#2 Bayern’s organized defence
Mats Hummels has been the most criticized German player after the World Cup as Bayern have had an average campaign up until now. But his performance against Liverpool was full of authority and class. He never dived into a tackle in spite of the fact that Liverpool were playing the neat one-twos and it was difficult for defenders to stay on their feet.
Niklas Sule also joined in after some initial moments of nervy play. And together, they both kept a check on Firmino, Salah, and Mane. Kimmich was excellent in reading the Mane-Robertson game and came out on top with his assured performance.
He will be the biggest miss for Bayern in the second leg. Kovac does have a confident looking back four now and just needs the front men to fire and take Bayern over the line in the second leg. Bayern’s midfield needs to support its defence as they lost the ball many times in the first half.