Six Observations from Bayern Munich's 1-1 draw against Borussia ...

Bayern Munich came back from behind to secure a 1-1 draw against Borussia Dortmund. Without further ado, here are our observations.

Bayern Munich yet again fails to win against strong Bundesliga opposition

Bayern has played Eintracht Frankfurt, Bayer Leverkusen and Borussia Dortmund so far; aside from RB Leipzig, they have played everyone in the top five and collectively earned zero wins. While you do not need to beat everyone to win the league, it is a bit concerning that in a year in which top Bundesliga opposition (aside from Frankfurt) has not really impressed, Bayern continues to fail to win.

Bayern (and Vincent Kompany) show character to come from behind

Despite their struggles in the first half, Bayern improved a lot in the second half, keeping possession and creating a few good chances. Had it not been for some woeful finishing and odd decision making in front of goal, an equalizer might have come far earlier. Bayern never stopped going for it and made minor adjustments. Kompany’s substitutions worked for the most part and added impetus to the offense. Eventually, the cheat code that is Jamal Musiala found the equalizer.

Vincent Kompany needs to do better with rotation

Vincent Kompany started Mathys Tel after almost never playing him and had to call on Thomas Müller after not giving him any real game time ever since the defeat against Barcelona considering that he is essentially a fill in for two players (Jamal Musiala and Harry Kane). This led to rusty players — Müller got into very good positions (which Harry Kane did not find himself in in his 33 minutes) but could not finish. He started off the season quite sharp and has lost that sharpness now. Tel grew into the game but it took time. He has to make better use of his squad. It would have come in handy today.

Bayern has a Harry Kane problem

Harry Kane came off injured today but Bayern really needs to figure out how to fit Kane into the team; he is an extraordinary striker and has scored plenty of goals for Bayern but he needs to be in positions Robert Lewandowski would occupy. Thomas Müller found himself in those positions at times but his rustiness told. Kane needs to find himself in those positions. Overall, the team can do with a bit of urgency in possession and a bit more risk when it comes to passes in the final third.

BVB exposed the weaknesses of the Bayern backline

All it took was pace and and decent finishing from Jamie Gittens for Bayern to concede. There were more situations in which Kim Min-jae got caught out; the goal came from lack of communication between Konrad Laimer and Minjae. There were more dangerous situations and Marcel Sabitzer could have easily doubled BVB’s lead. This was the first decent attack Bayern faced since the Eintracht Frankfurt game in the Bundesliga; they conceded a goal. This defense still buckles under pressure. They are trending in the right direction but today was an example of how the defense is still not quite ready for the biggest of games.

The Bundesliga title race is back on.....as long as Frankfurt and Leverkusen keep it up

The Bundesliga race looked dead as Bayern kept seven clean sheets in a row and beat the likes of Sankt Pauli and Augsburg. However, if Frankfurt wins tomorrow, the gap at the top will be down to four points; Leverkusen is seven points behind. The title race might be back on but Frankfurt and Leverkusen have to keep winning.

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