Bayern Munich are still haunted by the ghost of Robert Lewandowski

The Munich giants seem convinced that they have a problem scoring goals this season, even if the underlying data suggests otherwise.

Bayern Munich head coach Thomas Tuchel didn’t mince his words after his side’s narrow 1-0 win over Freiburg on Saturday. Although the reigning Bundesliga champions claimed all three points on the day against a formidable foe, the former Chelsea tactician wasn’t exactly delighted with the manner in which they did it. “It was very close until the end because we failed to score more goals,” muttered the 49-year-old coach, before lamenting the fact that his side had failed to finish an “insane” number of chances. 

The stats do seem to back up the Bayern boss. Over the course of the game Bayern created no less than 23 chances, eight shots on goal and finished the match with an xG [expected goals] figure of 3.34, according to Flashscore. But only scored one goal. Following a frustrating defeat to the very same Black Forest side in the DFB Pokal in midweek, Tuchel had opted for a more attacking tactic from the first whistle by swapping out central midfielder Leon Goretzka with the more attacking Jamal Musiala. Which, in turn, meant that Bayern effectively had five forwards on the pitch at any given time. And while it did eventually work, it clearly didn’t offer as many goals as Tuchel may have demanded. 

While there’s nothing too abnormal about a Bayern manager demanding more from his team after scoring only one goal in a Bundesliga match, this game and the manner in which the Munich side reacted to it was a fascinating microcosm of their season as a whole. Bayern had won the game and kept their spot at the top of the league table. And yet, the club were still haunted by a perceived lack of cutting edge in front of the opposing goal. As if Robert Lewandowski had been sitting in the stands and watching on disapprovingly, Bayern remain convinced that they still haven’t found a way to move on since the Polish striker left the club. Even if the stats and evidence suggest that they really have.