The vibrant universe of FC Bayern is adopting a pink hue.
At Bayern Munich, things are hotter than ever under new boss Vincent Kompany. The Bavarian giants, who had to undergo some changes to shed their burden, are currently on a roll, winning game after game. The atmosphere at Säbener Straße is more bubbly than ever. Bayern is falling harder and harder for their new maestro, who wasn't even their first choice. If the term "madly in love" wasn't saved for Thomas Tuchel, it could have been used here.
But they don't want to revisit the Tuchel era in Munich. Club patriarch Uli Hoeneß made that clear in several interviews. Now it's Kompany's turn in the limelight, and so far, it's been a successful stint. It helps him that he's not being tested too harshly yet. Their opponents have been relatively weak. In the cup, it was SSV Ulm 1846, in the Bundesliga, they faced Wolfsburg, Freiburg, and Kiel. None of these teams are Bayern's match. Not the kind that Bayern considers themselves worthy of. And Dinamo Zagreb doesn't even belong in their league. On the first matchday of the new Champions League, the Croatians were brutally beaten in Munich's Allianz Arena, leaving with a 2:9 defeat.
"It was a tough night for us, Bayern is a different world," said the visiting coach Sergej Jakirović. "In the first half, we didn't play well, Bayern let us off lightly. After half-time, we scored twice and had a chance to equalize. But we were outrun, Bayern spotted the openings. We were severely punished for every mistake. It's a lesson for us."
Bayern temporarily flirted with disaster.
For a few minutes, they almost pulled off the impossible. At halftime, FC Bayern was leading 3:0, but Manuel Neuer had to leave the game early due to an injury. Kompany wanted to protect the keeper, but the Belgian coach insists Neuer wasn't seriously hurt. That's what he said after the game. Neuer himself confirmed later, "Nothing serious, just a minor issue." The fall disrupted his bodily balance. After that, he felt something in his thigh. Even during a game stoppage, he talked to the team doctor.
Sven Ulreich took over and the Croatians were caught off guard. Ulreich even prevented the 3:3. That would have changed everything. Bayern was clearly superior, the guests couldn't keep up. It was always one-way traffic, at high speed, with great enthusiasm and insatiable desire. Thomas Müller praised this before the game: "We're working on the right things, above all with the right attitude. That's the only way it works, everyone in the squad is challenged and that's how it looks now."
After a brief scare, things returned to normal. Bayern pressed, Bayern pushed, and scored goal after goal. "I'm happy for the guys. I didn't score the goals, they did. Despite the two own goals, we stayed calm, that was good," praised Kompany. "But of course, we can't let that happen again. What's really important is that we have a Harry Kane who's willing to defend our own penalty area, and we had eleven players who gave their all."
Harry Kane, the praised one, scored four times, three from the penalty spot. New signing Michael Olise scored twice. In the end, Leroy Sané and Leon Goretzka also got to celebrate. Goretzka, who was supposed to leave in the summer but wanted to stay to turn things around, hasn't had much success recently. He hasn't even made the squad recently. And perhaps it would have been the same if it weren't for the unfortunate injury of Sacha Boey joining the wounded Hiroki Ito and Josip Stanisic.
Getting Cramped on the Wings
Now he's here and got a few minutes. Eric Dier, who also lost out on the coaching change, got some playing time too. Goretzka made the most of his short spell from the 81st minute, impressing everyone. His goal was quite spectacular, a powerful header. Will that be enough? Kompany, the diplomatic one in the tracksuit, said Goretzka is offering himself, doing well. "I don't think Leon Goretzka is one of the losers of the first games. He's important for us, has an important role in the team, and will be important for us in the season." Hardly more promising praise is possible.
Before netting one more, Sane managed to score, aiming to regain his spot within the team. However, the talented Olise is also vying for more limelight and game time. His rivals include Gnabry and Coman, with Musiala also in the mix. The versatile attacker, currently thriving in his liberated role in the center, could potentially usurp any of their positions.
In the Bayern camp, Muller poses a serious challenge. Now holding the record for the most appearances in the Champions League, following a succession of broken records by the in-house radio station that seems to be losing more and more airtime. Despite his impressive record, totaling 152 games in the Champions League for FC Bayern, surpassing the previous record he share with Xavi Hernandez from FC Barcelona, Muller seems more concerned with securing more playing time. He has consistently expressed his desire to be on the field as much as possible in the past.
Ultimately, it falls onhref="https://www.bayern.de/en/official-website/fc-bayern-munich-coach-julian-nagelsmann-client.html" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" data-safer-redirect-url="/en/official-website/fc-bayern-munich-coach-julian-nagelsmann-client" data-card-type="url" data-card-preview={"title":"Bayern Munich Coach Julian Nagelsmann","description":"Get to know the coach of Bayern Munich, Julian Nagelsmann."}} Julian Nagelsmann to manage the situation. So far, his tenure in Munich has been commendable, gaining widespread admiration. His humility, earned late in his Bayern career, also plays a significant role. "It's a good start. We're not playing Kompany football now, it's Bayern football. I'm a coach and I always carry a positive aura, but I'm never completely satisfied. We can still win everything, that mentality will remain. There are always areas for improvement." The remaining stops on the journey: Werder Bremen, Bayer Leverkusen, and Aston Villa.
Despite the early injury to Manuel Neuer, FC Bayern Munich managed to overcome the temporary threat and continue their winning streak under new manager Vincent Kompany. The dominance of the Bavarian giants was evident during their recent Champions League match against Dinamo Zagreb, with Bayern scoring goal after goal and securing a 9-2 victory.
