Bayern Munich 1-2 TSG Hoffenheim: 3 reasons why Die Roten lost | Bundesliga 2019/20

Bayern Munich's Niko Kovac
Bayern Munich's Niko Kovac

In midweek Bayern Munich gave Tottenham Hotspur a Champions League masterclass, as they humiliated Mauricio Pochettino and his men in London. However, they were brought down to earth this weekend by TSG Hoffenheim who has struggled in recent times and recorded just one win before this encounter.

Alfred Schreuder and his men overcame wave after wave of attacking play from Bayern to win the game thanks to a Sargis Adamyan brace. Robert Lewandowski netted one for his side to prevent Hoffenheim from keeping a clean sheet. In the 54th minute, Dennis Geiger took advantage of a Tolisso blunder in midfield to play Adamyan through in the box, and the Armenian sent a low shot past Manuel Neuer and into the goal.

Robert Lewandowski pulled his side level in the 73rd minute, as he directed his header past Oliver Baumann and into the net. That was his 11th goal of the season, and he has scored in 7 consecutive Bundesliga games thus far.

Adamyan struck again minutes after Lewandowski's equaliser to put the game beyond the reach of Die Roten, inflicting a first home defeat for Bayern since March. Bayern Munich remain in pole position on goal difference despite the defeat, with all their nearest rivals dropping points.

In this article, we try to make sense of this upset.


#3 Bayern Munich were wasteful in attack

Bayern Munich's Serge Gnabry
Bayern Munich's Serge Gnabry

Fresh off the scintillating victory against Spurs in midweek, few would have expected the Bavarian giants to be tame against a severely out of form TSG Hoffenheim, however, that's exactly what we got.

The Bayern Munich attack, except Robert Lewandowski and Thomas Muller, put up a very drab performance. Time and again they fluffed their lines, with the likes of Serge Gnabry and Kingsley Coman throwing away opportunities to get their names on the scoresheet.

Die Roten had 20 shots in total, with a paltry 4 on target. They also had the bulk of the possession, with 65 per cent accrued throughout the game. All that dominance came to nought because Bayern's forward line seemed bereft of ideas for much of the game.

#2 Hangover from midweek action

FC Bayern Muenchen's Niko Kovac (L) is accompanied by Ivan Perisic (R)
FC Bayern Muenchen's Niko Kovac (L) is accompanied by Ivan Perisic (R)

Heading into this encounter, wholesale changes were expected due to the hectic week Die Roten has had. However, Niko Kovac did the opposite, and the only new addition to the teamsheet was Thiago Alcantara.

It was such a poor performance from the side which beat Tottenham Hotspur emphatically in midweek. Perhaps we could attribute the loss to fatigue as a couple of the players on show for Kovac this season aren't used to playing so many games.

The likes of Serge Gnabry and Kingsley Coman were utilised as backup options for Franck Ribery and Arjen Robben the last term and will need time to adapt to the demanding schedule of the German top flight.


#1 Clinical Sargis Adamyan

Ecstasy for Hoffenheim!
Ecstasy for Hoffenheim!

It was a wonderful performance from the Armenian, as he seized the opportunities handed to him with aplomb, helping Hoffenheim record their second league win of the season, as well as their first win at the Allianz Arena.

In the 54th minute, he received a ball in the box and sent his shot into the net to break the deadlock. With 11 minutes left on the clock, he once again put Hoffenheim in the lead, as he received the ball on the edge of the box and fired past Manuel Neuer for the second time in the encounter.

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Edited by Jong Ching Yee
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