The last friendly for Bayern Munich turned out to be a bit of a snoozer as the Bavarians waltzed their way to an easy 3-0 win over WSG Tirol. While the match might have lacked excitement, there were several talking points that emerged, so let’s dive in. Here are some quick hitters on the game:
- As always, let’s start with a look at Vincent Kompany’s lineup:
- The lineup was makeshift and Kompany probably was gauging how to best get some established players minutes after returning from vacation, with also getting longer looks at young players. The really interesting part is how few first team players even made the trip to sit on the bench.
- Leon Goretzka was supposed to play, but missed the game due to a pelvic injury. That was not ideal for a guy fighting for playing time.
- It did not take long for Bayern Munich to get the scoring going. In the 3rd minute, Alphonso Davies drove down the left side and found Harry Kane, whose first attempt was blocked before he ultimately scored.
- As expected, even with a mixed lineup, Bayern Munich was superior.
- Kingsley Coman…woof. His finishing is still subpar.
- WSG Tirol did give Bayern Munich a good look with its high-pressing, a tough look to compete against. The Bavarians handled it really well, though. That was very good to see, especially with so many youngsters in the lineup.
- Javier Fernández, a midfielder, got the nod to start at center-back and handled himself adequately there for a 17-year-old. He was calm, composed, and made good decisions. Fernández was caught out of position a few times, but that is to be expected when a midfielder drops back to central defense.
- Bayern Munich dominated possession, but its attack was out of sync and lacked any of the cohesion that we saw in previous matches. In addition, there was no energetic and aggressive high-press to disrupt the opposition.
- During his time in the match, we saw Kane play very similar to what he did last season (sitting deep, not being a consistent presence in the box). That could be a problem (but he will score 30+ goals in the league either way).
- In the second half, Bayern Munich again got on the board early as João Palhinha hit a nice volley for a goal.
- There was a clear up-tick in effort after the break.
- Because of the increased pressure, Bayern Munich was able to create a few chances. Nerstory Irankunda forced a bad turnover and was able to squirt the ball over to Gabriel Vidović, who made it 3-0.
- Vidović has done enough this preseason to earn himself another loan to a quality side.
- Total bummer not to see our guy Grayson Dettoni get his number called.
- Overall, Bayern Munich did what it needed to do — stay healthy, get young players time, and allow vets to shake off the rust. Bayern Munich has an interesting mix heading into the season, but interesting does not always mean winning (when it comes to titles). That’s what Kompany needs to solve. Losing some key players like Matthijs de Ligt and Noussair Mazraoui will not help, but the Bavarians look fairly close to having their roster finalized. Maybe moves like adding a center-back and losing a winger are still on the agenda, but for the most part, Kompany has a good idea of what he is working with. Will it be good enough for the club to get back to winning titles? Let’s all hope so.
If you missed out Initial Analysis, Match Awards, Observations, or Postgame Podcast, give them a look or a listen:
Noted pundit Didi Hamann was shocked when he saw that Brajan Gruda was making the move from Mainz 05 to Brighton & Hove Albion.
“After Musiala and Wirtz, Gruda is probably the best offensive player in Germany. It’s a mystery how you can let such a player leave the Bundesliga,” said Hamann.
It is curious how Gruda’s injury during Germany’s preparations for the EURO 2024 competition pushed him off the radar of so many Germany clubs — including Bayern Munich. Gruda was only a “camp invitee” helping the senior team get ready for the EUROs, but he had made a positive impression on Julian Nagelsmann and many of the players on the German squad.
So preseason is practically over and Bayern Munich have emerged with the prestigious Visit Malta Cup and extended bragging rights over Tottenham Hotspur supporters. However, who were the major winners and losers from the whole exercise? What did we learn about Vincent Kompany’s plans for next season?
In this episode, INNN and Samrin discuss the following:
- What is up with Leon Goretzka? Is he finally being pushed out?
- Will Vincent Kompany actually use Thomas Müller in an important role this season?
- Why Harry Kane might need to adjust his game.
- The new midfield — first impressions of Palhinha, and Joshua Kimmich’s current role.
- What we like from Kompany so far.
- The issue of selling Matthijs de Ligt and Noussair Mazraoui, and how this may have unforeseen consequences.
- Will Bayern Munich make further transfers this summer?
- Answering supporter questions re: Upamecano, the squad planning, and transfers.
