FC Bayern has gotten off to a solid start to the new season. Still, Mario Basler is not at all impressed with the team’s style of play under Vincent Kompany.
Bayern Munich had to fight until the very end to secure the three points in their 2-1 victory over SV Elversberg. For Mario Basler, however, the lackluster performance against the Bundesliga newcomer was no one-off slip-up. Rather, the former Bayern pro sees a fundamental problem in the Munich team’s current style of play.
On his podcast “Basler ballert,” the 57-year-old criticized, above all, what he sees as a slow and unentertaining offensive game. He explicitly included the previous matches in his assessment as well.
“Bayern played exactly the same way they did in the cup match in Osnabrück, against Schalke, and against Bodo/Glimt. Boring—to me, boring soccer means possession and slow play,” Basler explained.
Basler misses pace in Bayern’s play
Above all, the lack of speed in their build-up play bothers the former national team player. Despite the individual quality in the squad, he believes the ball is moved toward the opponent’s goal too often without the necessary drive.
“It’s always passing sideways and back and forth, and not fast enough,” Basler criticized. The fact that it was still enough for a win against Elversberg didn’t convince him either: “It might just barely work against Elversberg.”
(function(){
var iframe=document.getElementById(‚polls-fcbinside‘);
if(!iframe)return;
window.addEventListener(‚message‘,function(e){
if(e.source!==iframe.contentWindow)return;
var d=e.data||{};
if(d.type===’FOOTY_WIDGET_HEIGHT’&&typeof d.height===’number‘){iframe.style.height=d.height+’px‘;}
});
})();
Bayern had taken the lead against the promoted team through Lennart Karl, but conceded an equalizer after the break to former FCB prospect Maurice Krattenmacher. It wasn’t until the 72nd minute that Harry Kane scored the decisive 2-1 goal.
Basler’s criticism is surprisingly blunt. After all, Munich had celebrated a 5-0 victory over Bodo/Glimt just a few days earlier in their Champions League opener. Even in that match, however, Vincent Kompany’s team needed patience and didn’t take the lead until shortly after halftime, thanks to Jamal Musiala.
For Basler, that apparently isn’t enough to dispel his fundamental doubts about the team’s style of play. Especially with an eye toward the Champions League, the former Bayern star views the team’s development critically.