Bayern Munich coach Vincent Kompany bemoaned his team's missed chances as they were held to a 2-1 victory at Borussia Monchengladbach on Saturday. The defending Bundesliga champions had the lion's share of possession and created a host of openings, but they were often wasteful in front of goal.
Kompany, who took over as manager of Bayern in the summer, was left frustrated by his team's performance. "We had enough chances to win this game by a more comfortable margin," he said. "But we didn't take them, and we were made to pay for it in the end."
Bayern went ahead in the first half through a Robert Lewandowski goal, but Gladbach equalised just after the break through Lars Stindl. Lewandowski put Bayern back in front 15 minutes later, but the visitors were unable to add to their lead and were fortunate not to concede a late equaliser.
Bayern had 18 shots on goal against Gladbach, but only seven of those were on target. Lewandowski, who scored both of Bayern's goals, was particularly wasteful, missing several good chances.
Kompany admitted that his team's finishing was not good enough. "We need to be more clinical in front of goal," he said. "We had enough chances to win this game comfortably, but we didn't take them."
In addition to their missed chances, Bayern were also guilty of some defensive errors. Gladbach's equaliser came from a mistake by Benjamin Pavard, who allowed Stindl to get in behind him and score.
Kompany said that his team needs to be more solid defensively. "We made some mistakes at the back today that we can't afford to make," he said. "We need to be more concentrated and more disciplined in our defending."
Some pundits have suggested that Bayern's performance against Gladbach was a sign that they are not yet ready to challenge for the Bundesliga title this season. However, Kompany is confident that his team will improve as the season progresses.
"We're still a new team, and we're still learning to play together," he said. "We made some mistakes today, but we also created a lot of chances. I'm confident that we will improve as the season goes on."
Bayern Munich's victory over Borussia Monchengladbach was a tale of two halves. The visitors were dominant in the first half and deservedly went ahead through Lewandowski's goal. However, they were less impressive in the second half and were fortunate to escape with all three points.
Kompany was right to be frustrated by his team's performance. They missed too many chances and made too many defensive errors. However, he is confident that his team will improve as the season progresses.
Bayern are still the favourites to win the Bundesliga title this season, but they will need to improve their finishing and their defending if they want to be successful.
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