CSKA Moscow vs. Bayern Munich: Lessons Learned from Champions League Game
Thomas Muller scored a 22nd-minute penalty as Bayern Munich edged CSKA Moscow 1-0 at Arena Khmiki, Tuesday.
As a contest, the match generally lacked incisiveness from either side—the likely result of its being played behind closed doors.
But the win means Bayern have taken the maximum six points from their group-stage campaign, while CSKA were able to rebound from a 5-1 defeat to AS Roma with a respectable performance against the Bundesliga champions.
Following are some of the lessons learned from the encounter.
Closed-Door Matches Punish Everyone
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CSKA Moscow paid for last season's racist chanting from a section of their supporters with Tuesday's closed-doors match against Bayern Munich.
Although a much-deserved penalty, the UEFA-imposed sanction punished everyone.
Not only were innocent CSKA fans unable to attend the high-profile encounter, but Bayern's travelling contingent was forced to remain at home as well.
From a television perspective, the lack of any sort of atmosphere hampered what would have otherwise been a fascinating spectacle.
Hopefully the necessary lessons were learned from the very eerie 90 minutes at Arena Khimki.
Guardiola Is Trolling the Formation Geeks
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Typically, as soon as team sheets are made public, fans and pundits are quickly able to arrange the players into formation.
This is not the case when it comes to Bayern Munich.
Manager Pep Guardiola seems to confound observers more and more with each match Bayern play, as his selections rarely fit into traditional formation templates.
On Tuesday, for example, what at first appeared to be a back three ended up being a back four, after which the right-hand flank became so overloaded it was next to impossible to ascertain Guardiola's system.
Imagine how difficult it must be for opposition managers to prepare for the Bundesliga champions.
Bayern's Opponents Must Take the Few Chances They Get
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Bayern Munich will typically enjoy upwards of two-thirds of the ball, which means their opponents will have precious few goal-scoring opportunities of their own.
On Tuesday, for example, CSKA Moscow managed to pose the odd problem on the counter-attack, but whether for lack of composure or a basic inability to finish, they were unable to put the ball in the back of the net.
Ahmed Musa, in particular, caused several problems for the guests, and Roman Eremenko, too, had a handful of chances in dangerous space.
Neither, however, was able to get their side on the scoreboard, and their missed opportunities were often followed by additional spells of Bayern pressure.
Xabi Alonso Has Slotted in Perfectly
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Tuesday's match wasn't 70 minutes old when Bayern Munich midfielder Xabi Alonso completed his 100th pass of the evening (statistics courtesy WhoScored.com).
No Bayern player touched the ball more frequently against CSKA Moscow, and no one on either side was as economical in his distribution.
The 32-year-old has slotted into Bayern manager Pep Guardiola's setup perfectly, offering his usual tenacity in the centre of the park while expertly moving play into meaningful space.
Once again, it makes you wonder what Real Madrid were thinking when they sold him.
CSKA Are Much Improved Since Their Humiliation in Rome
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Two weeks ago CSKA were trounced 5-1 away to AS Roma. It was hardly the ideal start to their 2014-15 Champions League group-stage campaign.
But against Bayern Munich, they looked a far more cohesive outfit, whether in soaking up possession or mounting the occasional counter-attack.
Although they failed to find the back of the net against the Bundesliga champions, they hardly embarrassed themselves.
Since the Rome humiliation, they have beaten Lokomotiv Moscow 1-0, Ural 4-3 and have now put in a respectable 90 minutes against a top European side as well.
