably much earlier than expected come true and appear for the FC Bayern.

In addition to Mai, there were six more new players compared to the DFB Pokal semi-final. Süle, Rafinha, Rudy, James, Bernat and Wagner moved into the starting line. Kimmich, Hummels, Alaba, Martinez, Müller, Ribery and Lewandowski were initially rested.

Hanover often played with a back four under Breitenreiter, but today coach he decided on a system with a back three. Elez, Sané and Hübers formed the last line. Besides Elez, Bakalorz and Sorg also joined the starting team.

The Reds had the first chance of the match. After a cross from Rafinha, Thiago sprinted into the box and sent a header just over the crossbar (11th). Afterwards Wagner (15th) and Süle (16th) had further chances to score.

Hannover had two chances to score a good 10 minutes later on the other side. At first Mai misjudged the situation in the duel against Füllkrug, who also managed to take a shot, but could still be blocked by Bernat. A scene later there was a free kick for Hannover and Hübers could fire the ball at the Bayern goal from a sharp angle. Ulreich could parry brilliantly (28.).

In the 41st minute, the Hanover 96 goalkeeper Tschauner again prevented the home team from falling behind. After a cross from Süle, Thiago completed the attack. Tchauner could excel again.

With a 0:0 it went into the break. It was a decent Bundesliga game with a slight advantage for FC Bayern, but not every attack was played at the highest speed.

At halftime Jupp Heynckes brought Thomas Müller for Arjen Robben, who also missed the first chance of the still fresh half (48th).

When the game went a bit into summer football mode, the Munich-based side scored 1-0, with James playing an ingenious lob to Bernat, who might have been offside and who was able to bring the ball low to the centre. There Müller waited, whose shot was deflected unstoppably by Sané.

A corner from Rudy in the 73rd minute decided the game. The midfielder’s ball was a perfect set up for Lewandowski, who prevailed against Elez in the direct duel. Tchauner was powerless against the header this time. The 28th goal in the Bundesliga for the Pole.

After the 2:0 of Bayern, the game was basically over. In the 88th minute Rudy scored another goal. Müller plays Bernat’s cross into the middle again. There Rudy, standing completely blank, only had to push into the long corner.

In the end, FC Bayern deservedly won 3-0 against Hannover because the home team did not take any more offensive action in the second half. The Munich team had the game completely under their control.

Three things we noticed

1. Debutant Mai

Jupp Heynckes is full of surprises. The Bayern coach first appointed Mai to the squad for the match against Hanover. About 24 hours later Heynckes surprised again by ordering Mai directly to the starting XI. Mai is the first player of the 2000s generation to play for FC Bayern. With exactly 6,595 days of life, Mai is the sixth youngest Bavarian player in his Bundesliga debut.

It was a successful start. Mai fit seamlessly into the Bayern team. He won duels, intercepted balls and convinced with a good pass rate in the build-up. A mistake in the 26th minute opened a chance for Hannover when he went into the duel too passively against Füllkrug and then left a lot of field behind him. It was the debutant’s only small mistake.

Mai’s assignment also shows that it is still possible. Youth players get playing time and can gain important experiences. It will be important that under new coach Kovac there are still opportunities to get minutes. Players need a fair chance for development.

2. Süle in an unusual role

With the announcement of the line-up there was some confusion. Will Jupp Heynckes change the basic formation shortly before the end of his term at the Säbener Straße? The three central defenders Süle, Boateng and Mai could not be explained otherwise. But Heynckes remained loyal to his 4-1-4-1 formation and placed Süle in the sole number six position. An interesting choice. Süle convinced with a good choice of duels after turnovers, but he was also able to set some impulses and initiate chances for the Bavarians. He also did not let himself fall back instinctively in order to possibly be undisturbed during the build-up. On the contrary – Süle held his position well and formed a good triangle with Mai and Boateng.

3. Focused performance

It was a focused performance of FC Bayern in Hanover. Compared to the last weeks in the Bundesliga, the record champion was there immediately. A deficit like against Augsburg or Gladbach did not have to be turned. Hanover also made it easier for FC Bayern than their opponents last time with the waiting midfield pressing. Boateng, Mai or Rafinha were usually not or only moderately disturbed during the build-up. This enabled the Reds to collect a lot of possessions (76%) and a passing accuracy of over 90% despite some risk passes. In the second half it was also possible to consistently exploit the few opportunities. Here Müller and Lewandowski, who immediately had success with their actions, were convincing.

The team is ready for the two duels against Real Madrid. The focus is right and many top performers are in good shape. It will be exciting games.

Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator