Bayern Munich 4-0 Schalke 04: Blues given a Royal spanking in Bavaria

Bayern Vier, Schalke Nul rang around the Allianz Arena at full time as Bayern Munich are now surely the runaway leaders of the Bundesliga with a fifteen point lead and only thirteen games to play, courtesy their 4-0 thumping of Schalke 04 in Bavaria.

In the Allianz Arena, whose thermometer read minus four degrees Centigrade, Jupp Heynckes decided to bring on his big (well, equally big) guns for this game, with Mario Gomez and Arjen Robben both returning from the bench to take their starting places against Schalke 04 in a 4-2-3-1 formation with Thomas Muller and Mario Mandzukic dropping to the bench. Jerome Boateng replaced Daniel van Buyten in the heart of defence alongside Dante. David Alaba filled in at right-back. Bastian Schweinsteiger shook off an ankle injury to start in midfield.

But in stark contrast, Schalke manager Jens Keller chopped and changed his side to field a starting eleven without six regulars. Playing in their white away strip, Teemu Pukki replaced Klaas-Jan Huntelaar up front, Benedikt Howedes shifted to the right of defence with Christoph Metzelder and Cameroonian Joel Matip with Sead Kolasinac completing the back four. Tranquillo Barnetta made only his second start in a blue shirt this season with Marco Hoger, Roman Neustadter and Jermaine Jones in the centre of a 4-3-3 on the left of which was Michel Bastos.

Jefferson Farfan had landed in Munich after service with his national team just five hours before kick-off due to security complications, but he was allocated a place on the bench.

Schalke knew they would not get a result by relying on a defence which would surely be pilloried by Bayern throughout the game, and it was they who made the first inroad of the game, with Howedes releasing Pukki on the right, only for Bayern to mop up quickly. With Ribery and Robben constantly probing to find a way past the visitors’ defence, it was the hosts who got the first corner of the game in the seventh minute. Robben’s delivery was spot on, but the resulting header was easily saved by Timo Hildebrand.

Bastos then took off on the left after being fed by Jermaine Jones. His ferocious drive hit Manuel Neuer’s side netting, but his apology to Pukki seemed to signal he was attempting to cross. Ribery tested Hildebrand just a minute later, after evading the sliding Jones and firing goalwards from a narrow angle with Hildebrand off his line. The former Germany custodian managed to scramble it off the line.

Bayern’s pressure was already beginning to tell after just twelve minutes. Robben sent in a corner, Hildebrand flapped, the ball popped out straight to Ribery who drove goalwards only to see his shot blocked by Metzelder. Bayern kept their attacks coming, but Schalke were able to deal with the hosts. A rare foray forward led to a Bastos run on the left, but his pass to Pukki was overhit.

Almost immediately afterwards, Robben muffed an effort to open the scoring. Alaba’s excellent centre was headed wide by the Dutch winger, who could only head wide despite being yards out. The home side would not be made to wait for long though.

Marco Hoger shoved Ribery – who was looking for contact in the box as he went down a tad easily – and Alaba made no mistake in drilling the penalty home to give Bayern the lead after just 20 minutes.

With several attacks from both sides breaking down in the middle of the park, the next chance of the game would fall to the hosts. Ribery did very well to shake off his marker, but his 27th minute cross to Schweinsteiger came to nought.

He soon made amends: in the 32nd minute, Bayern were awarded a free kick just outside the box. Schweinsteiger sent a graceful curler over the wall and past a frozen Hildebrand before anybody in white could even react.

Michael Bastos was presented with an opportunity courtesy a foul by Javier Martinez in the 36th minute, but his free kick was sliced horribly wide, much to the delight of the home fans. With a measly one point out of fifteen away from home so far this season, Schalke looked – and most certainly were – a team short on confidence. Small wonder then, that Bayern were passing triangles around them.

Gomez teed up Robben soon afterwards, but his studs got caught in the turf as he fired wide under good pressure from Metzelder and Howedes. Kolasinac was called into action just seconds later, as Robben was sent scampering through on goal. The German U-21 international cleared behind from the corner, from which Toni Kroos blazed wide.

