Bundesliga powerhouse Bayern Munich has reportedly begun studying the winter transfer market after suffering a thumping 4-1 defeat to Barcelona in the UEFA Champions League. The Bavarians are reportedly unhappy with their options at the back and want to sign a center-back in the January transfer window.
Six-time European champions Bayern Munich fell to an embarrassing 4-1 defeat to Barcelona at the Estadi Olimpic Lluis Companys in Gameweek 3 of the UEFA Champions League on Wednesday night, October 23. Hat-trick hero Raphinha and former Bayern Munich talisman Robert Lewandowski were on the scoresheet for the hosts, whereas Harry Kane scored Bayern’s only goal.
Throughout the game, Barcelona exploited Bayern Munich’s inability to deal with rapid counter-attacks. Man of the Match Raphinha benefitted the most from Min-Jae Kim and Dayot Upamecano’s poor positioning and lack of pace. According to Fichajes.net, the upsetting result in Barcelona has been an eye-opener for Bayern, with coaching staff and management agreeing that they need to strengthen the heart of the defense to go toe-to-toe with high-quality opponents.
The Bavarians are reportedly looking to sign a center-back who is not only technically brilliant but also has strong leadership skills. Experience in big games and the ability to adapt to Bayern’s style of play will also heavily influence the purchase decision. As of now, there are no concrete names on Bayern’s wishlist, but the Germans have begun exploring options for the winter transfer window.
After enduring one of the worst defeats of his short Bayern career, Kane discussed the factors that contributed to the demoralizing result. Speaking to the press, England’s all-time top scorer said: “Conceding three away from home in the first half wasn’t a great start for us. We had a spell in the first half when we looked really dangerous, but Barcelona played well, and we didn’t exploit the time when we were better. Then we got punished in transitions. We have to go away and learn from this. I think there was a moment for us when we looked dangerous, but perhaps we got a bit carried away trying to play the final ball too quickly, and if we’d used more possession instead of rushing it, we’d have made better chances. But there’s no need to panic – it’s about learning and being better next time.”
Kane was easily Bayern’s best player on Wednesday night. In addition to scoring his team’s only goal, the 32-year-old created a chance, completed 23 passes with 82% accuracy, completed two dribbles, delivered four accurate long balls, and won seven duels.
