Furious second-half comeback papers over Bayern’s cracks

The 5-2 Bundesliga win over Mainz looks impressive but it was the eighth time in a row that Bayern Munich have had to come from behind to grab points in the league. Their bad starts could hurt them against better opposition.

Berlin (dpa) – Being forced to come from behind eight times in a row in the Bundesliga shows what a will to win Bayern Munich have, but it also demonstrates that something is not right with the treble winners.

Their attacking riches, especially world player of the year Robert Lewandowski, have allowed Bayern to dig themselves out of many holes of late with only the comebacks in 1-1 draws with Werder Bremen and Union Berlin, and the 3-3 draw with RB Leipzig, not resulting in wins.

But why have such a dominant team fallen behind in eight straight Bundesliga games?

Part of the answer lies with the Bundesliga leaders’ defence. Jerome Boateng has looked sluggish at times, fans have accused Niklas Suele of being overweight while David Alaba’s contract impasse may be affecting his game.

Injuries have also meant Hansi Flick’s backline has not been settled with a merry-go-round of players featuring over recent months.

Protection for the back four has also been hit and miss, with Joshua Kimmich and then Javi Martinez injured. It was notable that talisman Kimmich grabbed Bayern’s first goal on Sunday as they battled back from a 2-0 first-half deficit to eventually crush lowly Mainz 5-2.

“We wanted to do better in the second half,” said Flick. “After that, we played very good football and used our mental strength to force the win. We all know the first half was not what we thought it would be.”

But against top teams, for example in the Champions League knockout rounds, slow starts could be fatal for Bayern. Last 16 opponents Lazio will have taken note.

It cannot all be blamed on the defence. The attack is clearly not beginning games in full flow.

Tiredness is a factor after such a weird coronavirus-impacted season but if Bayern are able to rouse themselves later in a game, it is not such an issue – especially as it tends to be players already on the pitch and not substitutes who make the difference, but not always.

Is their frame of mind at fault? Do they approach games assuming they will win and so do not give 100 per cent from the first minute?

“Right now we need a wake-up call so we can give full throttle and score the goals,” said winger Leroy Sane, who was controversially taken off having come on as a substitute against Leverkusen last month.

“In the end, it always requires extra strength. We have to be more alert from the first minute.”

Lewandowski’s deflected injury-time winner at Leverkusen could so easily not have gone in and that would have been another two points dropped for the champions.

They lead the table by just two points. Friday’s trip to Borussia Moenchengladbach will not be easy. Flick will be desperate to end their run of poor starts and take the initiative.

But if it goes wrong again, Bayern have the power to storm back – which at least makes games more entertaining in a time when the empty stands threatened to make them less enjoyable.