There was an unusual heaviness in the air at the obligatory CL banquet at the Rosewood Hotel in London’s Holborn district. The first competitive defeat of the season depressed the mood, the 3-1 defeat at Arsenal had hit FC Bayern hard. CEO Jan-Christian Dreesen nevertheless searched for the right words – and found them in a mixture of honesty, recognition and confidence.
Dreesen began with a look at the impressive run that had been broken that evening. 18 games without defeat, including 17 wins – a run that was exceptional even by Bayern’s standards. The last defeat was 144 days ago, in the Club World Cup quarter-final against Paris Saint-Germain.
Dreesen did not take the fact that the team suffered another setback in London lightly: „Of course it’s difficult to accept something like that.“ At the same time, he showed himself to be a fair sportsman and praised the performance of the Premier League leaders: „We deserved to lose in the second half. Arsenal rightly won.“
„Better now than in the knockout phase“
While the evening was undoubtedly disappointing, the board boss recalled an old Bayern adage: defeats at the right time can be valuable. „Some have said today that it’s better now than in the knockout phase. And of course there’s something to that,“ Dreesen emphasized – striking a note that resonates throughout the club.
In fact, the record champions have established a brilliant starting position this season, and the defeat in London does nothing to change the fact that Bayern have been one of the strongest teams in the Champions League so far – even if Arsenal are currently the only team that continues to march through the competition with a clean sheet.
Dreesen also reminded everyone that the season so far is much more than just this one game. The team has „intoxicated“ him, said the 58-year-old. The soccer under Vincent Kompany is not only successful, but inspiring – a central building block in the current Munich project.
The view continues immediately
And that is precisely why his speech ended with a clear commitment to the team and the coach: „We know what we have in you. We trust you, you are a top team.“
With this message, he not only strengthened the team, but also head coach Vincent Kompany: „Dear Vincent, it’s a shame today, but we are happy together with you and look forward to the next game against St. Pauli.“
The club drew the right conclusions from the defeat. Instead of self-doubt, Dreesen deliberately chose the path of confidence – and made it clear that the focus is now on reaction and further development. London was a setback, but not one that will throw FC Bayern off course.