Bayern Munich vs. Werder Bremen: Winners and Losers from Bundesliga
Bayern Munich hammered Werder Bremen on Saturday, beating the northern German side 5-0 at the Allianz Arena in Munich. Thiago Alcantara put the hosts ahead on nine minutes, and Thomas Muller doubled their lead just after the half-hour mark.
After the break, Muller completed his brace on 66 minutes before Robert Lewandowski (86 minutes) and Thiago (90) netted a late pair to round off a comprehensive result.
It was a big win for Bayern ahead of Wednesday's Champions League clash with Juventus, and it put pressure on Borussia Dortmund as the league leaders opened an eight-point lead over their nearest opponents, who play on Sunday.
Following Bayern's big win, Bleacher Report assesses the big winners and losers from Saturday's action.
Winner: Kingsley Coman
1 of 5
Restored to the starting lineup, albeit in a role that most likely meant that he'll be benched for Wednesday's encounter with his former Juventus, Kingsley Coman made the most of his chance. It was an important display from the youngster, especially as Franck Ribery and Mario Gotze, who are also substitutes, started alongside him. Yet the Frenchman, despite his youth, showed real leadership.
Bayern were 2-0 ahead at half-time thanks to two fine assists from Coman that put the result beyond doubt. The 19-year-old played a pair of great crosses; the first to Thiago was precise over long range, and the second to Muller came after an unstoppable burst of pace. And then he made it a hat-trick of assists in injury time as he set up Thiago again.
It seems that Coman's star only grows and grows with time.
Loser: Felix Wiedwald
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It's always hard to keep Bayern from putting several goals into the net, but Felix Wiedwald didn't do himself or Bremen any favors on Saturday. Twice, the ball was fired directly at him, and twice the result was a goal for Thomas Muller.
In the first half, the Bayern man's volley deflected off his hands and into the net. Then in the second half, Wiedwald pushed Franck Ribery's volley not over the bar or wide but directly ahead of himself and to Muller, who volleyed in for Bayern's third.
It was a poor effort from Weidwald—and too easy for Bayern.
Winner: Thiago Alcantara
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As with Coman, the fact that Thiago Alcantara started against Bremen probably means he will be on the bench to face Juventus. He was benched for the first leg, and although Xabi Alonso started against Bremen (as he did against Juve last month), it's unlikely that the former Barcelona man will be reinstated to the first XI to take on the Italian champions.
Yet just like Coman, Thiago put on a great performance and made a strong appeal to make more starts in the weeks and months to come. He had an almost immediate impact on the match from the beginning as he redirected Coman's cross into the back of the net on nine minutes. He later had a long-range effort tipped off the crossbar, before stabbing home a second goal at the death. And around these particular flourishes in attack, he made countless touches and drove the ball from midfield into the final third.
Losers: Mario Gotze and Sebastian Rode
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Mario Gotze played his first minutes in 2016 on Saturday; Sebastian Rode made his first appearance of more than seven minutes since last year. Yet for both players, this match turned out quite poorly.
Even in a lineup primarily composed of reserves, there was no room for Rode. The former Eintracht Frankfurt man came off the bench on 54 minutes and played out the rest of the match. It's unlikely we'll see much more of him anytime soon.
Gotze was the player who made way for Rode. He showed some positive signs, but Ribery and Coman went the full distance, and the latter gave three assists. In a Bayern team full of attacking talent, Gotze is perhaps the third-choice substitute. And even so, with Thiago pushing so high in attack, Gotze didn't really have a role of his own. His days at the Allianz Arena look to be numbered.
Winner: Thomas Muller
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Thomas Muller made a rare start at striker on Saturday; although he played outside his natural position and was the focus of the Bremen defense, the Germany international managed to have a great game.
He scored twice before being taken off for Robert Lewandowski for the final stages of the game. Muller's strikes were a pair of poacher's goals, the kind that are typical of a natural striker. It seems that this season he truly has developed his game even further.
