Leverkusen expose Bayern's soft underbelly

Bayern Munich 1-1 Bayer Leverkusen
(Süle 18' – Müller o.g 36')
Allianz Arena, Munich

Being whistled off the field by your own fans may seem a little harsh after a draw, but this is Bayern Munich.

A Jekyll and Hyde performance by the champions is never going to go down well with a fan base who have grown accustomed to winning — and 25,000 Bayern fans didn't hold back at the final whistle.

In front after Niklas Süle lashed home the opener, Bayern appeared in control against Bayer Leverkusen — that was until a freak own goal by Thomas Müller spooked Bayern and triggered a momentum shift toward the visitors.

"After the unfortunate 1-1 we fell apart a bit," Süle told Sky Sport  after the game. "That mustn't happen to us. You have phases in which you have a little less self-confidence when setbacks come. The 1-1 is too little."

Bayern 'lacked a bit of punch'

A point is clearly not enough, given Bayern thumped the same opponents 1-5 in Leverkusen in October — although that was a game in which Lucas Hernandez, Alphonso Davies, Leon Goretzka and Manuel Neuer participated.

All four were missing on Saturday, and while the suspended Hernandez will return for next week's trip to Hoffenheim, their list of absentees — which also includes defensive midfielder Corentin Tolisso — has left Bayern weakened with confidence ebbing away.

Bayern coach Julian Nagelsmann admitted his team's shortcomings, but put a brave face on it.

"We made too many simple mistakes … we lacked a bit of punch but the point is fine for both teams," he said. "Thomas Müller is not happy, but not mega dejected either. It happens to the best, it won't knock him out permanently."

Such fragility is not a common feeling for Bayern and will be somewhat concerning to Nagelsmann ahead of the visit of Red Bull Salzburg in the Champions League on Tuesday, a last-16 tie that hangs in balance at 1-1 after the first leg in Austria.

Adli bright in new Leverkusen formation

For Leverkusen, who deployed 21-year-old forward Amine Adli at the apex of a new 3-4-2-1 formation, it was a fine point — but they left Bavaria with the nagging feeling that a win was there for them.

Buoyed by their equalizer, the Werkself created three fine chances on the counterattack in the final minutes of the first half — two of them fell to Adli but the Frenchman couldn't convert either.

Despite those key misses, Adli's movement caused Bayern's defense a headache, not least to Dayot Upamecano. Leverkusen coach Gerardo Seoane will be hoping that the new formation can also bring the best out of Moussa Diaby and Florian Wirtz, whose performances were more muted than usual.

"It took us a while to get used to the new system but it was also due to Bayern's performance," said Seoane. "Then we gained confidence and had some very good situations. Compliments to the team, they fought with solidarity and were very willing to suffer."

As is so often the case between these teams, this was an open and compelling game of football. But for different reasons, both teams will feel that they should have got more.

Edited by: Matthew Ford