Wolfsburg 0-4 Bayern Munich: Player Ratings as the Champions end on a high | Bundesliga 2019-20
Bayern Munich ended their victorious 2019-20 Bundesliga campaign with a bang as they beat 10-man Wolfsburg 4-0 away from home, also scoring their 100th league goal in the process.
The Bundesliga Champions fielded a strong team, with Lewandowski, Muller and Gnabry all starting. Wolfsburg named a solid line-up themselves, led by the best goal-scorer outside of Germany's big 3 - Wout Weghorst.
How Bayern's final Bundesliga game unfolded
Wolfsburg began the stronger of the two teams, as Bayern uncharacteristically played one misplaced pass too many. In fact, they gave the ball away in dangerous positions thrice in the first two and a half minutes itself.
However, Wolfsburg lacked the killer instinct and failed to punish Bayern for their unforced errors. It would prove costly, as in the fourth minute itself, Bayern took the lead against the run of play.
Wolfsburg continued to look threatening in attack, but were toothless when it came to the final pass, despite finding themselves in very promising positions. Bayern, on the other hand, grew into the game and doubled their lead courtesy of a long-range strike from youngster Mickael Cuisance.
The match as a contest was already over. Bayern dominated the second half and could've scored even more. Regardless, they head back to Bavaria feeling confident ahead of the DFB Pokal final against Bayer Leverkusen.
Wolfsburg on the other hand, will be disappointed to have missed out on the 6th spot on the Bundesliga table, as fellow Europa challengers Hoffenheim mauled Borussia Dortmund 0-4 elsewhere to steal the position.
Here are the player ratings from the Bundesliga game:
Manuel Neuer : 7/10
Truth be told, there wasn't much for Manuel Neuer to do all game as he eased himself to what was his 15th clean-sheet of the Bundesliga season. When he was called upon, though, he obliged by making a few decent saves to give the Wolfsburg fans nothing to cheer about. As things stand, the 34 year-old legend has the most clean-sheets among all goalkeepers in Europe - quite a comeback for a player that many had written off just a year ago.
Alvaro Odriozola : 5/10
The Real Madrid loanee got the nod ahead of Benjamin Pavard at right-back but failed to impress. He was one of the few players who looked rusty as the match started, but wore that rust off somewhat as the game aged. His 77% passing accuracy and 33% successful aerials hardly look impressive, but he was never troubled much as opposition left-back Jerome Roussillon had a poorer game. He might not be as lucky on another day.
Jerome Boateng : 7/10
Boateng celebrated his 200th Bundesliga appearance for Bayern with a big win and a clean-sheet. The veteran gave the ball away a few times early in the game but was very composed in possession thereafter, finishing with a passing accuracy of 93%. He also sniffed out any potential danger with a match-high 4 clearances.
David Alaba : 7/10
Much like his center-back partner, David Alaba too had a relatively easy game after shaking off some early rust. Much of the Wolfsburg attack came through his side, and the Austrian did well to prevent Wolfsburg from enjoying any success on the odd occasions they managed to work their way past Bayern's first line of defense.
Alphonso Davies : 8/10
The Bundesliga Young Player of the Year winner came up against one of the best attacking right-backs in the league in Kevin Mbabu, but he was in no mood to let the Dutch fullback end his season on a high. Davies, often praised for his offensive qualities, was at his defensive best today. He made as many as 6 tackles, more than any other player.
He didn't have the best of games offensively, but something's gotta give! Davies ended a breakthrough Bundesliga campaign with a solid performance that he will be proud of.
Mickael Cuisance : 9/10
The 20 year-old wonderkid was handed what was only his third league start this season, and he had a game to remember. He was all over the pitch. His passing was mostly simple and secure, and he was strong in possession.
Cuisance didn't give the ball away cheaply, dribbled his way out of trouble frequently, and helped his defense with a couple of tackles and interceptions of his own. He often strayed onto the wings and delivered some very decent crosses. He capped off a fine performance with his first Bundesliga goal - a beautifully measured curler from distance. One for the future.
Leon Goretzka : 7/10
A player so often capable of stealing the show, Leon Goretzka let his young midfield partner do the talking as he himself played a simple yet effective game. He barely got a pass wrong, and his long balls were telegraphed. He controlled the tempo of the game masterfully without being flashy.
Thomas Muller : 9.5/10
Muller started the game with his eyes firmly set on the Bundesliga assist record held jointly by Kevin De Bruyne and Muller himself. It took the Raumdeuter just over three minutes to take that record all for himself as he coolly slotted a pass in to the path of Kingsley Coman, who took care of the rest.
Although it's been his playmaking that has been in the spotlight this Bundesliga season, he showed his trademark poaching skills to smash home Bayern's fourth and final goal of the afternoon. What a Bundesliga season it's been for the 30 year-old, and what a way to end it!
Serge Gnabry : 6/10
It's been a Bundesliga season to remember for Serge Gnabry, but he won't be happy with this game when he looks back at it. He was not poor by any means, and worked very hard off the ball. However, he wasn't as sharp as usual.
Gnabry finished the game with zero dribbles, which is enough to prove that it was an underwhelming performance for a player who is heralded as one of the best wingers in the Bundesliga and the world.
Kingsley Coman : 8/10
Having had the ball put on a plate for him, Coman guided the ball past the outstretched arms of Koen Casteels to hand Bayern the opener. He could've, and should've, added another to his personal tally when he collected a grounded cross inside the Wolfsburg box, only to find the side-netting with just the goalkeeper to beat. Nonetheless, the Frenchman looked very lively throughout the game, and also got himself a rather fortuitous assist for Cuisance's wonder-strike.
Robert Lewandowski : 7/10
The Bundesliga's Player of the Year came into this fixture looking for his 34th goal of the season. It seemed as if though the afternoon would end in frustration as the Pole did not really get a multitude of chances to score. However, when he was presented with an opportunity from the penalty spot, he made no mistake. He also completed all 15 of his passes.
Bench
Phillipe Coutinho : 6/10
A player who might have played his final Bundesliga game, Coutinho played about half an hour of football and showed some good touches.
Ivan Perisic : 5/10
He was hardly involved despite playing nearly 30 minutes, but managed to put in one threatening cross into the box.
Benjamin Pavard : 6/10
Kept the ball ticking quite nicely.
Joshua Kimmich : 6/10
Showed off his long range distribution in the 10 minutes he played.