Friday, the day after tomorrow, will mark exactly four weeks since Bayern Munich last won a match. Only the extended international break has kept this from becoming a crisis of historic proportions: Munich have played just two competitive matches in that time. They drew 2-2 away to FC Augsburg, then 3-3 away to Viking Stavanger.
Both slip-ups came against sides considerably weaker on paper. More worryingly, they followed similar patterns.
Bayern Munich are being undone by Bayern Munich, or, more precisely, by their own stupidity and shortcomings. "I'm standing here again, just as I was after the Augsburg game, and basically we've done the same thing again," a resigned sporting director Max Eberl said in Stavanger. "Almost an identical pattern to the game." He added: "We made even more mistakes today than we did against Augsburg."
Bayern Munich: Early goals conceded and costly losses of possession
In both matches, Munich conceded early. Against Augsburg, it was even the fastest in Bundesliga history, after eight seconds. Against Stavanger, it came after 72 seconds. Individual errors made both goals possible. In Augsburg, goalkeeper Manuel Neuer gave the ball away disastrously. In Stavanger, Min-Jae Kim needlessly conceded the corner that led to the goal. Coach Vincent Kompany lamented his team's "overconfidence" in always wanting to find a way out by playing football.
The second goal Munich conceded in each match came from an opposition through ball across a poorly coordinated defence. At the pre-match press conference, Viking captain Zlatko Tripic had said, almost prophetically: "If they send a lot of players forward, spaces open up." In Stavanger, though, Munich's mistakes went beyond the football.
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Two goals from Harry Kane and a strike from Luis Diaz had put Bayern Munich 3-2 up, before Michael Olise lost his head. He received a yellow card for a tactical foul. Then he threw the ball in his opponent's face, collected a second yellow and was sent off. "Utterly stupid," was Kompany's verdict. Down to 10 men, Bayern conceded the late equaliser for 3-3 after Joshua Kimmich needlessly lost possession.
IMAGOBayern Munich: A faltering spine and referees in the spotlight
Several key Bayern Munich players are struggling individually, leaving the side's spine looking shaky. Following his error against Augsburg, captain Manuel Neuer has had to endure debate about a possible early changing of the guard in the Munich goal, and he is once again dealing with health problems. Vice-captain Kimmich has faced questions since an international break with the Germany team that went so badly for him. His midfield partner Aleksandar Pavlovic considers those debates "unnecessary", but they have not gone away.
After a very poor first half in Stavanger, Jonathan Tah came off at half-time. Luis Diaz still looks tense after his special leave. Little of his once so positive energy is currently on show, and the three goals disallowed for offside did not help. Perhaps his legitimate goal in Stavanger will turn things around. Olise, meanwhile, must come to terms with the first sending-off and probably the most idiotic act of his professional career so far. He will definitely miss next week's big match against last year's finalists Arsenal through suspension.
Nobody from Bayern Munich complained in Norway about Olise's entirely justified sending-off. But, as in Augsburg, Munich also took issue with the referee in Stavanger. During the match, as Kompany admitted, they let it distract them: "Perhaps we were preoccupied with things that don't help us in this situation, such as the referee." Above all, they raised it in their post-match assessments.
Against Augsburg, Bayern's complaint was that Diaz's first goal was probably wrongly disallowed. In Stavanger, they objected to the general attitude of Bulgarian referee Georgi Kabakov, already viewed critically because of his previous suspension. Both complaints certainly had merit. But after slip-ups against teams of Augsburg's or Stavanger's calibre, Bayern Munich should look more closely at their own shortcomings than put the referee's performance in the spotlight.
What next for Bayern Munich?
Since Kompany took charge in summer 2024, Bayern Munich have gone at least two competitive matches in a row without a win on four occasions. Three came in his debut season. Another came this spring, when Munich drew with 1. FC Heidenheim in the already-decided Bundesliga between the two Champions League semi-finals against Paris Saint-Germain (4-5 and 1-1).
Bayern Munich had remained completely flawless at the start of the previous season. They have already slipped up three times in nine games now, but back then they made the best start to a season by any club from Europe's top five leagues in history, with 16 consecutive wins in all competitions. Along the way came impressive victories over Club World Cup winners Chelsea and Champions League winners Paris Saint-Germain. They did not drop their first points until mid-November, in a draw against Union Berlin.
Next come three tough assignments for Bayern Munich after two matches without a win: in the Bundesliga against an apparently resurgent RB Leipzig, in the Champions League against Arsenal, and then back in the Bundesliga against league leaders SC Freiburg. A dip could yet become a genuine crisis.
Harry Kane offers at least one source of hope: Bayern Munich are not short of goals at present, despite their sometimes inconsistent finishing. He was involved in all five goals against Augsburg and Stavanger.