Bayern Munich vs. Hannover: Winners and Losers from Bundesliga Game
Bayern Munich ran out extremely comfortable winners in their Bundesliga match against Hannover 96 on Saturday afternoon, winning by a 4-0 scoreline.
Robert Lewandowski and Arjen Robben were on the scoresheet, while Hannover never really looked likely to get anything out of the game after an early goal for the Polish forward.
Here are our biggest winners and losers from the match, as Bayern extended their unbeaten start to the season to seven games.
Winners: Robert Lewandowski and Arjen Robben
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Robert Lewandowski and Arjen Robben were in especially impressive form as the forwards ran riot for Bayern Munich against Hannover.
The Polish striker showed great movement and control throughout the game, enabling him to link up with his fellow attackers. Both goals were really a result of his impressive first touch and his composure on the ball.
Robben consistently drove at the defence with his pace and dribbling ability, committing them on both sides and, of course, drilling in two goals of his own for good measure. There were plenty of instances of link-up play between the two, and they very much look to have developed a good rapport already.
Losers: Joselu and Artur Sobiech
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By contrast, Hannover's front two had absolutely nothing to go on all day, didn't exactly overwork themselves and rarely threatened to score.
Artur Sobiech ran through clear for one chance in the first half but hit his effort straight at Manuel Neuer. He had a header on the run in the second 45 but again only found Neuer's gloves.
Joselu barely managed to impact the game at all and was subbed at the break.
Winner: Mehdi Benatia
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Moroccan defender Mehdi Benatia made his first Bundesliga start of the season in the match against Hannover, playing on the right side of Bayern's back three.
His afternoon was extremely comfortable as his side dominated entirely. He covered well at times when needed, and in the early stages of the second half, he stayed strong and came out on top against an attack from substitute Leonardo Bittencourt.
He will face tougher tests, but he didn't look out of place in the back three or, perhaps more pertinently, on the side of it rather than in the centre.
Loser: Xherdan Shaqiri
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Swiss wide forward Xherdan Shaqiri was given a start on the left side of the front line, but he simply didn't have any positive impact on the game at all—aside from one moment.
His hour on the pitch was mainly blighted by subpar controlling, overrunning the ball, poor shots and dribbles into dead ends where he had to turn back or lose the ball.
One great left-to-right pass saw him claim an assist for Lewandowski, but it was a rare highlight in a poor performance.
Winner: Xabi Alonso
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Bayern's attackers will take the headlines for another stonking win, but the control and the relentless nature of Bayern's dominance stemmed once more from the boots of Xabi Alonso.
The Spanish central midfielder controlled play, was consistently available to receive and recycle possession and was typically assured with his distribution. The attacking players received the ball in space and in a timely fashion time and time again from Alonso.
He even had the confidence to attempt a shot from inside his own half, forcing Ron-Robert Zieler into a save under his own crossbar.
