Bayern Munich returned to Bundesliga action this weekend against Eintracht Frankfurt after their game against Union Berlin was postponed last weekend. Going into this game, Frankfurt were winless in five games.
Bayern’s lack of football over the last week showed, in the first half they were completely overrun by Frankfurt. Omar Marmoush gave Frankfurt the lead after Noussair Mazraoui played him onside, then in five minutes goals from Eric Junior Dina Ebimbe and Hugo Larsson gave Frankfurt a 3-0 lead. Joshua Kimmich would give Bayern some lifeline right at the end of the first half when his long-range effort beat Kevin Trapp.
Nothing changed in the second half, Bayern were once again completely exposed by Frankfurt. Dina Ebimbe would get his second of the afternoon through a counter before Ansgar Knauff would finish a team move after a VAR check for offside.
The loss for Bayern not only brings an end to their unbeaten run in the league but Bayer Leverkusen can move six points clear if they beat VfB Stuttgart on Sunday.
Eintracht Frankfurt:
Kevin Trapp – 6
Tuta – 6
Robin Koch – 6
William Pacho – 6
Aurelio Buta – 6
Hugo Larsson – 8 – Bossed Frankfurt’s midfield throughout the game. Similar to his performance in the game against Borussia Dortmund you would not know this is his first season in the Bundesliga, especially as he was up against some of the best midfielders in the league.
Mario Götze – 6
Ansgar Knauff – 7
Eric Junior Dina Ebimbe – 8 – In both halves, Dina Ebimbe helped drive Frankfurt forward due to his efforts not only defensively but also on the attacking front and he was rewarded with two goals. Both of his strikes were striker esque and he consistently caused Dayot Upamecano issues throughout the game until he was subbed off.
Farès Chaïbi – 7
Omar Marmoush – 8 – Similar to Dina Ebimbe, Marmoush has proven that technically, Frankfurt does not need another striker as the Egyptian has filled in for the departed Randal Kolo Muani. The 24-year-old was not only a scorer but also a creator with two assists. Frankfurt’s likely acquisition of a new striker or two in the winter will probably force Marmoush to adapt but in his short spell on the Main, he has shown how important he is to Frankfurt.
Others: Niels Nkounkou (6), Makoto Hasebe (-), Jens Petter Hauge (-), Jessic Ngankam (-), Elias Baum (-)
Bayern Munich:
Manuel Neuer – 4
Noussair Mazraoui – 3 – At fault for the first goal as he played Omar Marmoush on the side, but was targetted by Frankfurt on each of their counters and it worked as he was exposed on each occasion. The Moroccan would be hauled off at halftime, with his replacement Konrad Laimer providing only a slightly better performance.
Dayot Upamecano – 3
Kim Min-Jae – 3
Alphonso Davies – 3
Joshua Kimmich – 5 – His goal masked a poor performance from the midfielder. Kimmich along with his midfield partner Leon Goretzka were both easily overrun and contained by Frankfurt’s midfield thus not being able to have the usual influence on the game that they both have. Their performances once again suggest that they can no longer co-exist as a midfield duo and a change is needed.
Leon Goretzka – 4
Kinglsey Coman – 5
Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting – 4
Leroy Sané – 5
Harry Kane – 5 – Through no fault of his own, Kane’s scoring streak in the Bundesliga is over, the striker was rather absent in this game but that was mainly due to Bayern consistently losing the ball in midfield.
Others: Konrad Laimer (4), Raphaël Guerreiro (4), Serge Gnabry (-), Thomas Müller (5), Jamal Musiala (5)
GGFN | Jack Meenan