Lothar Matthäus has voiced strong concerns about Bayern Munich’s defensive vulnerabilities following their hard-fought 3-2 victory over VfL Wolfsburg in the Bundesliga, Soccernet.football reports.
Despite the win marking Vincent Kompany’s debut as Bayern’s manager, the defensive lapses that led to Wolfsburg’s goals have sparked criticism from the German football legend.
Bayern initially took the lead through Jamal Musiala’s 20th-minute strike and appeared to control the match in the first half. However, defensive errors in the second half nearly cost them the game.
Sacha Boey’s unnecessary concession of a penalty and Kim Min-jae’s hesitation in possession, which led to Lovro Majer’s goal, exemplified the kind of mistakes that have plagued Bayern’s backline, echoing similar issues from last season under Thomas Tuchel.
In his column for Sky Sport via @iMiaSanMia, Matthäus, a former Bayern and Germany midfielder, did not mince words regarding the club’s defensive struggles.
He specifically criticized the club’s decision to sell Matthijs de Ligt, whom he described as the most reliable defender over the past two years.
Matthäus argued that the team is missing a true leader in defence, comparing the current situation unfavourably to the past when Bayern had strong characters like Jerome Boateng, Mats Hummels, and David Alaba.
“The defence is and remains FC Bayern’s Achilles heel,” Matthäus said.
“Matthijs de Ligt was sold, even though he was the most stable defender over the past two years. He was the leader of the backline. Now Bayern are again looking for a successor to David Alaba.
“For me, it’s pathetic that this leader is missing. After all, we are talking about FC Bayern. All the center backs currently in the Bayern squad have to be clear with themselves first. A leader has to be clear about himself and has to be recognized by the team.
“Of course, the mistakes made by Min-jae Kim and Dayot Upamecano are also a topic of discussion in the dressing room. The club has big plans and now things are going back to where they left off last season.”
The youngest captain in the history of Ajax Amsterdam, Matthijs de Ligt joined Manchester United this summer for a transfer reportedly worth an initial €45 million plus €5 million in bonuses.
The pressure is now on Kompany to find the right balance and strengthen the defensive unit with the players at his disposal.