Werder earn deserved point at sluggish Bayern

Bayern Munich 1-1 Werder Bremen, Allianz Arena
(Coman 62' —  Eggestein 45')

"I'm not the first person to say that he is the best goalkeeper in Germany, in the world, perhaps the best ever," said Werder Bremen coach Florian Kohfeldt, referring to Bayern Munich keeper Manuel Neuer just moments after his team had earned an extremely rare point at the Allianz Arena in Munich on Saturday. 

Four days after picking the ball out of his goal six times with Germany in midweek, Neuer – not just in the Werder coach's mind – was the reason the northerners left Bavaria with just a point instead of all three.

Bremen, who hadn't earned a single point in their 27 previous competitive matches against Bayern, came out strong in the first half, forcing the 34-year-old Neuer into three good saves early in the contest. 

His best came in the 16th minute when he first stopped a Josh Sargeant shot with his right foot and then dove full stretch down to his right to push Ludwig Augustinsson's shot around the post. 

Fatigued Bayern

Although Bayern coach Hansi Flick had made four changes to his starting lineup, Bayern, despite dominating possession, looked sluggish, which perhaps isn't a complete surprise given how much football their international stars have had to play in this compressed schedule. But speaking to Sky Sports following the match, Flick rejected the notion that his players might be suffering from fatigue.

"Bremen were full value for the single point that they just earned," said the Bayern coach, who was in the dugout for his 50th competitive match for the club. "We know that we have another four weeks, and we have eight matches after this one. We just have to get on with it, there are no excuses. We're not talking about it, and we're not going to let anybody talks us into the idea that it is too much." 

Still, Bremen seemed to look fresher throughout and were repeatedly dangerous on the counterattack. Just before the break they finally got their reward, with Maximilian Eggestein leaving Neuer without a chance with his left-footed shot from about 10 meters, sending Bayern into the break a goal down. 

Werder came out of the dressing room looking just as dangerous but failed to make anything of a number of good chances count. At the other end, Bayern didn't create nearly as much, but seven minutes into the second period Leon Goretzka delivered a long looping ball from outside of the area to the far post, which Kingsley Coman headed home. 

Eric-Maxim Choupo-Moting, who Flick brought on with Leroy Sane and Serge Gnabry to add attacking punch in the second half, had a chance to win it for the hosts, but the Cameroon international skied his close-range effort.

Bayern owe Neuer

Neuer though, was the man of the second half of this match thwarting Sargent's effort from short range to the short side in the dying minutes. Flick will thank his goalkeeper for the single point, but he wasn't happy with the overall performance. 

"We didn't manage to create space for ourselves out wide going forward. The few times we did, we weren't dangerous because Bremen defended well. On their goal we should have defended better. We are not happy about this match. 

His counterpart, Kohfeldt will obviously take it, although he did concede that playing to a fifth consecutive 1-1 draw was "probably the most boring record that the Bundesliga has to offer. I'm not proud of it."