With no stoppage time being indicated by referee Peter Gagelmann, Bayern went into half time with a 2-0 lead courtesy a free kick and a penalty.

Barely five minutes after the restart, Bayern were 3-0 up. Robben played a ball across the face of goal. The intended target was Mario Gomez, who was initially offside, but the ball was intercepted by Metzelder before his countryman could get to it. The defender, however, lost his footing, allowing Gomez to stab it back to the onrushing Alaba, who swept home his second of the night. Schalke had paid for their earnest but poor defending.

Schalke were seeing precious little of the ball, and committed too many men forward when they did try to create chances. Arjen Robben could have put his team four up after breaking clear on the counter, but his chip on the sprint narrowly evaded the net and was found nestling on its roof.

The hosts continued to create chances. Gomez fired straight at Hildebrand after fine work from Lahm on the right.

Three minutes after the hour mark, the match saw a goal difference of plus four in a game being played in temperatures of minus four. Lahm’s cross was cut out by Metzelder and fell straight to Schweinsteiger. His floated pass found Robben all on his own in front of goal, vis a vis an onrushing Hildebrand. The Dutchman toed the ball to Gomez who smashed home his third of the season.

Immediately afterwards, Jens Keller brought on Raffael for Marco Hoger, who had received the first yellow card of the game in the 56th minute.

With the match now petering out as Bayern seemed content with their lead, the game saw four substitutions made at once. Jefferson Farfan replaced the rather ordinary Michel Bastos as Bayern decided to make all three substitutions at once to give some of their international stars a reprieve. Luis Gustavo, Diego Contento and Rafinha came on for Schweinsteiger, Lahm and Ribery, all of whom received roars of adulation as they were taken off.

Much to Schalke’s credit however, they continued to attack, with Edu being brought on for Pukki, who had cut a lone figure up front for the Royal Blues. But as it had been throughout the game, the home side made it 5-0 with just over ten minutes to go…until Gomez realised he had been flagged offside.

With the last ten minutes amounting to not very much, Gagelmann once again signalled the end of the half – and the game – without any stoppage time added on.

Bayern now extend their position on top of the table to a 15 points, with a whopping +48 goal difference. Schalke are now out of the Europa League zone, just weeks after they were sitting in second. In the end, the Bavarians were full value for their money and deserved to win the game.

The visitors can take heart that things can only get better from now on.

Lineups:

Bayern Munich 4-0 Schalke 04 (Alaba 19′pen and 51′, Schweinsteiger 32, Gomez 63′)

Referee: Peter Gagelmann

Bayern Munich: Neuer; Lahm (Rafinha 73′), Dante, Boateng, Alaba; Martinez, Schweinsteiger (Luis Gustavo 73′), Kroos; Ribery (Contento 73?), Robben, Gomez

Subs not used: Starke, van Buyten, Muller, Mandzukic

Manager: Jupp Heynckes

Schalke 04: Hildebrand, Howedes, Metzelder, Matip, Kolasinac, Neustadter, Hoger (Raffael64′), Jones, Bastos (Farfan 73?), Barnetta; Pukki (Edu 78?)

Subs not used: Unnerstal, Pliatsikas, Draxler, Meyer

Manager: Jens Keller

Stats:

Bayern Munich:

Shots (on target): 15(6), fouls: 10, corner kicks: 10, offsides: 2, yellow cards:0, red cards: 0, saves: 0

Schalke 04:

Shots (on target): 4 (0), fouls: 11, corner kicks: 3, offsides: 0, yellow cards: 1, red cards: 0, saves: 2

Possession: Bayern Munich 70% – 30% Schalke 04

Next Fixture:

Bayern Munich: German Bundesliga vs. Vfl Wolfsburg, Volkswagen Arena, 15 February 2012

Schalke 04: German Bundesliga vs. Mainz 05, Coface Arena, 16 February 2012