Bayern Munich’s 0-0 draw at Schalke 04 continues to spark debate. Although Munich dominated the match for long stretches and had more than 80 percent possession, they lacked the finishing touch in front of the opponent’s goal. For Mario Basler, this is a fundamental problem. The former Bayern pro had unusually harsh words for the record champions’ performance.
On his podcast *Basler ballert*, the 57-year-old even described Munich’s style of play as “sleepy soccer.” The team’s clear superiority in possession did not impress the former national team player at all.
Basler’s criticism is directed primarily at the team’s lack of cutting edge. In his view, it does Bayern little good to control the ball for long stretches if that doesn’t result in enough dangerous chances.
“This style of soccer—and FC Bayern will run into problems with it internationally as well—just doesn’t cut it anymore,” Basler thundered.
His criticism thus goes well beyond the surprising scoreless draw at Schalke. Basler doubts that the Munich team can hold its own against Europe’s elite with this style of play.
Basler Criticizes Kompany’s Rotation
The former Bayern player also couldn’t understand Vincent Kompany’s lineup. The Belgian had initially left both Harry Kane and Michael Olise on the bench.
Kompany later justified the decision by citing the need to manage the players’ workload. After the Bundesliga opener against Stuttgart and the cup match in Osnabrück, the Bayern coach didn’t want to always place the full burden on his key players.
Basler would have preferred a different approach. In his view, Kane and Olise should have started the game. Had the team taken an early lead, Kompany could have substituted his two superstars early on, thereby giving them a rest as well.
After coming on as substitutes, however, neither Kane nor Olise managed to score the decisive goal. Schalke defended resolutely and held on for a 0-0 draw.
Basler was also particularly harsh in his criticism of Lennart Karl. The 18-year-old made his starting lineup comeback in Gelsenkirchen after a long injury layoff and was substituted after 57 minutes.
“Very arrogant” and “conceited”
Basler described Karl’s performance as “very arrogant” and “overconfident.” According to the former national team player, if the youngster doesn’t change his style of play, he could run into problems at FC Bayern in the future.
This is a particularly harsh assessment given the 18-year-old’s current situation. Karl had suffered a torn muscle in his left thigh before the World Cup and has only been gradually working his way back to full fitness over the past few weeks.
In the Bundesliga opener against Stuttgart, he played just six minutes; in the DFB Cup match against Osnabrück, he played 28 minutes. At Schalke, Karl started for the first time this season.
Kompany himself assessed his team’s performance much more positively than Basler did. While the Bayern coach acknowledged that not everything had gone according to plan, he viewed his team’s overall performance as solid.
There isn’t much time left to discuss the scoreless draw anyway. Bayern kicks off its Champions League campaign against Bodø/Glimt as early as Thursday. That will give the Munich side the opportunity to directly counter Basler’s warning about international struggles with a convincing response on the field.