Hoffenheim thump Bundesliga champions Bayern Munich 4 - 1 to cause early upset

TSG Hoffenheim defeated Bayern Munich 4 - 1 in the Bundesliga, ending the German champions' 32-game unbeaten run.

After a week in which Bayern continued their imperious trophy-winning form, one could have been dismissive of their upcoming opponents Hoffenheim. Both teams were coming into this game ahead of goal-filled opening weekends. Where Hoffenheim edged a 5 goal thriller against Cologne, Bayern blasted a handful of goals past Schalke 04 in their respective opening games.

Bayern, fresh from their European Super Cup win against Seville, rested their bigger names like Lewandowski, Hernandez, and Goretzka.

In the end, this turned out to be one of the biggest upsets of this season. Here is a look at five talking points:-

#5. Sebastian Hoeneß prevails tactically against Hansi Flick

Hoffenheim coach Sebastian Hoeneß showed his tactical nous, and made the most of the inside knowledge that he possesses about the Bayern set-up. The 38-year-old led Bayern's second team to the 3 Liga title last season.

His team pressed and attacked in waves and ripped the Bayern defence to shreds. Hoffenheim could have scored half a dozen goals and no one would have batted an eyelid.

If this match is an indicator of things to come, Hoffenheim could improve on their 6th place finish last season.

Joshua Kimmich looks disappointed as his team concedes the second goal

#4. Joshua Kimmich falls short

If there was one player on the pitch who gave his all, then it was Mr. Bayern, Joshua Kimmich. The German midfielder tried to haul his side back into the game as he scored a wonderful goal towards the end of first half, when he curled in a shot from outside the box.

Unfortunately, the act of resuscitation was only restricted to him. The 25-year-old could do little to prevent the goals going in, and was on his backside for the third and fourth goal as his team crumbled around him.

In the build-up to the fourth goal, Kimmich tried to his best to upend Andrej Kramaric near his box, but failed as Kramaric got the better of him and Boateng to make the pass to Bebou. Thereafter, he could only watch as Bebou broke away from successive challenges to earn his team the penalty, which was the final nail in Bayern's coffin.

Bicakic scored the early opener before hobbling off due to injury

#3. Bayern’s defence needs work

Hansi Flick has been rightly lauded for his work in Bayern's defence, especially the manner in which he has integrated the defensive skills of Alaba and Alphonso Davies, while dealing with Boateng’s reduced pace. Since June, Flick’s team has rarely been behind in a game.

Hence, the defence has not been tested much. However, against Hoffenheim, his defence was unable to handle the pace and flexibility of Hoffenheim's forwards.

Bayern's lacklustre marking at set pieces, and inability to read the quick movements of the opposition should be a cause for concern for Flick.

Munas Dabbur of TSG 1899 Hoffenheim celebrates after scoring his team's second goal

2. Munas Dabbur a perfect foil to Andrej Kramaric

Sebastian Hoeneß chose to start his team in a 3-5-2 formation, largely to counter the pace of the Bayern fullbacks and look for openings behind them. More importantly, he chose to play two strikers, with Kramaric starting deep.

Dabbur, the Israeli international, played a crucial role in chasing and pressing the Bayern defence. He was instrumental in the high block that Hoffenheim used to dissuade Bayern from making passes that would encourage their runners.

And to cap it all off, he applied a cool finish when the opportunity came, as he chipped past the rushing Manuel Neuer. Dabbur had a chance to double his tally early on the second half, but failed to keep his shot down. He was also involved in the lead up to Hoffenheim's third goal.

Andrej Kramaric of TSG 1899 Hoffenheim celebrates after scoring his sides third goal

#1. Andrej Kramaric continues his scoring form to grab a brace

For Premier League viewers, the Croatian’s name hardly registers, as his spell with Leicester City is best forgotten. He managed to score only 4 goals for the Foxes before being shipped off to Hoffenheim. At Hoffenheim, however, Kramaric has played 153 matches, bagging 77 goals and 30 assists.

The Hoffenheim manager started Kramaric a bit deeper than he generally is. This, in turn, freed up a lot of space for Hoffenheim's midfielders to get into the box and be a constant threat.

As the game moved towards a more frantic pace, and Bayern looked to haul themselves back, Kramaric started playing closer to the Bayern goal. In the end, Kramaric scored two goals.