New manager Vincent Kompany is slowly settling into his new role at Bayern Munich and has made some important signings. Kompany doubled his dominance in his first week as manager, as Bayern registered a 4-0 win against SSV Ulm.
This win brought newfound assurance amongst the fans with Bayern Munich tickets.
The fans with season Bayern Munich tickets are excited to see how the Englishman handles the Munic club in his first season. Alongside the win, Bayern’s signing of João Palhinha was a crucial step and an assurance that things are heading in the right direction.
Palhinha Signed from Fulham
Bayern Munich finally signed Portugal midfielder Joao Palhinha from Fulham on Thursday for a reported fee of 49 million euros ($53 million) after coming close to acquiring him last year. The 28-year-old, who spent two years at Fulham after arriving from Sporting Lisbon in 2022 for 22 million euros, signed a four-year contract.
Bayern had been poised to sign Palhinha in 2023; the defensive midfielder had even posed in the club’s strip, but the deal fell through just before the transfer window closed, disappointing all with Bayern Munich tickets.
This time around, they made the right decision. In a statement, Palhinha said it was “one of the happiest days of my life,” adding, “This is a dream come true for me… I want to enjoy success with Bayern and win titles.” Sporting director Max Eberl said the player was “highly sought after by Bayern even last summer –- and rightly so. We needed never to lose touch.”
Palhinha, who has scored twice in 31 international appearances, played in Portugal’s Euro 2024 campaign, which ended in the quarter-finals at the hands of France. His signing is Bayern’s third significant arrival of the summer, as the club continues a summer rebuild after a first season without a trophy since 2012.
Forward Michael Olise and centre-back Hiroki Ito have already joined the club, alongside manager Vincent Kompany, who was appointed coach at the end of last season.
Kompany will be tasked with returning Bayern to the top of the German football tree after their streak of 11 straight Bundesliga titles was broken last season. Bayern were eliminated in the semi-finals of the Champions League by eventual winners Real Madrid, while Bayer Leverkusen won the league and cup double under manager Xabi Alonso.
Kompany will be under additional pressure because the Champions League final will be held at Bayern’s Allianz Arena next season.
What We Learnt from Bayern’s 4-0 win against SSV Ulm
Before the game, Bayern Munich veteran Thomas Müller gave an interview where he said he wasn’t sure what his role would be under Vincent Kompany. Some have speculated that this would be the season that Müller winds down his career, with a view to retirement next summer.
The fans with Bayern Munich tickets were a little moved by this statement – they didn’t want their legendary player out of action. This game just put all those narratives to rest. Thomas Müller is part of Vincent Kompany’s plans. Only one question remains — where does he play, exactly?
Against Ulm, the 34-year-old started as a central striker, with Mathys Tel and Serge Gnabry playing on either flank and Jamal Musiala playing behind him. Then, around the 70th minute, the coach subbed on Harry Kane for Musiala, and Müller settled in next to him to create a two-striker setup (or a double attacking midfielder setup) akin to a 4-2-4.
While Müller played the same way he always has—exploiting gaps in the opposition’s defence via his movement and vision—his actual position on the pitch remains an enigma. When Harry Kane plays, he looks like an advanced attacking midfielder. When it’s Musiala, he plays like a proper striker (or at least a false nine).
So, what happens when both Harry Kane and Jamal Musiala play?
Does Thomas Müller find a place on the starting XI with both of them fit and available, or does he drop to the bench? For now, he’s making a solid case for his inclusion — let’s see what Kompany decides going forward. After years of coaches trying to reinvent the wheel, it’s nice to have someone who remembers to stick to the basics.
The substitutions exemplify this mindset. Instead of changing the team’s shape with overly clever subs, Kompany brought on like-for-like. He subbed attackers for attackers and midfielders for midfielders. He refused to touch the defence (until the very end), which is only natural in a knockout tournament like the DFB-Pokal.
Coaches sometimes dislike substitutions because they can upset the game’s balance, yet Kompany used all five of his subs without his team missing a beat. The players who came on immediately slotted into simple roles and got straight to work. The only one who had to adjust was Thomas Müller, who dropped in next to Harry Kane — but Müller has more than enough game intelligence to make adjustments like that on the fly.
As a result, Bayern Munich played a full 90 minutes without any noticeable drops in intensity. The subs were harmoniously integrated—they didn’t upset the established rhythm. Of course, there were occasional mental lapses (especially in defence), but it was an excellent start for the coach in his first competitive game.
Michael Olise is a Big Signing
The guy just got here; he’s barely had any training sessions with the team. Yet he still managed to assist Kingsley Coman (possibly one of the worst finishers at Bayern Munich) with his very first touch of the ball. That’s one hell of a way to make a first impression against thousands with Bayern Munich tickets.
For now, his lack of familiarity with the team was apparent. Shortly after Coman’s goal, Olise laid off a ball for Thomas Müller and then cut inside but didn’t run into space — thereby missing the return pass from the Raumdeuter. If Olise had been more familiar with Müller’s game, he could have anticipated the return and run diagonally into the box instead of cutting horizontally across — which would have almost certainly led to a goal.
That sort of familiarity comes with training. For now, Olise has made an excellent impression with his first appearance in a Bayern shirt. We hope he continues to bloom as he integrates into the team and the coaches closely monitor his fitness.
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