All eyes will be on the FC Bayern Campus today as the record German champions take on Swiss side Grasshopper Club Zürich for their match of the season before beginning their Bundesliga campaign. After being thoroughly dominated by Xabi Alonso’s Leverkusen last season, Bayern fans hope that things will return to normal and their team will win eleven of the last twelve domestic titles. With Thomas Tuchel and his horror season now behind them, Herbert Heiner and Uli Hoeneß will hope that their gamble on the somewhat inexperienced Vincent Kompany will pay off handsomely.
The Belgian is beginning his fifth year as a first-team manager, but his previous four stints were with Belgian side Anderlecht, where his best finish was third. He then went to Burnley in the Championship, where his brand of football wowed supporters and opponents alike. His Burnley side secured promotion with seven games to spare, tasting defeat thrice in 46 games. His sole season in the Premier League ended with Burnley’s tail between their legs with a record-low tally of 24 points. While many believe that Burnley’s relegation was because of the manager’s inflexibility and insistence on playing an attractive brand of football despite his players not having the required quality. Most of the players in the Burnley squad who had stormed the championship were no match for the Premier League and its riches.
His supporters, however, say that this is why Kompany will be successful in Bavaria. The team boasts without doubt not only the best squad but also the most depth in terms of quality. While Bayer Leverkusen knows that this season’s Bayern will be harder to beat than last season’s, Bayern knows they desperately underperformed in the previous season.
While they had a mixed pre-season campaign, Bayern thrashed Ulm 3-0 in the first round of the DfB Pokal, leaving fans hopeful that a corner has been turned. In the final game before facing Wolfsburg at the Volkswagen Arena, Bayern will play Grasshoppers Zürich. The evergreen Thomas Müller played up top as a striker in a 4-2-3-1, scoring a brace, showing that the team has a backup for Talisman Harry Kane. Although Joao Palhinha and Michael Olise have been added to the squad, this transfer window has disappointed Bayern regarding incomings and outgoings. They lost out on the pursuit of Désiré Doué to PSG and have so far been unable to shift Goretzka despite their efforts to actively freeze him out. Bayern are expected to win their friendly match today and every other game after that. At least, Kompany is expected to lead this side to the Bundesliga title.