Bundesliga
Bayern Munich Breeze Past Schalke
Bayern Munich made it four wins from four to start the Bundesliga season as they cruised past Schalke at the Veltins Arena.
Goals from James Rodriguez and a penalty from Robert Lewandowski ensured that Bayern kept up their perfect start to the season.
The reigning Bundesliga champions were in total control throughout the game and they won in second gear.
A bright start was rewarded with an early goal after just eight minutes.
A cross swung in by Joshua Kimmich found James Rodriguez in the penalty area. He got in front of Sebastian Rudy to head the ball into the net.
Everytime Bayern got forward they looked threatening.
They nearly doubled their lead after 29 minutes. A fantastic free kick by David Alaba from all of 35 yards smacked the crossbar with Ralf Fahrmann in the Schalke goal beaten.
Bayern would have been annoyed that they were only one in front at half time given the dominance of their performance.
Four minutes into the second half they should have been two up.
Brilliant interplay between Thiago and Franck Ribery allowed the Frenchman to cut the ball across the penalty area.
He picked out James Rodriguez but somehow he hit his shot wide when he really should have scored.
The points were sealed just past the hour mark. James was brought down by Schalke defender Alessandro Schopf.
Up stepped Robert Lewandowski who powered the ball past Fahrmann to double Bayern’s lead.
It could have been worse for Schalke. Another great free kick from Alaba was well saved by Farhmann from 25 yards out.
Schalke lacked ideas and barely created any clear cut chances.
The closest they came was when Breel Embolo headed wide from a Sebastian Rudy cross.
Domenico Tedesco’s side looked short on confidence and belief.
As for Bayern it was another impressive performance under new boss Niko Kovac.
Who Can Stop Bayern?
It has been a perfect start for Bayern under Niko Kovac.
Four wins from four in the Bundesliga, they didn’t look in any trouble against Schalke.
They looked like they were playing in second gear and considering that Schalke finished second last season, it shows how dominant Bayern are domestically.
Even though they have Kingsley Coman, Corentin Tolisso and Rafinha missing due to injury, Bayern have incredible strength in depth that fellow Bundesliga sides can only dream of.
Another Bundesliga title already looks certain given the start of rivals such as Schalke and Bayern Leverkussen, both of whom have yet to win.
Meanwhile, Dortmund don’t look to have the strength in depth to mount a serious title challenge either.
The biggest challenge for Bayern could well be themselves. Last season they started the season poorly under Carlo Ancelotti.
Jupp Heynckes came in and quickly turned their league campaign around and they won the title with plenty to spare.
This time around they have got off to the perfect start and look rejuvenated under Kovac.
The big test will be whether they have enough strength in depth to win the Champions League.
Or whether the lack of competition on the domestic front will hurt them in Europe. Very much like it does for PSG in Ligue 1.
At the moment it appears to be another Bundesliga stroll for this Bayern side.
Schalke Lack Confidence
Domenico Tedesco transformed Schalke last season. He made them play on the front foot and took a side who finished 10th the previous year to Bundesliga runners-up.
Going into this season Schalke fans would have been enthusiastic with a Champions League campaign to look forward.
However, that optimism is evaporating after an awful start to the season. Nobody would have thought Schalke would lose their first four Bundesliga games.
They lack confidence and had no belief that they could beat Bayern.
In particular there was no creative spark in midfield and they struggled to create anything.
The loss of midfielders Leon Goretzka and Max Meyer are big holes that Schalke haven’t filled in.
You would have expected Schalke to press Bayern high up the pitch and put them under pressure.
But they allowed the reigning Bundesliga champions to play at their own pace and dictate the play.
It was a very timid display from Schalke and the only creative spark they had was when midfielder Amine Harit came on.
Schalke fans will be wondering why he didn’t start instead of the disappointing Franco Di Santo.
Schalke have a history of sacking their manager having had an incredible 21 managers since 2010.
Domenico Tedesco is under extreme pressure and the next two games are pivotal to whether he stays at the club.
Next up is a must win game away to Freiburg on Tuesday. Meanwhile, Bayern will look to make it five wins from five against Augsburg also on Tuesday night.
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Photo credit to Donald Trump via Flickr
