UEFA Champions League 2016/17: Bayern Munich 1-0 Atletico Madrid - 5 Talking Points
Bayern Munich were unbeaten in 19 European home games heading into the game. Atletico Madrid meanwhile had won every group stage game so far.
Something had to give at the Allianz Arena, and it was Bayern who kept their impressive run intact. Robert Lewandowski’s stunning free-kick was enough to give Carlo Ancelotti’s men their third win on the bounce and helped Bayern finish the group stage in good health.
For Simeone and his Atletico Madrid, this was their first loss since the Madrid derby.
Here are some points of contention from the game.
#1 Much-changed lineups
Both coaches decided to ring the changes, given that the standings in the group were already decided. Atletico decided to go in with only Diego Godin from the regular back four whereas Bayern left out the likes of Thomas Muller, Philipp Lahm and Franck Ribery. The move was understandable given that at this stage of the season, the Champions League was the least of either side’s priority, given that both of them had already qualified. Also, there were no positions up for grabs for either side as any incentive.
For Atletico, there is a tough fixture away against Villareal coming up on Sunday night, and it would not have made sense to play the likes of Juanfran, Tiago and Filipe Luis in such an inconsequential game.
For Bayern, it was a chance for some of their recovering place to stake their first team claims. Arjen Robben, Arturo Vidal and David Alaba had all only recently returned from reasonable layoffs, and it made sense for Carlo Ancelotti to leave them on the pitch for as long as he could – the latter two played the full 90 minutes and Robben was subbed off in the 80th minute.
In all, both managers would ideally not have any regrets with the teams that they put out. Atletico’s performance left a little to be desired but that was more down to Bayern’s excellence than Atletico’s mediocrity on the day.