The substitutes shake the stars awake: Bayern Munich, ratings and individual assessments from the narrow 2-1 win at SV Elversberg
Lennart Karl does score early and Ismael Saibari can impress from the start, but Bayern struggle for a very long time against the bold promoted side SV Elversberg. Only the equaliser and a quadruple substitution wake the Munich side up. The ratings and individual reviews.
Bayern's goals came from Karl after a lovely assist from the lively Saibari (26) and Harry Kane (72). Maurice Krattenmacher, who moved from FCB to Elversberg this summer after two loans, scored the interim equaliser (62) for the Saarlanders. Bayern coach Vincent Kompany had made seven changes from the 5-0 win against Bodö/Glimt in the Champions League. Straight after the equaliser, he made four substitutions and they worked. Led by Joshua Kimmich, the subs jolted their team-mates into life.
You can find the match report here.
FC Bayern player ratings away to SV Elversberg: Jonas Urbig
He made his first league appearance on the third Bundesliga matchday after already getting a game in the DFB Cup. He had no chance with the 1-1. Rating: 3.5.
FC Bayern player ratings away to SV Elversberg: Josip Stanisic
Making his first Bundesliga start of the season, he saw plenty of the ball and used it reliably. Not much more than that, though. Rating: 4.
FC Bayern player ratings away to SV Elversberg: Dayot Upamecano
One of only four players who had also started against Bodö/Glimt, he was fortunate that Cole Campbell's supposed equaliser in the 44th minute was ruled out for offside. He had clearly underestimated the situation. In the 61st minute, he lost the decisive duel, allowing the ball to reach the unmarked Krattenmacher, who scored the impressive 1-1 against the club where he was developed. Rating: 4.
FC Bayern player ratings away to SV Elversberg: Minjae Kim
From Elversberg's first attack, he nearly scored an own goal when he controlled the cross and sent the ball more towards his own net than out for a corner. He initially struggled against the early substitute and quick Noah Darvich, but improved as the match wore on, did not shy away from the challenges and won his duels too. Rating: 3.
FC Bayern player ratings away to SV Elversberg: Nathaniel Brown
After trying his luck in the No 10 role at the start of the season, he replaced Alphonso Davies for the promoted side in his regular position at left-back. More noticeable than Stanisic, he often drifted into midfield and central areas too. But he also faded in the second half and had to come off after the 1-1. Rating: 4.
FC Bayern player ratings away to SV Elversberg: Tom Bischof
In place of Joshua Kimmich, he made his first Bundesliga start of the season. He had a very quiet game and, when in doubt, preferred the safe sideways pass to anything risky or creative. He had to come off after the 1-1. Rating: 4.5.
FC Bayern player ratings away to SV Elversberg: Aleksandar Pavlovic
With a curling effort in the 11th minute, he produced Munich's first sight of goal. He was on the ball very often and, as always, found his team-mates reliably with his passing. But he was also very fortunate that his two unfortunate headers against Darvich, straight into Campbell's path, were not judged an intentional move but a technical mistake, or at any rate unintentional passages of play. Otherwise Elversberg would have made it 1-1 shortly before the break. He stayed on after Elversberg's actual 1-1, improved too, and after a good run provided the assist for Harry Kane's 2-1. Rating: 3.5.
FC Bayern player ratings away to SV Elversberg: Lennart Karl
As in the 0-0 against Schalke, he started on the right wing. A sloppy pass here, a loss of possession there, but in the 26th minute he did score the opener after Saibari's intelligent pass right across the penalty area. He was one of the few Bayern players still putting in a shift in the second half, but still had to come off after the 1-1. Rating: 3.5.
FC Bayern player ratings away to SV Elversberg: Michael Olise
After rising to world-class level against Bodö/Glimt when he was allowed to play as the No 10, he started in the centre against the promoted side. In the first half, though, he was as far from world-class as the accusation from reality that he is too talkative in interviews. No dribbling, only one progressive pass, but seven losses of possession. He was no better at first in the second half either. But he woke up after the 1-1 and the quadruple substitution. First he missed the chance to make it 2-1 from Diaz's pass because his shot was cleared off the line, then he was unfortunate when his lovely dink bounced back off the crossbar and onto the turf. But he was also involved in Kane's 2-1 and in most of Bayern's dangerous moments. Rating: 4.
FC Bayern player ratings away to SV Elversberg: Ismael Saibari
After eight minutes he found what was perhaps a gap the size of a postage stamp in the penalty area and picked out Karl, who immediately laid the ball on to Harry Kane. Kane only connected properly with the ball at the second attempt, by which time the Elversberg players had regrouped, but Saibari's pass remained class. The same went for his assist for the 1-0, when a stepover took his opponent out of the move before he drove in from the left towards the penalty area and passed thoughtfully to the right side of the box. Karl arrived there and scored. He makes up for his sprint deficit with intelligent actions like that and his overview of the game. Industrious and eye-catching, he was Munich's best player until the 1-1. Rating: 2.5.
FC Bayern player ratings away to SV Elversberg: Harry Kane
For the 1-0 he left the shot and the goal to the even better-placed Karl, played his best passes deep in midfield and this time looked more like a No 8 than a No 10, let alone a centre-forward. He initially seemed a little unfortunate in front of goal, then was just offside for his supposed 2-0. He also stayed on after the 1-1 and once again turned out to be Bayern's life insurance when he lashed the ball brilliantly into the net for 2-1. It was his first goal of this Bundesliga season and an immensely important one. Rating: 2.5.
FC Bayern player ratings away to SV Elversberg: The substitutes
Joshua Kimmich: Came on after the 1-1, immediately took control of the game and was instantly in boss mode. Rating: 2.
Luis Diaz: Came on for Saibari after the 1-1 and picked up where he had recently left off, missing chances. He tried it with his heel in the six-yard box in the 66th minute, but got almost no power behind the shot. Any other finish would probably have been better. He was then unlucky with his shooting assist for Olise. Rating: 3.5.
Jamal Musiala: After his dream game against Bodö/Glimt on Thursday, he was initially back on the bench against Elversberg to work on his fitness. He came on for Karl after the 1-1. Rating. 3.5.
Alphonso Davies: He too came on after the 1-1 as part of the quadruple substitution, replaced Brown and also tried to help with the build-up play. He missed the chance to make it 3-1 ten minutes from time. Rating: 3.
