Three observations from Bayern Munichs impressive 4-0 win over Grasshopper Club Zürich
Bayern Munich is slowly |C|
maturing into a complete |D|
team under Vincent Kompany, |E|
and the progress can |F|
be seen game by |G|
game. The first preseason |H|
friendly (versus Rottach-Egern) was |J|
a messy affair, given |K|
that most players had |L|
only been training for |M|
a few days. The |O|
next game versus Düren |P|
was little better, with |Q|
the hard-fought draw versus |R|
a 4th division side |S|
leaving a poor first |U|
impression of the new |V|
coachs system. Since then, |Y|
however, things have been |Z|
looking up. The addition |A|
of the German NT |B|
players and an extra |C|
week of training paid |D|
dividends when Bayern Munich |E|
beat Tottenham 2-1 in Seoul. A |F|
week later, another week |G|
of training yielded an |H|
even more dominant performance, |J|
as the team went |K|
to London and slapped |L|
Spurs in their own |M|
back yard. The following |O|
game against WSG Tirol |P|
was a languid affair |Q|
lacking in intensity, which |R|
was quickly remedied in |S|
the DFB Pokal opener |U|
vs SSV Ulm. Now, |V|
we have this win |Y|
over Grasshopper Club Zürich, |Z|
a game which saw |A|
almost the whole squad |B|
take part, and the |C|
entire outfield subbed at |D|
the hour mark. Despite |E|
this, Bayern Munich played |F|
as a cohesive unit |G|
throughout, maintained an intense |H|
pressing effort, demonstrated solid |J|
positioning on and off |K|
the ball, and scored |L|
twice in each half |M|
(two goals by each |O|
set of outfielders). Comparing |P|
todays win over Grasshoppers |Q|
to the original draw |R|
vs Düren, you can |S|
see the way the |U|
team has evolved with |V|
each week of preseason. |Y|
Kompany has a plan |Z|
and hes slowly refining |A|
the execution by his |B|
players. So far, weve |C|
seen an improvement in |D|
not just the teams |E|
fitness, but the overall |F|
execution of the game |G|
plan. Compared to the |H|
complete stagnation we saw |J|
under Thomas Tuchel, Vincent |K|
Kompanys arrival has so |L|
far breathed new life |M|
into this Bayern Munich |O|
team. The Frenchman has |S|
been training with the |U|
team for less than |V|
a week and it |Y|
shows — hes clearly |Z|
not on the same |A|
wavelength as his teammates. |B|
However, that hardly seems |C|
to matter, as Olise |D|
plays like a precision |E|
instrument designed to create |F|
goals and assists. His |G|
goal today is hardly |H|
worth mentioning — it |J|
was a great finish |K|
off an opportunistic bounce. |L|
The rest of Olises |M|
game was much more |O|
impressive. He has an |P|
incredible first touch, turning |Q|
bad passes into good |R|
ones by virtue of |S|
his control alone. Hes |U|
not just someone who |V|
can cross the ball |Y|
and dribble — hes |Z|
adept at following runners |A|
and delivering through balls |B|
into the feet of |C|
attacking players. He can |D|
roam all over the |E|
pitch and is effective |F|
on both flanks, while |G|
also being a deadly |H|
threat via set piece |J|
deliveries. All things considered, |K|
Olise simply seems like |L|
a more complete footballer |M|
than the existing trio |O|
of Bayern Munich wingers. |P|
Lets see if those |Q|
first impressions last as |R|
competitive football begins in |S|
earnest this week. Grasshoppers |Y|
FC were completely shut |Z|
down in the first |A|
60 minutes, and it |B|
was thanks to João |C|
Palhinha. The Portuguese midfielder |D|
is showing glimpses of |E|
what he can do |F|
when shielding the defense, |G|
as his presence kept |H|
a makeshift backline of |J|
Eric Dier and Leon |K|
Goretzka safe for an |L|
entire hour. Youd be |M|
hard pressed to recall |O|
even a single chance |P|
the opponents created during |Q|
the first 60, because |R|
any halfway-decent pass was |S|
immediately smothered by the |U|
former Fulham man before |V|
the center-back even had |Y|
to intervene. Grasshoppers made |Z|
far bigger inroads into |A|
the Bayern box once |B|
Palhinha was subbed. While |C|
they still didnt score, |D|
Upamecano and Kim had |E|
much more work to |F|
do than Dier and |G|
Goretzka, simply because they |H|
didnt have a true |J|
DM protecting them. If |K|
these performances hold, João |L|
Palhinha might become “that |M|
guy” for Bayern Munich, |O|
similar to Javi Martinez |P|
back in 2013. Is Thomas |R|
Müller back to being |S|
a goalscorer? He hasnt |U|
been this aggressive in |V|
the box since ... |Y|
well, since the 2015/16 |Z|
season under Pep Guardiola. |A|
If Kompany is really |B|
following in the footsteps |C|
of Pep, should we |D|
expect to see more |E|
goals and fewer assists |F|
from the Raumdeuter going forward? |G|There |A|
is progress being made |B|
here
Michael Olise is |P|
as sharp as a |Q|
knife and twice as |R|
dangerous
João |U|
Palhinha may be turning |V|
into “that guy”
Bonus |Q|
observations
dir="ltr">Harry Kane looks leaner |H|
and fitter than he |J|
did before, and his |K|
movements have eased up. |L|
Whatever ailment bothered him |M|
during the Euros, it |O|
looks to be mending |P|
nicely.
Either the |Q| media was wrong or |R| Leon Goretzka still has |S| a chance. He probably |U| doesnt fancy playing center-back |V| for a whole season, |Y| but by using him |Z| this way Kompany signals |A| to the player that |B| theres still a way |C| for him to make |D| a comeback on the |E| team. It might not |F| help Bayern Munich sell |G| him, but it could |H| be good for locker |J| room harmony.
