With European football right around the corner, Bayern Munich were expected to take the foot of the pedal against Freiburg this week and remain fit and ready for Arsenal. Pep Guardiola decided to rest the likes of Thiago, Mario Mandzukic, Jerome Boateng and David Alaba, thereby giving Javi Martinez a start as center back, Diego Contento the nod at left back, and the duo of Xherdan Shaqiri and Cluadio Pizarro starts in attack.

Unlike high flying Bayern, Freiburg were dealing with escaping from relegation. Christian Streich had none of the luxuries that his opponent number did and fielded the same eleven that played out a 1-1 draw against Hoffenheim last week. Once again, Matthias Ginter was given the nod in midfield ahead of Julian Schuster, reigniting rumors of the latter’s departure from the Black Forest.

This “second string” Bayern side started off in relatively slow fashion, as Freiburg seemed the likelier side to break the deadlock. Admir Mehmedi threatened makeshift center back Martinez with his pace but clear cut goal scoring opportunities were hard to come by.

One thing that sides have learned over the course of the season is that not taking your chances against Bayern is nothing less than suicide. And that was exactly what it was as Bayern upped the ante after a sluggish first fifteen. Contento found himself with loads of time outside the Freiburg box after a poorly dealt with corner, whipped in a fine cross to find Dante, and the Brazilian glided his header past a desperately diving Oliver Baumann to give the Bavarians the lead.

The opener knocked the wind out of Freiburg’s sails and Bayern’s midfield dominance began to grow. Philipp Lahm and Toni Kroos began to have more time, the surprising deep lying Claudio Pizarro saw a lot more of the ball, and Arjen Robben and Shaqiri looked their regular threatening selves.

The stocky Swiss winger doubled Bayern’s lead just after the half hour mark after he was aided by some lucky bounce following a challenge from Immanuel Höhn. Shaqiri was through on goal after the challenge and saw his shot deflect off an outstretched Oliver Sorg, over Baumann and into the goal. Luck was aplenty in Bayern’s second but to say that they didn’t deserve it would be far too harsh.

Bayern weren’t done inflicting pain on Freiburg just yet.  A midfield scramble saw Pizarro put Toni Kroos through on goal and the German international cut the ball across goal for Shaqiri to tap in his second of the night and Bayern’s third just three minutes before the break. To add to Freibug’s woes, a Mehmedi flick past Manuel Neuer was wrongly disallowed for offside with seconds left in the first half.

Three goals against them and a wrongly denied goal of their own had clearly taken a heavy toll on Freiburg. They seemed a shadow of their energetic selves from the first twenty minutes of the game, sitting deep and allowing Bayern time and space. Arjen Robben almost pulled off the goal of the season by dribbling past four Freiburg defenders but failed to lob the ball into the back of the net.

Bastian Schweinsteiger made his return to Bundesliga football after almost three and a half months, replacing Shaqiri on the hour mark. The German international’s return was accompanied by a thunderous roar from the Bayern faithful, reiterating his importance to the club. Streich tried to instill some life into his side by bringing on young Sebastian Kerk for Felix Klaus but it was to have no effect whatsoever.

Freiburg looked a little livelier with Bayern not too keen on furthering their lead but as was the case in the first half, chances were hard to come by. The occasional long range shot was attempted but Neuer remained comfortable as ever. Lahm and Robben were given early showers keeping in mid the Arsenal fixture, giving Mario Götze and Daniel van Buyten some playing time. The Belgian center back’s arrival saw Martinez move into midfield alongside Schweinsteiger, keeping a tight plug on Freiburg’s attack.

Julian Schuster and Karim Guede’s introductions didn’t inspire much life into the Freiburg side either, leaving Streich clueless like most others who have travelled to the Allianz Arena this season. Pizarro worsened Freiburg’s night by adding a fourth goal in the 88th minute with a lovely finish after cutting in from the left. The Peruvian capped off a brilliant night on a personal note, showcasing incredible energy.

Guardiola could not have asked for a more comfortable victory ahead of their trip to London in midweek. Despite resting a number of his regular starters, Guardiola managed to see his side pull off yet another thumping victory. The title race seems well and truly over at this stage.

Freiburg, on the other hand, continue to sit uneasily in 15th position. The side may have pulled off an upset draw against Bayern earlier this season but a repeat was never really on the cards. Streich needs to ensure that he lifts up his boys after this and gets them back on track to escaping from relegation.

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About the author
Aditya Balaram
Milan fan and a lover of the Bundesliga. Editor for TheHardTackle