Yes, Bayern didn’t play their best game. Yes, tactically it was a horrible start with the high line, conceding from the first shot on target in the 3rd minute … but at that level, such mistakes by the referee and the consequential influence on the game are massive. It destroys the morale of the players and kills potential momentum. Playing 2/3 of the game 11 vs. 10 is a huge advantage. It felt similar to Anthony Taylor vs Germany in the Euro quarterfinals against Spain.
It’s crazy that FIFA hasn’t allowed any VAR interference for a potential second yellow card yet, but only for a straight red card. They might (and probably will) change it soon, which makes it even worse for Bayern. How on earth could the 4th official tell the referee it was handball by Laimer? He was far away. It almost seems like Pinheiro made it up and why didn’t he whistle immediately then? Something really smells fishy here.
The Bayern officials need to complain much more publicly, just like Flick and Laporta do, in order to increase the pressure. It genuinely feels like Bayern have had every controversial decision called against them over the last ten years.
Overall, though, you also have to say that Enrique is tactically quite a bit ahead of Kompany. The wings were almost completely shut down yesterday. Marquinhos’ man-marking against Luis Díaz also worked perfectly. Tactically, Kompany still has a lot to learn.
You could also somehow see that, even though Hoeneß said at the beginning of the season that the squad was sufficient, the squad depth simply wasn’t enough for the decisive final stretch of the season. If you compare what Paris can bring on from the bench compared to us, then the difference is already pretty significant.
What do you think about that situation and the game in general?