Bayern Munich opened up their competitive fixtures list for the season with a 4-0 win over SSV Ulm in the first round of the DFB-Pokal, comfortably dispatching of the 2. Bundesliga side in Vincent Kompany’s first official match as Bayern manager. A brace from Thomas Müller and goals from both Kingsley Coman and Harry Kane rounded out the victory for the Rekordmeister in what a display of predominantly one way traffic in Ulm. The home side had only managed to register one shot on frame the entire match; a shy tally next to Bayern’s seven.
Kompany chose to start the midfield pivot of Joshua Kimmich and Aleksandar Pavlović ahead of the back four of Raphaël Guerreiro, Dayot Upamecano, Kim min-Jae and Josip Stanišić, while Müller, Serge Gnabry, Mathys Tel and Jamal Musiala comprised the attacking four. For Kimmich, it was a return to midfield after he spent the better part of the second half of last season playing as a right back under Thomas Tuchel and likewise for Julian Nagelsmann and Germany in the buildup to, and at, EURO 2024.
For Bayern’s number 6, he surely would have been delighted to have returned to his preferred midfield position alongside Pavlović, but after the match, he insisted that he is always willing to put in a shift regardless of where the manager asks him to play. “I’ve always said that I try to have fun on the pitch no matter the position. When you win 4-0, then everything’s fine. The two quick goals gave us the calm we needed. Not everything was perfect today but we were determined to win and advance to the next round,” he explained (via @iMiaSanMia).
With João Palhinha now also added to Bayern’s depth in the center of midfield, there is now one man out, and it seems to be Leon Goretzka. He was not in the squad for the win over Ulm and there is now increasing speculation that the former Schalke and VfL Bochum player could be leaving the club before the summer transfer window closes.
When Kimmich was asked about his compatriot and teammate, he did not want to say too much other than how much he enjoys playing alongside him in midfield and that decisions made by the club are beyond his reach. “It’s not my decision. From a player’s point of view, I’d like to be with him on the pitch. Everyone knows that we’re good friends, so I feel a bit sorry for him. But as I said, it’s not my decision but the decision of the coach and the club. I don’t know about the talks they had,” Kimmich told ZDF (via @iMiaSanMia).
Looking for more thoughts and analysis on Bayern Munich’s dominant 4-0 win over SSV Ulm in the DFB-Pokal? Good, then we have you covered with our Bavarian Podcast Works — Postgame Show where we break down the starting XI, the scoring and subs, who stood out vs. who fell short, the Leon Goretzka situation, and a whole lot more. Check out the podcast on Patreon, Spotify, or below:
