Bayern Munich showed a strong reaction to blow Bochum out the water. Bayern Munich had a point to prove against a VfL Bochum side who find themselves in an extremely difficult moment having sacked their manager while sitting at the bottom of the Bundesliga with just one measly point.
Nonetheless, Bochum had pulled off a victory against the mighty Bayern in their last encounter at the Vonovia Ruhrstadion, so there was every reason to believe it was possible.
Kim Min-jae has been prone to the occasional lapse of judgment in defence throughout his tenure at Bayern Munich. At first glance, a few defensive errors could have been forgiven. After all, having to learn a new system and adapt to a new league can understandably cause players to make mistakes.
The Korean centre-back was caught napping in the 9th minute as Bochum sent a simple through ball over his head to unleash Moritz Broschinski, who managed to poke his shot past a rushing Manuel Neuer. The shot looked destined for goal but Kim managed to use his pace to clear the ball off the line. Sure, Kim did well to recover and ultimately prevent a goal, but against a better side he will not be afforded the same opportunity i.
Call it a system or individual error, Bayern needs to solve the constant lapses in defence or they will continue to be punished in future. Whatever creativity was lacking in open play was channelled into set pieces, though. The Frenchman has certainly pinned his named on top of the list of free kick takers. Bayern may have lacked some initiative in the first half; however, it was good to see that Die Roten can pose a threat not just in open play, but in set pieces as well.
