Despite the last three games, Bayern Munich is having a fairly good start to the season.
There is no crisis at Bayern, far from it. But these last three games showed fans that the club is still vulnerable to losing and drawing games they are very capable of winning. While this might seem like nothing right now, these are the kind of results that will come back to bite the club in the back as the season progresses.
This piece is in no way an attack on head coach Vincent Kompany. This is not a reactionary piece that tries to attack everyone at the club with pitchforks because of a loss and two draws. There might be a new coach with a refreshing brand of football at the helm, but the problems are the same. Here are some to consider.
It’s time to start looking at the players, not the coach
When Thomas Tuchel saw off last season’s crash and burn of sorts, a major chunk of the blame was immediately placed on the coach and his tactics. This is a good time to revisit that sentiment. Are the fans still supposed to believe that all these players are completely faultless and of Bayern level?
By Matchday 4 Kompany seemed to have fixed everything wrong with the club last season, but has now just watched his team falter in three straight winnable games. It might be a tough pill to swallow, but perhaps some of these players simply are not as good their same untouchable selves from the 2020 Champions League run — and things will not change until there is a proper squad upheaval.
The fans were promised a rebuild after last season and instead were met with the controversial sale of two defenders. The signing of Micheal Olise, meanwhile, has been a hit. But he was far from the best winger in the world at the time of his signing and has instantly shown himself to be a class above the rest of Bayern’s wingers. There is a clear conclusion to be drawn from that.
In fact, I wrote a very similar piece last season after the loss to Saarbrücken last season. A tiny excerpt from that article:
People seem to think sacking Tuchel will magically solve everything when it clearly will not.
Tuchel might have turned out to be worse than initially anticipated, but the point still stands. Here we are — maybe, just maybe — it is the players.
The mentality of a mid-table club
A running trend since late 2022 has been that one bad result snowballs into another at Bayern. In the 2022/23 season, one bad game that ended in a draw led to another three. Last season, a bad result struck even longer and even harder. This season, albeit with limited sample size, the trend continues. Three different managers, but the same inability to come back from a draw/loss.
That is an issue in the club’s mentality. Bayern were known to come back guns blazing from any lackluster performances. Recently, it seems like they feel more and more defeated with each game that is not a win.
Some post-game quotes that clearly stood out after the 3-3 draw against Frankfurt displayed this new, distinctly un-Bayern-like mentality at the club.
Max Eberl:
“When was the last time Bayern ran 6 kilometers more in Frankfurt? When did Bayern play so dominantly in Frankfurt? Never! They were second in the Bundesliga and we crushed them. The only thing that really pissed us off is the result.” (via @iMiaSanMia)
Vincent Kompany:
“A fantastic performance from my team. Bayern lost here 5-1 last year, lost 5-1 another year. I think the expectation was big for [Frankfurt] to be able to do something. But there wasn’t any of it today” (via @iMiaSanMia)
Contrast this with the comments after Matchday 6 of the 2022/23 season in an almost identical situation after a 2-2 draw (through conceding a last-minute equalizer) against VfB Stuttgart, also having drawn the last 2 games in the league.
Hasan “Brazzo” Salihamidžić:
“That wasn’t enough today. We have to shift up two gears – three for Barcelona” (via @iMiaSanMia)
They require no elaboration. Simply put, praising a 3-3 draw in a game where Bayern had the opportunity to move 2 points clear has no place at this club, regardless of how good the football they played was. Since when does Frankfurt (with all due respect) go into a fixture with Bayern and expect to win?
There is a mentality issue that has existed for far too long. Bayern need to learn to bounce back from games again, because if the club lets one bad result get in the way of the next game…things will go south very fast just as they did last season.
Infatuation with playstyle
Tying into the previous point — it is understandable that everyone at the club is overjoyed to see an attacking brand of football after last season. But this style under Kompany is not the iconic ‘Bayern’ football everyone seems to think it is. There is far less control and balance when balanced brilliance has always been trademark Bayern. Lattek, Hitzfield, and Heynckes — all with distinct features of style but the same emphasis on balance all over the pitch.
This isn’t meant to denounce Kompany. Rather it is to say that everyone surrounding the club seems to love the high percentage of possession and presumed dominance every game but fails to recognize that that alone is not enough to win — and the last week is the greatest testament to the same. Dominating the opponent and playing a ‘fearless’ brand of football works as an excuse when you slip up once — not when it’s three games without a win.
Bayern beat a very strong Stuttgart side 3-0 with 37% possession last season. This season, they lost 1-0 to Villa with 70%. Both of these can be classed as one-off games, but it goes to show that in the end, you get points for a win, not for the amount of time you had the ball. Would you rather play fantastic football and lose or play boring football and win? The Bayern way lies between the two.
Kompany might learn it the hard way as Hansi Flick did in his second season with Bayern and tenure with Germany. Seven goals conceded by Bayern after six Matchdays is the most since the 2008/09 season, with the only exception of Flick’s 2020/21 season. Do you see what I’m trying to say?
It might look good in the statistics or more interesting to watch but it will remain ineffective against bigger teams unless Kompany realizes the fundamental issue at hand — lack of balance. But Kompany is doing a lot of things right too, and that brings us to our next point.
Great Kompany atmosphere, but what could be better?
Regardless, Kompany has done well. He has established an atmosphere that the players appreciate, and a play style that players enjoy. There is a breath of fresh air at the club, and you cannot help but applaud Kompany for it.
The initial games were promising, but the challenging games showed that there is a need to improve. This takes us back to our need for balance, and whether or not Kompany is willing to adapt.
Vincent Kompany was asked whether he was planning on maintaining his aggressive, intensive approach throughout the entire season or whether the constant pressing is too exhausting for the players.
His answer is a clear yes: “That’s my personality! You have to be ready in your mind – but we wouldn’t be the first team to maintain that for an entire season. We can expect that from ourselves.” (via @iMiaSanMia)
It is commendable how true Kompany remains to his coaching philosophy, but there is a thin line between brave and foolish. Bayern has already been fatigued with injuries, and the all-out attack approach not only isn’t helping Bayern’s defense but is also not yielding the goals it should for it to be a worthy tradeoff. There is no way around this except for a slightly more balanced — some mighty even say ‘boring’ — approach. Kompany is still a young coach and he will learn — but the sooner he does, the better.
A call for normalcy
Bayern is an incredibly privileged club to be able to raise such questions after one loss and two draws. As fans, we can appreciate the high level of football being played while being critical of why even at such a high level, things are not working as they should.
This team could win every game henceforth, or the team might struggle a lot more. Regardless, we as fans need to back our manager. It is not fair to use how Julian Naglesmann or Thomas Tuchel were treated as a baseline for how the club and fans should treat Vincent Kompany. This club needs continuity, desperately.
What do you think — do you agree with the problems floated in this article? Or do you disagree completely? Tell us in the comments below!
