Werder Bremen 1 – 2 Bayern Munich: Bild player ratings

Bayern Munich went from a professional shutout win to another nervy finish in a flash against Werder Bremen. Niklas Schmidt’s outrageous goal wasn’t enough to set off a comeback, however, and the Bavarians maintain their slim lead over Borussia Dortmund — for now.

It’s do or die time for both teams as the Bundesliga race draws to a close. Three games remain, and one point separates the two teams. While BVB laid the smackdown on Niko Kovač’s Wolfsburg side, it’s one step at a time for Bayern. At least they are steady steps, for now.

Here’s how Bild rated the game:

• It seems every time Yann Sommer is beat, he leaps in the right direction and just misses reaching the ball. So, so close.
• Best player: Noussair Mazraoui! At least according to Bild, who gave the fullback a ‘2’. Mazraoui looks more than at home at right-back, and his sublime assist to Leroy Sané showed the kind of dazzle that Thomas Tuchel probably can’t afford to leave on the bench too often.
• Incidentally, Sané’s missed opportunity to put Bayern 3-0 up was as lackluster as his goal was incisive. The German international needs to step into a leadership role on the team now, and that means demonstrating absolute top standards and ruthlessness at all times. You get the sense that all of Bayern was coasting by that point, and Sané sportingly chose to give teammate Sadio Mané a chance to shine. But Mané was very wide, and Sané had a wide-open lane to himself.
• Jamal Musiala is looking better, if still not the game changer he was early this season, in the attacking midfield position. But as Joshua Kimmich’s midfield partner, Musiala was again lacking. A poor decision to challenge left Musiala horribly out of position and left Kimmich with everything in midfield to cover — securing the comfortable build-up to Bremen’s 87th minute goal.
• Serge Gnabry is also doing his job again: two goals, two games. But like Musiala, he gets a ‘3’ here, and it’s fairly reflective of his overall performance. He still doesn’t look that polished or smooth in the number nine position. Bayern need to upgrade here.
• How about all those shots of Bremen’s Niclas Füllkrug, looking on from the shadows? The German striker is a fan favorite among at least some of the Bayern fanbase. Could he be the lurking option for Bayern’s future striker, too?