Bayern Munich's dominance falls short as Eintracht Frankfurt stages late comeback

Last Sunday's match was indeed one of those games that kept Eintracht Frankfurt versus Bayern Munich fans off their seats. An exciting 3-3 draw, emphasized by the brilliance of Omar Marmoush, also showed the highs and lows of Bayern. Bayern statistically dominated the game but couldn't work its control into a win. Actually, Bayern seems to be in a roller coaster lately.

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Marmoush's star shone bright, along with the strength of counterattacks from Eintracht. Doubtless, Omar Marmoush was the king of this game. With two goals, one a late equalizer, Marmoush was instrumental in securing the draw for Eintracht. The curious thing is that even though Bayern smothered the game with pressure, Eintracht took advantage of their few opportunities-mostly on counterattacks.

Put succinctly, that was the theme of this game: while Bayern pressed and commanded the action, completing 632 passes in the opponent's half to Eintracht's mere 94, the home team sat back and waited for the right moment to counter. All three of Frankfurt's goals came from quick counterattacks. This might frustrate Bayern coach Vincent Kompany, but it most certainly wins an applause from the Frankfurt fans.

Kompany calls for calm as Bayern fails to impressCool after the final whistle, Kompany was unruffled in his post-match comments. "Let's keep calm," he said, adding that though the result was far from satisfactory, there was much to like about Bayern's performance. "It was a very good display from our team. When I see how much the team ran, how many chances we created, it was a great performance. I know that we will be judged by the results, but the coach's job is also to interpret things, and I really do think if we continue in this vein, then we will celebrate a lot more victories."

Yet the statistics do not favor Bayern, who have failed to win their last three Bundesliga outings and have the fresh hurt of defeat to Aston Villa in the Champions League. Kompany was right when he said Bayern dominated Frankfurt. This dominance has just been futile. Concentration lapses allowed their opponents to score—a problem which showed up in previous games. Herein lies the most significant challenge the coach has with the team: rectifying the team's concentration at essential junctures.

The power of set pieces

If there is one positive takeaway for Bayern in this match, then that would be their efficiency regarding set pieces. All three of Bayern's goals, by Minjae Kim, Dayot Upamecano, and Michael Olise, were products of well-rehearsed moves. So even on a day when all facets of the team's collective play are not clicking, Bayern still has powerful weapons. Corners and free kicks are always potentially damaging weapons against their opponents.

But Kompany knows this cannot be the only way forward for a team claiming to dominate the Bundesliga and Europe. "How do we perfect the playing style that led us to dominate so we allow even fewer chances to opponents?" underlined the coach for whom the quest for improvement is ongoing.

Bayern's defense: Volume of play doesn't guarantee efficiency

Pressing heavily in attack, Bayern dominated possession, but their backline showed serious weaknesses. Eintracht made full use of the counterattacks to expose Bayern's weakness for such quick transitions. Kompany will know that if Bayern is to compete at the highest level, then these defensive issues need to be ironed out, and fast.

It's not just the goals conceded that upset me, it's the manner of the goals conceded, the lapses in concentration that shouldn't happen in games at this level," said Kompany. "The way we played today, we'll get our rewards, but that's the area we need to improve on. We just need consistency at the back."

The ongoing pursuit of evolution

Bayern, Kompany pointed out, even though they drew the game, flashed glimpses of the dominant soccer that he was trying to inculcate into them. The coach was strict in saying he was not satisfied with just performance. "I have enough experience to know that if we keep doing what we did today, we'll reach the next level," he said. At the same time, he didn't deny that the team needs some adjustment particularly on holding concentration for full 90 minutes.

"This was the most disappointing defeat I've had since I've been here, in terms of how we handled things," Kompany said. He was insistent that such situations cannot be allowed to repeat. For the coach, Bayern must find a balance between their offensive dominance and defensive solidity.