Matthijs de Ligt is attempting to convince FC Barcelona midfielder Frenkie de Jong to join him at Manchester United:
Matthijs de Ligt has called former Ajax teammate Frenkie de Jong to try and convince him of a summer switch to Manchester United. De Jong could be sold by Barcelona as they try to pool together money to trigger Nico Williams’ release clause.
Tottenham Hotspur might be looking at Bayern Munich winger Kingsley Coman:
Tottenham Hotspur have a knack of signing players who are linked to the CAA Base agency, and now, they’re looking at another player from that stable. Indeed, James Maddison, Pedro Porro, Pape Sarr and Heung-Min Son are all signed up to this particular agency, as is Ange Postecoglou. Now, Tottenham could look at signing another CAA Base client in the shape of Kingsley Coman.
According to Steve Kay, speaking on KS1 TV, Tottenham are interested in signing Coman from Bayern Munich. According to the journalist, Spurs are interested in signing Coman this summer.
“A good player, he’s struggling for gametime at Bayern at the moment, a lot of good players there. There are going to be a lot of clubs after him. I know Spurs are a team looking at him. Interestingly there he’s a part of CAA Base, which a lot of Spurs players are linked to as is Ange Postecoglou.”
Bayern Munich wants Coman to go. Coman seems to be open to a move. Right now, Tottenham joins Paris Saint-Germain and FC Barcelona as clubs potentially interested in the Frenchman, but PSG could be out of the mix given its signing of Désiré Doué.
It feels like Coman’s saga could be something that goes to the wire and might depend on who gets injured between now and then.
Bayern Munich made its way over to England for a friendly with Tottenham Hotspur to fulfill an obligation on the Harry Kane transfer deal.
Mission accomplished.
Not only did Bayern Munich fulfill that part of the Kane deal, but it walked away with a 3-2 victory as well. There was much to discuss following the match, so let’s get to it:
- A look at Vincent Kompany’s starting XI.
- A rundown of the scoring and substitutions.
- Serge Gnabry looks like a man on a mission.
- Finally, it was cool to see Harry Kane get a nice ovation from Spurs fans.
- Bayern Munich’s first half press was an absolute game-changer, but it fell off a cliff in the second half after Kompany used subs.
- Mathys Tel needs more playing time.
- The backline could end up being a problem — Eric Dier might be the best of the three-headed monster.
Outgoing Juventus winger Federico Chiesa is drawing interest from Inter Milan and AC Milan:
After being linked with Inter in previous days, Juventus forward Federico Chiesa has now been offered to AC Milan.
Given Bayern Munich’s miss on Rennes attacker Désiré Doué, is it possible the Bavarians will renew interest in Chiesa, who has been off-and-on the club’s radar for years now?
The Saudis could be plotting a ludicrous and stupid move for Real Madrid star Vinicius Junior:
Given the subject matter, there is not much need for a preamble when it comes to Bayern Munich — this offseason has been filled with peaks and valleys. Let’s discuss those and a lot more on this edition of the Bavarian Podcast Works — Weekend Warm-up Show. This is what we have on tap:
- Bayern Munich is reportedly going to pass on a transfer of Bayer Leverkusen center-back Jonathan Tah — even if it sells Matthijs de Ligt to Manchester United.
- What Vincent Kompany’s plan to use Joshua Kimmich in the central midfield means for João Palhinha, Leon Goretzka, Konrad Laimer — and the biggest loser, Aleksandar Pavlović. Plus, how this affects the right-back candidates, Josip Stanišić and Sacha Boey.
- What do we need to look for during Bayern Munich’s friendly vs. Tottenham Hotspur this weekend.
- Finally, we are taking some dragon fire straight to that House of the Dragon season finale…yup, it was terrible and confirmed that this season was all about treading water — a mortal sin for a show.
Even with the signing of Matthijs de Ligt, Manchester United could still be looking at Everton center-back Jarrad Branthwaite. The injury to Leny Yoro has the club very worried:
Manchester United are weighing up another bid for Everton centre-back Jarrad Branthwaite after learning summer signing Leny Yoro is unlikely to play again in 2024.
Chelsea FC coach Enzo Maresca is still pushing for the club to get Victor Osimhen:
Chelsea head coach Enzo Maresca is desperate to bring in a new striker before the end of the window, and the club are now prioritising a move for Napoli’s Victor Osimhen.
