It may have been a draw, but Manchester United won the game in almost every other respect. After a season of criticism, failure, and pure spite, David Moyes was standing in front of the firing line, ready to be annihilated by the beast that was once called Bayern Munich. After Moyes admirably handled hatred from fans who childishly paid to have a plane flying overhead, he once again turned the tables in his favor.
Bayern came out confident as always. The squad was mostly healthy, and they controlled the game steadily. As expected, Manchester United played defensively, but to say that they just “parked the bus” might be oversimplifying it. Looking at the way Moyes had his team set up painted a different story. It was reminiscent of how Sir Alex Ferguson nearly took down Real Madrid last season with a far inferior squad, he matched player for player, used a compact defensive line with his playmakers outside the 18-yard box ready to counter attack. The best iteration of this technique was when a series of almost perfectly straight forward passes sent Danny Welbeck on a breakaway that ended in nothing but a poor shot.
The speed at which Manchester United moved forward was what got them their opportunities, and the concise dribbling and passing of Michael Carrick and Wayne Rooney as well as the speed of Shinji Kagawa made the difference going forward. Defensively, Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic shaped up and made important challenges. Phil Jones shone through, playing right back fantastically well as Bayern sent in cross after cross. Alexander Buttner also was an able bodied replacement for the aging Evra, though he has not yet solidified his position in the starting XI.
For Bayern, it was mixed game. They moved the ball around extremely well, but ultimately didn’t create the multitude of chances that sent them through in the Champions League last year. Bastian Schweinsteiger bossed the midfield, and the play on the wings was expertly done was always. Mario Mandzukic was substituted in after Manchester United scored the opening goal off a Vidic header, and he almost immediately set up Schweinsteiger for a sweet volley into the top of the goal. The lack of chances has already drawn criticism towards Pep Guardiola as Bayern were accused of performing too many pointless passes and not taking enough shots.
Unfortunately for Schweinsteiger, he received a second yellow in the 90th minute after a late slide tackle performed in the heat of the moment took down Rooney. It’s hard to defer the blame to anyone else, Schweinsteiger was already on a yellow and he was experienced enough to know that a late tackle would get him a yellow, and the referee was fair to give it. While the red didn’t mean much for the first leg, it brings forth a huge question for Bayern when they return to the Allianz Arena next week.
On any other day, Pep Guardiola could put in rising star Thiago Alcantara, who has shown that he’s the man to replace Schweinsteiger five years in the future. Even without Thiago, Javi Martinez has been a golden boy in terms of work rate and defensive play and he could fill the role. The problem: Thiago is injured and Martinez received his second yellow card in two games, meaning that he is suspended for the next match. If you don’t know much about Bayern’s play, it might seem that all the midfielders are fungible and that Toni Kroos or Mario Gotze could fill the role. That would be completely ignoring the system Bayern have used for years. We saw last season how the team performed poorly against Arsenal when Schweinsteiger was out. Bayern is a team that thrives under organization, and the distribution of the ball is supplied by one man in the midfield. Without him, they’re weak.
That’s not saying they’ll lie down and take whatever Manchester United will throw at them. Don’t think for a second that Franck Ribery and Arjen Robben won’t tear down the wings and provide proper beatings to Jones and Buttner. That being said, the ball won’t move well enough, play won’t transfer quickly, defensive plays won’t be made higher up the field. The beast will be forced to recoil.
For Moyes, this is a prime opportunity. The way that the squad played is only the second time this season that they’ve played like the real Manchester United, a team with ferocity that pressures the ball all over the pitch and uses speed in counter attacks. By staving off Bayern Munich, he has silenced his critics for a short amount of time. At the same time, he’s been lucky to take out two of Bayern’s best midfielders at no cost to him. If there was ever a dream scenario for Moyes to make a recovery, if there was ever an opportunity at redemption that only God above could give him, this is it. He now has inspired his players to no end, perhaps even brought some of his old guard back to his side. He and his staff will now work tirelessly. The Premier League no longer matters, Manchester United aren’t getting Champions Leauge football and won’t take a Europa League spot from Everton or Tottenham. If Moyes can somehow complete the miracle, if he can slay the best team in the world on their own turf, then he’ll surely shock the world. All the insults, the criticism, the blame he has taken for a job that may or may not have been impossible for any manager will go away. Manchester United could go through and fail miserably the next round, but the effect will stay.
If Manchester United can beat Bayern Munich at the Allianz, then the Era of Moyes truly starts.
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