Vincent Kompany is making a poor early impression
It is too early for a #KompanyOUT agenda, but Bayern Munich have been relatively poor in these first two preseason games, which does not give a good impression of the coach’s work thus far. On the one hand, it’s still preseason, and many of the first teamers are still on vacation. On the other, these last two games were played against an amateur (9th tier) and semi-pro (4th tier) side, and the games ended 14-1 and 1-1 respectively.
More disappointing than the scorelines is the manner in which the team played. Versus Düren, Kompany opted for what is hopefully an experimental lineup — a flat 3-4-3 with Josip Stanišić, Kim Min-jae, and Hiroki Ito at center-back, Eric Dier at defensive midfield with Leon Goretzka next to him, Sacha Boey and Raphaël Guerreiro on the flanks, with Mathys Tel, Bryan Zaragoza, and Adin Ličina in attack.
Here’s a short summary of what went wrong:
- Buildup play, supposedly a point of focus for the coaching team, was extremely limited. Vertical passing was even more laborious than in the Tuchel era, and the midfield duo of Goretzka and Dier were hopelessly inefficient even when faced against the midfield of a Regionalliga team.
- The back three was undercooked in the worst way. Whenever Bayern Munich had possession, it seemed that at least one of the center-backs didn’t know what to do. Eric Dier being the defensive midfield pivot rendered either Hiroki Ito or Kim Min-jae redundant during possession, forcing one of them (usually Ito, later Aznou) out wide or further up the pitch. It was an extremely messy way to implement a back three, and only slowed the team down as players got in each other’s way.
- The only avenue into the box was via crosses or corners. Mathys Tel received very little service, and whenever he did, he was already surrounded by Düren defenders who had plenty of time to get into position. The offensive gameplan was predictable and disappointingly blunt, reminiscent of the English stereotype of “hoof it into the box and hope we score”. Bayern Munich should do better.
- Certain individual performances let the team down. Kim Min-jae looked extremely shaky at the back, while Josip Stanišić made the key error (an overhit pass to Sven Ulreich) which led to the opponent’s goal. Sacha Boey and Bryan Zaragoza, the men tasked with providing width, were completely shut down by a Regionalliga defense, making it nigh impossible for Bayern to actually get behind FC Düren before changes were made in the second half.
Of course, if some of the missing first teamers had played, some of the above problems would have disappeared. Guys like Thomas Müller, Michael Olise, and Joshua Kimmich could have made the mindless crossing gameplan work, especially if they had Harry Kane to aim for. Mazraoui or Kimmich replacing Boey on the right could have added dynamism to that flank. A better midfield duo could have greased the wheels in possession.
However, that’s the approach that got Thomas Tuchel into trouble — he relied on his player’s quality to bail him out time and time again. Vincent Kompany will need better ideas if he wants to survive at this club. Thankfully, some changes at the 60th minute turned things around for the Bavarians.
Nestory Irankunda might be another Davies-esque find
Preseason performances don’t mean much, but Irankunda is one of the few players making a positive impression on this Bayern team so far.
The Australian forward instantly changed the game once he came on, managing to win 1v1 duels that eluded Bryan Zaragoza for the preceding 60 minutes. He got behind the Düren defenders and was the first player to actually unsettle their low block, which allowed Bayern to gain some momentum and eventually score. Even with an experienced first-teamer like Serge Gnabry on the pitch next to him, Irankunda stood out as the most dangerous player on the pitch.
Hopefully, Kompany will take him to the Asia Tour and focus on his continued development, given the current situation that Bayern have on the wings. It’s practically unheard of for a youngster from the A-League to make it onto the starting XI of a European giant, but it was also unheard of for a teenager from MLS to do it before Alphonso Davies was discovered by Bayern.
Maybe lightning can strike twice.
Bayern Munich is squandering an audience
Only the most hardcore fans of a team watch preseason games, and Bayern Munich seem determined to make it impossible for them to tune in. Instead of making it freely available on YouTube, the games have been locked behind an FCBayernTV Plus subscription. It makes actually watching the games a massive chore, and puts off a ton of fans who would otherwise tune in.
Today’s game (as well as the rest of pre-season games) will be broadcast exclusively on FC Bayern TV Plus. You need a subscription to be able to watch https://t.co/79MU7NvfIL
— Bayern & Germany (@iMiaSanMia) July 28, 2024
Frankly, putting games like these behind a paywall makes no sense. Only a small fraction of the existing fanbase would opt to tune in for a preseason friendly, and the revenue generated (a month long subscription costs around €4) can’t be worth the opportunity cost compared to putting the games on the club’s YouTube channel.
The upcoming games vs Tottenham, for example, could have been a good time to get some new eyes on the team at a time there’s not much else to watch (football wise), and could generate some buzz about Bayern’s season. Instead, as it stands, the friendlies have been gated for only the most hardcore fans, and anyone looking for a football fix will go watch another team instead.
Bayern Munich should reconsider this policy in the future.