Bayern Munich Beats Bochum 3-0 And Shift The Focus To PSG

“I think all the big clubs in Europe had issues at one point or another this season,” Bayern Munich star Thomas Müller said after his club’s 3-0 win over Bochum on Saturday. “I think PSG is a bit of an exception to this, and we are still undefeated in 2023 as well.”

At that point, Müller, of course, did not know that Paris Saint-Germain, Tuesday’s opponent in the UEFA Champions League, was struggling against Monaco and would ultimately lose the game. The French giants have also been eliminated from the French Cup by Olympique Marseille.

“Every game starts at 0-0,” Bayern head coach Julian Nagelsmann said when asked by a French reporter about PSG losing to Monaco while Bayern won their game 3-0. “We will try to win there and show the best possible performance. The results of the past few weeks do not matter for Tuesday. It’s a new, different competition.”

It would be indeed foolish to draw any conclusion for Tuesday’s game based on Bayern’s victory against Bochum. Because even though Bayern did beat their friendly rivals—the two clubs have a fan friendship that dates back 50 years—the truth is also that it was a defensive error by Saidy Janko and goalkeeper Manuel Riemann that led to the opening goal by Müller (41’).

That goal then paved the way for tactical changes as Nagelsmann switched João Cancelo to the right and brought on Alphonso Davies on the left. Kingsley Coman then came on for the Portuguese wing-back in the 59th minute, and five minutes later, the Frenchman had doubled the lead for Bayern. Serge Gnabry would seal it for Bayern from the spot (73’).

Müller would admit in the mixed zone that Bayern’s start was not the best. But his boss Nagelsmann saw it a bit differently. “We could’ve gone 2-0 up after 6 minutes through Leon and Jamal,” Nagelsmann said. “After that, we weren’t good. The substitutions in the second half brought fresh blood. King (Coman), Ari (Ibrahimovic), Mathys (Tel), Blind, and Davies have all done well. All in all, I think the win was deserved.”

There is no doubt that Bayern’s win was deserved in the end. The Rekordmeister controlled the game after taking the lead and could have won by more if they had been more clinical. Nonetheless, there is a general sense that Bayern will have to play better against PSG on Tuesday.

“We have to be at our best,” Matthijs de Ligt said after the game in the mixed zone when asked about facing PSG. “Everybody knows what quality they have. They are amazing players. The most important thing is that we stay fit and concentrated.”

It is indeed a massive fixture between two clubs for whom the Champions League is the most important trophy this season. PSG is once again dominating the French Ligue 1 and is seven points ahead of Monaco. The situation is not entirely clear for Bayern in the Bundesliga, which perhaps has the most interesting title race of all of Europe’s top leagues.

The truth, however, also is that Bayern, after ten Bundesliga titles in a row, feels that their main goal is the Champions League title this season. In fact, winning Europe’s crown would paint over perhaps losing out on the Bundesliga title, and that might also mean that the Rekordmeister will show a much-improved effort in France on Tuesday.

Manuel Veth is the host of the Bundesliga Gegenpressing Podcast and the Area Manager USA at Transfermarkt. He has also been published in the Guardian, Newsweek, Howler, Pro Soccer USA, and several other outlets. Follow him on Twitter: @ManuelVeth