FC Bayern defeated SV Elversberg 2-1, securing their fifth win in six competitive matches of the new season. However, the record champions are still far from playing at their best. Especially in the first half at the Kaiserlinde, they lacked pace, precision, and a finishing touch.
Aleksandar Pavlovic agreed. “We have to do better in the first half. We were better in the second half. We conceded a goal, but then it was important that we kept going and played our game. That really worked well, which is why we deserved to win,” the midfielder explained to DAZN after the match.
Winning goal scorer Harry Kane also acknowledged afterward that Munich hasn’t yet reached its highest level. The Englishman sees room for improvement, especially when it comes to converting chances.
For Vincent Kompany, however, the current inconsistencies don’t come as a complete surprise. At the post-match press conference, the Bayern coach explained why his team hasn’t yet reached 100 percent at this early stage of the season.
Kompany points to the heavy workload
“It’s true that the first half today showed that we still have work to do. We shouldn’t forget that the guys didn’t have a long vacation. They came back, won the Super Cup in Dortmund, beat Stuttgart, and beat Bodø. We should keep that in mind,” Kompany explained.
Preparation for the new season was anything but normal for Bayern. Several players didn’t fully rejoin training until later due to injuries. At the same time, the summer break was short for many players.
Kompany therefore doesn’t want to make a bigger deal out of the mixed first half against Elversberg than it was. At the same time, the Belgian made it clear that he was by no means completely satisfied with the performance.
“Yes, we could have been better in the first half. We’re aware of that. Moments like this happen during a season, and we have to respond to them. It wasn’t such a bad performance, but it wasn’t a 100-percent performance with 100-percent focus, with or without the ball. The question is how to manage that over the course of an entire season.”
Five wins in six games speak for Bayern
Despite their struggles on the field, the results so far have been solid. Bayern has won five of its first six competitive matches. Only in the 0-0 draw at Schalke did the record champions have to settle for a single point.
The fact that the last two Bundesliga away games—against promoted teams, of all things—proved to be difficult should still be on Kompany’s mind. Against Elversberg, however, Munich found a way to respond after the score was tied 1–1 and secured the victory thanks to Kane’s goal.
That is precisely what is likely to be crucial for the Bayern coach at this stage. His team is still in the process of finding its footing, but is already racking up important points and wins.
So there’s certainly no cause for alarm. Kompany knows that Bayern still has work to do. At the same time, five wins in six competitive matches show that the Munich team can still deliver results even when not everything is running smoothly and the team hasn’t yet reached its peak performance.