Five Observations from Bayern Munich’s 4-0 victory over Tottenham Hotspur in the Telekom Cup
Bayern Munich faced Tottenham Hotspur in the pre-season Telekom Cup and walked out with a convincing 4-0 win. Here are a few observations from the game.
The scoreline does not tell the whole story…
A 4-0 win is convincing enough, but not when the game had a lot more going. The finishing troubles continue to haunt Bayern this season too, as players like Harry Kane and Leon Goretzka failed to score even from very simple and uncomplicated situations. Michael Olise, too, missed a clear tap-in in an instance and this was pretty much the theme of the first half. The attacking chances were phenomenal, the team interacted incredibly well and pressed incredibly well, and yet the result was not what it could have been.
In what was very atypical of Harry Kane, he missed a penalty. Let that sink in. Kane, a seasoned striker, slipped, got a double touch and missed a penalty. He had multiple misses throughout his time on the pitch. Additionally, he was positioned very bizarrely for a striker, often found dropping much deeper than the wingers, in almost a position between left wing and attacking midfield. Following last season’s finishing woes, it seems like Kane did not receive the memo on staying closer to the net.
Yes, Tottenham were extremely poor at their job; they crumbled with the press and had barely anything going on. They did not even remotely deny or sabotage Bayern’s chances – but Bayern was more than capable of doing it for themselves.
However, in the second half Kompany turned it over to the youth… which is a topic for later.
It was always you.
In the current circumstance where Bayern has virtually no depth in wings and is reliant on Serge Gnabry or Kingsley Coman, Luis Díaz is the single most important purchase the club could have made this season. Díaz had nothing short of a magical game – he was aggressive, smart, and gelled with the team extremely well.
His passing was quick, accurate and effective and his dribbling certainly catches the eye. Thankfully, he is not just another all-skills-no-output winger, but someone with the game intelligence and the timing sense needed to thrive at Bayern. His presence has single-handedly bolstered the attack, especially in the final third.
Is it too late now to say sorry?
There are people at Bayern to whom I owe long-due apologies and Leon Goretzka and Vincent Kompany are among them.
Goretzka first.
He had an amazing game. He was decisive, smart and handled the opponents with ease. Granted, he missed several major and easy chances. However, the improvement from an error-prone and easily overrun Goretzka to this new version of him, who seems a lot more composed, is more than enough for now.
Kompany, man. While he has received his share of deserved criticism, he seems to have turned a new leaf. The system, mostly unchanged, now looks full of players who are willing to, and are capable of handing an above-average performance every week. The signings have certainly done the Belgian a huge favour – Jonathan Tah was fantastic and Tom Bischoff too had an amazing game. However, what has really changed is his attitude towards youngsters. Choosing to sub in nearly every second team player he had on hand for the second half was not just bold, but also a decision that proved to be the best later on.
I also owe an apology to Sacha Boey – for he was not bad at all in his second half stint.
The kids aren’t alright…
They’re phenomenal.
Witnessing a phenomenal performance from a second team player is amazing enough on its own. However, against a team like Spurs, and when every youngster puts in a terrific performance, it is truly out of a dream.
From the terrific goals from Jonah Kusi-Asare and Lennart Karl, to the assists from Paul Wanner and Santos, and the performances from midfield and defense (Cassiano Kiala!), everything about these youngsters was incredible. It hardly felt like they were inexperienced kids – they did make a few errors as they tried to navigate their way through, but managed to put up a good fight, with their foot on the gas the whole time.
One can only pray that Kompany decides to let them play more often. If they can completely shut down Europa champions Tottenham Hotspur, they can be at least half-decent against Bundesliga teams.
Only know you love her when you let her go…
But not really.
It was disheartening to watch João Palhinha and Mathys Tel play like shadows of their former selves. Palhinha had a particularly bad game, and was responsible for conceding the penalty. He was constantly overrun by attackers and simply could not handle the situation. Tel, though he is an incredibly promising player, had a forgettable game too. While we cannot immediately jump to conclusions from one preseason friendly, it certainly makes it a lot easier to accept Tel being sold.
What do you think about the game? Let us know in the comments!
Looking for thoughts and analysis on Bayern Munich rousing 4-0 victory over Tottenham Hotspur in the Telekom Cup? Awesome, then we have you covered with our Bavarian Podcast Works — Postgame Show! We’ve got a look at the starting XI and our thoughts on why this lineup might not be too far off from what Vincent Kompany uses to begin the season, a rundown of the scoring and substitutions, and some final thoughts and takeaways on the match. You can get the show on Patreon, Acast, Spotify, any leading podcast distributor, or below:
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