The benching of Arjen Robben only seemed to improve Bayern Munich’s performance. Now coach Jupp Heynckes has to decide if the Netherlands star will return to the starting line-up.
That is the dilemma a day after Heynckes left Robben on the bench and saw his team win 2-0 at Stuttgart in the German Cup quarterfinals.
With his move, Heynckes reshuffled his midfield and Bayern were as dominant as at the start of the season – when Robben was out injured.
“It wasn’t a decision against Arjen but a decision to make the midfield stronger. I realised I had to change something, I had to react after the 1-1 draw in Hamburg. We have good attacking players but we need better balance,” Heynckes said after the match.
Heynckes moved Toni Kroos closer to the attack and returned Thomas Mueller to the right wing, usually taken by Robben.
Mueller set up both goals, Kroos had an effective match and the best player was Franck Ribery, who scored a goal and roamed from one side to the other, driving Stuttgart’s defence to despair. Ribery seemed to have more space without Robben on the field.
Robben stayed on the bench even when Bastian Schweinsteiger was injured early in the game.
Schweinsteiger tore a ligament in his right ankle. Bayern says his foot will be in a cast for a week before doctors can say how long he will be out.
Schweinsteiger already missed two months with a broken collarbone and also has been nursing left knee problems.
Bayern’s most reliable player is Mario Gomez, who has scored 26 goals in 29 games this season.
Looking ahead, Bayern said on Thursday they had signed talented Switzerland forward Xherdan Shaqiri from FC Basel.
After a loss, a win and a draw to start the second half of the season, Bayern have fallen two points behind defending champion Borussia Dortmund, who are on a 14-match unbeaten run.
Dortmund host Bayer Leverkusen on Saturday, while Bayern are at home to Kaiserslautern.
Bayern are also under pressure from Schalke and Borussia Moenchengladbach. Schalke are equal on points and Moenchengladbach are only one behind. The fours teams at the top will decide the championship winner.
Schalke visit Moenchengladbach in the highlight match of the 21st round.
The high-scoring Schalke, with the second best attack (46 goals) after Bayern (47), go up against the league’s stingiest defence with only 12 goals conceded.
Klass-Jan Huntelaar has 16 goals and eight assists, the leading scoring performance in the league.
“This is a very important game,” Huntelaar said of the trip to Moenchengladbach. “But nothing will be decided after the final whistle.
“The championship will be decided in the last four rounds and we have to stay up until then. Such games are important for the confidence.”
Moenchengladbach beat Schalke in the German Cup after Huntelaar was sent off in December.
Fifth-place Werder Bremen, who are eight points behind Moenchengladbach, host Hoffenheim.
Winless in their last 10 Bundesliga matches, Hoffenheim fired coach Holger Stanislawski on Thursday after losing 1-0 at home to second-division club Greuther Fuerth in the German Cup quarterfinals.
Wolfsburg kick off the round on Friday against Freiburg.
On Saturday, Mainz host Hannover and Stuttgart play Hertha Berlin.
On Sunday, Augsburg host Nuremberg and Hamburg travel to Cologne.
