FC Bayern secured a last-minute draw against 1. FC Heidenheim on the 32nd Bundesliga matchday. FCBinside provides three insights into the game
Bayern managed to equalize in the last second, the final score was 3:3. The game provided the following insights
1. Kompany achieved his goal
Bayern didn’t look good for long periods against the team bottom of the table and almost had the game chalked up as a home defeat when Michael Olise tried a last-ditch long-range shot that rolled off the back of Heidenheim goalkeeper Diant Ramaj and into the net
of course, nothing is at stake for Bayern in the Bundesliga, the championship is already wrapped up, but it is at least better for the feeling of not going into the second leg of the Champions League semi-final against Paris Saint-Germain with a defeat behind them
The thriller against the French side naturally overshadowed everything and immediately after the final whistle, coach Vincent Kompany set the course: „Now we can focus on Wednesday,“ was the message. Even if you can’t speak of a 100 per cent successful dress rehearsal, Kompany achieved his goal. He explained: „Now this game is over, everyone is fit. That’s what we wanted.“
Top stars Harry Kane, Michael Olise, Luis Diaz and Joshua Kimmich were only substituted after the break and nobody was injured. Alphonso Davies, who was injured in the quarter-final against Real Madrid, also came on later. The left-back is also ready for action for Paris
Tom Bischof was also back in the squad for the first time since his injury lay-off and could be a valuable alternative in the squad for the match against PSG. Lennart Karl could also return for the clash next Wednesday. The youngster could at least be important as a wild card against the reigning Champions League winners
So Bayern have everyone on board so far, which has not always been the case in the big knockout games in recent years. For Bayern, that is the most important takeaway from the game against Heidenheim
2. That must worry Bayern ahead of PSG
Bayern’s defense did not look good when conceding all three goals against Heidenheim – once again: bottom of the Bundesliga
When they conceded the first goal, Minjae Kim was far away from the goalscorer Budu Zivzivadze, because he was right to set an offside trap, but Hiroki Ito didn’t join in and thus nullified the offside
When the second goal was conceded, defender Jonathan Tah was not well positioned and lost sight of Eren Dinkci, who then ran alone towards Bayern keeper Jonas Urbig, who was unable to get out of his box quickly enough and was therefore beaten by the Heidenheim player
When goal number three was conceded, the entire Bayern defense had moved so far forward that after a long clearance by Heidenheim goalkeeper Ramaj, attacking star Michael Olise had to go into the decisive duel in his own penalty area – and lost it to the dream goal scorer Zivzivadze
After the game, the players and officials, such as sporting director Max Eberl, were emphatically relaxed, saying that Bayern’s strengths lie in their attacking play and that they can’t afford to bend now. However, the flood of goals conceded in recent games should worry Bayern
The Heidenheim game was not just a one-off. Munich have conceded eleven goals in their last three games, five in the first leg against Paris alone. They need a one-goal win in the second leg to reach extra time. Paris are a real threat with their attacking stars and an unfocused defensive performance against coach Luis Enrique’s team can quickly spell doom
After the Heidenheim game, sporting director Christoph Freund was most critical of the FCB team’s defensive performance: „Of course, we’re conceding too many goals at the moment, some of them too easily. That will of course be addressed and analysed,“ said the Austrian: „On Wednesday, everyone will go into every duel with 100 per cent and we’ll be focused. But of course we know that high quality awaits us.“ And a much higher quality than against Heidenheim
3. Goretzka starts the farewell tour
The man of the match for Bayern against Heidenheim was Leon Goretzka. The international scored with a wonderful free-kick and even bagged a brace with his goal following a corner. Goretzka has now finally kicked off his farewell tour with this strong performance, which earned him an FCBinside grade of 1
Bayern did not want to extend his expiring contract and Goretzka will leave the German record champions on a free transfer at the end of the season. The 31-year-old potentially only has two more home games left at the Allianz Arena. It is questionable whether he will even feature again in the second leg against PSG, and then only the last Bundesliga game against Cologne remains to say goodbye to the fans in his home stadium
The fact that Bayern no longer have any use for the midfielder in the future was also due to Goretzka’s many uninspired performances in recent years. He often played very risk-averse and always chose the safest and easiest next pass. Then, at times, he completely disappeared
Against Heidenheim, however, Goretzka showed once again why Bayern had signed him to a high-paying contract. Goretzka battled at the back and still got involved in the attack time and time again. Goretzka took responsibility, as with his free-kick, and looked to finish off the goals on several occasions
In the winter, he made a conscious decision against an early departure from Munich. Goretzka wanted to win another title with Bayern. That is still possible. It could be a more than conciliatory Bayern farewell for Goretzka.