Champions League 2014-15: Why Bayern Munich is in Shambles After 3-1 Upset to Porto
It is getting ugly for Pep Guardiola.
He was once the toast of international soccer, named the most dominant manager in the sport.
Now he is losing his grip on the Champions League year by year. And each time with greater embarrassment.
Remember in 2012 when his Barcelona could not squeak by a decidedly weaker Chelsea side? Not a horrible result, but certainly not what was expected.
Then he went to coach the defending UCL champion Bayern Munich. He led them through a dominant league campaign, finishing earlier than ever before. But in the defense of the Champions League crown he sputtered in a 5-0 thrashing at the hands of Real Madrid. It wasn't pretty.
But that was probably far from the ugly 3-1 loss that the team suffered against Porto in the first leg of the quarterfinals matchup. Everyone thought Bayern would steamroll the young club. Who honestly thought Porto would even score more than a goal across two games?
But here were are and they have three goals. Two in the first 10 minutes of the game. The latter a deafening blow that could likely leave the German giants out of the competition early.
Not all hope is lost. The away goal from Thiago Alcantara is huge as a 2-0 win would put Bayern through to the semis. But even then, you have to be concerned with this team's vulnerability.
Everyone knows that a counter is lethal. But not one single goal was the result of a well-timed counter. The first was a disastrous control from Xabi Alonso that led to a penalty (Manuel Neuer should have been booked). The second was a poor touch from Dante and a slow recovery. The third was woeful timing from Jerome Boateng and overaggressive movement from Neuer.
So mentally this team is in shambles. And you could see some of that during the first encounter with Shakhtar in which the German side looked unready to play away.
Injuries are clearly killing this team at the moment and such high-profile players as Arjen Robben, Franck Ribery and Bastian Schweinsteiger are essential to this side's success. Robben's importance has been mentioned time and again and we are now seeing precisely why the superstar is his team's MVP.
Bayern held 66 percent of the possession in this tilt, but the team lost in almost every other possible category. Porto held a 6-5 shots advantage, with four shots on target to Bayern's three. The team had 11 dribbles to Bayern's 10. Porto also dominated in aerials won and tackles. Bayern had more corners, but that is easily negated by losing the aerial battle. Moreover, the German side had more fouls.
Ultimately this comes down to a number of factors, but Porto never wavered in its aim. From the off, the team was pressuring Bayern's possession and forcing the side into errors that resulted in goals. Bayern may have mastered the art of tiki-taka, but last year Real Madrid proved that it was outdated. Despite an opportunity to diversify, the team seems stuck in that mode, to detrimental effect. Obviously no Robben or Ribery hurts any chance at pace, but the reality is that the team looked overly mistaken in its approach. Attacks came from the middle of the pitch to no effect.
If Guardiola does not fix things and in a hurry ahead of the second leg, his descent in the Champions League will continue. And his time at Bayern Munich might come to an end.
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