Bayern Munich’s occasional struggles in the Bundesliga and two draws in seven rounds were justified by the strength of the opponents. After all, Eintracht Frankfurt put in some great performances, while Bayer Leverkusen are the current champions of Germany. Still, the top spot (shared with RB Leipzig) was there, and everything was fine.All until last Wednesday and a crushing 4-1 loss to Hansi Flick’s Barcelona. After the initial 9-2 victory over Dinamo Zagreb, the Bavarians’ eyes were immediately on the Champions League trophy. However, two games (and two defeats) later, Bayern sit one spot behind the Croatian champions! 🇩🇪🗣️ Matthaüs: “Neuer is no longer Neuer… his goalkeeper game has changed.””He used to anticipate every situation, he had a 360 view, initiating attacks with a build-up pass. Now, he doesn’t give the defense security.””I hope he’ll soon return to his old game.” (BILD) pic.twitter.com/1gywDCKbUC— EuroFoot (@eurofootcom) October 24, 2024 The public in Germany did not hesitate to find a culprit – none other than Manuel Neuer! He was already criticized after the Aston Villa loss, but everything culminated a few days ago when all four of Barca’s attempts on target found the net! Yet, the captain got support from Vincent Kompany.”We lost. If we lose, we lose together. It’s not just Manu. It goes from the goalkeeper to the goalkeeping coach, from the strikers to the defense and the coach, so I too. We all lost. And if Manu changes something in his game, it’s only to make him better. We lost, and criticism is part of that,” the Belgian said at the pre-match press conference ahead of the Bochum clash via Kicker.Media’s blitzkrieg against Bayern afer a Barca lossLuckily for Bayern, they couldn’t have imagined a better opponent to heal their wounds against than the last-placed Bundesliga crew. In seven rounds, Bochum noted one draw and as many as six defeats, having conceded 17 goals. Yet, they beat the Bavarians 3-2 in their previous clash at Vonovia Ruhrstadion, and Kompany’s men will have to be careful.BUNDESLIGA – MATCHDAY 8Friday Mainz – M’ gladbach 1-1 (0-0)/Lainer 55 og – Kleindienst 57/Saturday Augsburg – Dortmund 2-1 (1-1)/Claude-Maurice 25, 50 – Malen 4/RB Leipzig – Freiburg 3-1 (0-1)/Orban 47, Geertruida 58, Openda 79 – Doan 15/St.Pauli – Wolfsburg 0-0Stuttgart – Holstein Kiel 2-1 (1-0)/Undav 19, Toure 61 – Gigovic 84/Werder – Leverkusen 2-2 (0-1)/Ducksch 75, Schmid 90 – Boniface 30, Agu 77 og/Sunday 17.30: (16.0) Bochum (8.00) Bayern (1.15)19.30: (2.65) Union Berlin (3.20) Eintr.Frankfurt (2.75)21.30: (2.35) Heidenheim (3.50) Hoffenheim (2.90)***odds are subject to change***
