Bayern Munich seeks consistency to make Lazio win the start of a turnaround
DUESSELDORF, Germany (AP) — Bayern Munich made a hard game look easy against Lazio. Now to win some of the easy games.
Overturning a 1-0 deficit to Lazio in the Champions League midweek was a tough assignment, but two goals from Harry Kane set Bayern on course for a 3-0 win in arguably its most complete performance since the new year.
“It was a perfect night for us," Kane said. “Obviously, it’s a big moment in our season. It was a top performance.”
Now the task for manager Thomas Tuchel — who is leaving at the end of the season — and his team is to transform that "big moment" against Lazio into the start of a consistent turnaround.
Bayern hasn't won back-to-back games since Feb. 3 and so far in 2024 has dropped points not only against Bundesliga leader Bayer Leverkusen but against the likes of Werder Bremen, Bochum and most recently Freiburg. That's helped Leverkusen build up a 10-point lead with 10 games remaining.
Next up for Bayern on Saturday at home is relegation-threatened Mainz, the club which gave Tuchel his first head coaching job back in 2009.
Bayern fans will remember how their club's loss to Mainz in April 2023 opened the door for Borussia Dortmund to try to win the title — only for Mainz to deny Dortmund on the final day of the season.
Mainz has won only twice in the Bundesliga all season but new coach Bo Henriksen has overseen an uptick in form with four points from his first three games.
Bayern's injury crisis is easing, too. After right back Sacha Boey returned to team training Wednesday, Bayern said Thursday that winger Kingsley Coman had managed an “intense” session with the ball in training. He hasn't played since January with a knee ligament injury. Bayern also said right back Bouna Sarr, who last played in November, was able to train with the ball again.
Leverkusen, meanwhile, needs to cope with a tricky travel schedule as it plays a Europa League game against Qarabag in Azerbaijan on Thursday night before hosting Wolfsburg on Sunday.
Wolfsburg coach Niko Kovac is under pressure thanks to a nine-game winless run in the Bundesliga stretching back to December, but his team's best recent showings have come against trickier opponents, holding Dortmund and Eintracht Frankfurt to draws and fighting Stuttgart hard in a 3-2 loss last week.
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