Bayern’s pursuit of Kompany is history, as Reyna looks to improve
Bayern Munich manager Vincent Kompany was adamant before Wednesday’s 3-1 win over FC Cologne that goals, important points and records are about the players and not the coaches. He was more than willing to put aside his comparisons with his manager at Manchester City, Pep Guardiola.
After all, it was the great Guardiola who, in 2013-14, oversaw the best. Hinrunde (first half of the season) record. Whether Kompany broke the record set by his former coach – or just the goal difference at the new venue – will not cause the Belgian to go up or down.
Bayern have now scored 66 goals and are likely to beat their record of 101 goals in a single campaign, set in 1971-72 in Gerd Müller’s heyday.
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Their Müller of today, Harry Kane, once failed to score in midweek and although it has been far from Bayern’s outstanding performance this season, Kicker magazine had every reason to highlight. said Plattmacher on Thursday’s cover. Bayern are truly steamrollers in this term, and no one will stop them.
Kim Min-Jae received the player of the match award after a crucial intervention in the 1-1 against Cologne midfielder Jakub Kaminski and then the decisive goal. It served as a reminder, if necessary, that Bayern have quality up and down the pitch.
Even with many absences due to illness and injury, and at the time of writing, some concern about Konrad Laimer’s condition, the Bavarians are very strong.
RB Leipzig away on Saturday wore one of the toughest tests of the season Rekordmeisterbut no one will be surprised if he goes through it with another victory.
Borussia Dortmund remain close supporters of Bayern and finished their best in peace Hinrunde from 2018-19 after defeating Werder Bremen 3-0.
It sounds emphatic enough, but it was actually Arbeitssiega victory that required a lot of hard work. The headliner came late in the game from under-performing striker Serhou Guirassy, who came off the bench to score his first Bundesliga goal in seven games.
BVB under Niko Kovač have that hard-to-beat quality about them, as evidenced by last season’s back-to-back run in the Bundesliga of just one defeat in 25, with that loss being narrow in Munich.
But frankly, Kovač admitted this week that Dortmund are in no condition to attack Bayern. It feels like belt and braces work, and finishing as the best of the rest is the league’s ultimate goal.
When United States international Giovanni Reyna left Dortmund for Borussia Mönchengladbach in the summer, there was hope among American fans that this would mean a guaranteed start for an undoubtedly talented player, however there is a question mark firmly placed over him.
As it happens, Reyna has started four league games and substituted eight times, which is also an important World Cup season. In Gladbach’s 5-1 loss to TSG Hoffenheim on Wednesday, coach Eugen Polanski kept him out of the game for the entire 90 minutes.
However, maybe that defeat might actually help Reyna’s situation, and she needs help right now. I say that because other players jump ahead of him in terms of the internal pecking order, not least 17-year-old Wael Mohya and the rejuvenated Florian Neuhaus.
And, just ask anyone who watches Gladbach week in and week out. There is a lot Luft nach oben (development area) and Reyna runs out of time. There are 17 Bundesliga games before the home tournament of his dreams. Reyna must consider this as the challenge of her career so far.
VfB Stuttgart won 3-2 against Eintracht Frankfurt on Tuesday. Kracher we summarize the directions these two big clubs are heading. Stuttgart have arguably been the most exciting, bravest team to watch so far this new calendar year.
Their strong and clinical pressing left Leverkusen out of control on Saturday and in the field Schlagabtausch (alternating blows) with a midweek saw died in Swabia take care of another powerful nut.
On the positive side, with Deniz Undav and Jamie Leweling providing endless headaches for their opponents, there is much to admire about Sebastian Hoeneß and his co-star. Now they have Ermedin Demirovic fit and firing again in sales.
Eintracht scored 36 goals Hinrunde and six in the last two games.
Their goalkeeping situation is fragile, with the decision to return to young Brazilian Kauã Santos after giving Michael Zetterer the gloves without paying dividends. That striker Younes Ebnoutalib, who made a wonderful game to beat Dortmund, will be out for a few weeks, did nothing to lift the gloom in Main.
You want a Trainardiskussion (the debate about whether the coach should stay in office)? I will give you two for you to notice.
First, there is the ever-present powder keg in Köln, where Lukas Kwasniok has seen his team go eight games without a win.
Disliked by category Kurve (the loudest part of the fan event), the former Paderborn coach could find himself in very hot water if Effzeh they lost on Saturday against their direct rival, Mainz.
It feels too early to start saying the same about Bremen’s Horst Steffen, another coach who went up to 2. Bundesliga last season. Steffen combined an expansive style of play with his old club Elversberg and was the target of a promotion push.
However, Bremen have collected just two points from six games and Friday’s home game against frustrated Frankfurt promises to be an emotional affair.
