Bayern Munich Were at Their Best Last Season When Arjen Robben Wasn’t Playing

Bayern Munich Were at Their Best Last Season When Arjen Robben Wasn’t Playing

Arjen Robben

A strong finish to last season and a great start to this one makes people forget a very important thing about Bayern Munich and their extremely deep squad – Arjen Robben wasn’t even playing for about half a season last year, probably when Bayern were playing their best football.

Robben left Bayern during their win over Augsburg, scoring a goal yet sustaining a knee injury that might turn out to be a torn ACL, which means he’ll be out for the season, and maybe miss the World Cup. Remember 2010? He didn’t have that serious of an injury, but he also made it to South Africa being far from healthy or fit. That’s life for the Dutch sometimes.

Is this a hit to Bayern? Yes, but not something that should stop them from winning and playing at the same high level we’ve been seeing from them over the last couple of months. Bayern were at their best last year when Thomas Muller played on the right wing, while Toni Kroos was behind the striker as the attacking midfield. The tactics and formations are slightly different this year, but there are also more players to fill in the gap.

Mario Gotze might get a more sustainable place in the lineup, and in general, it’s hard to think of any other team that has the perfect manager and squad to overcome such an injury, even to such an important player like Robben. It might take Bayern Munich some adjusting to get over it, but even if this is really a season-ending injury, it’s a bit too soon for Dortmund or Leverkusen to start getting giddy about their prospects.


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