FC Bayern will be shielding its training sessions at Säbener Straße even more effectively from prying eyes in the future. Following extensive renovations, coach Vincent Kompany now has three training fields at his disposal, each with complete privacy screening.
On Monday, the new XXL tarps were used for the first time during a training session. However, this was not yet part of any secret preparations for the Champions League match against Arsenal on October 21. Rather, the Munich team was simply kicking off training after the two-week international break.
Nevertheless, according to BILD, they went through the full training regimen right away: All of the new privacy screens were lowered. In addition, the existing curtain—which Bayern had installed during Pep Guardiola’s tenure—was also put to use.
Kompany keeps everything under wraps at the start of training
This made it virtually impossible to get a glimpse of the session. Kompany worked with just eight first-team players and a few youth players to kick things off. Numerous national team players are still with their respective national squads.
However, the new system didn’t work entirely smoothly during its debut. According to BILD, after about half an hour, roughly two-thirds of the new privacy screens suddenly rose again. The gray tarps, which are controlled by remote, rolled up, temporarily allowing a view of the training field once more.
Shortly afterward, the privacy screen was lowered again.
Under Kompany, Bayern can now be even more flexible in deciding which training sessions are open to the public. This makes it easier to shield tactical plays and lineup variations from public view, especially ahead of important matches.
Several Bayern stars back in training
Among those on the field on Monday were Joshua Kimmich, Jonathan Tah, and Nathaniel Brown. The trio had been scheduled by national team coach Jürgen Klopp to participate only in the first part of the recent DFB training camp and were therefore able to rejoin Bayern’s training sessions.
Manuel Neuer, Sven Ulreich, and Sacha Boey were also present. They were joined by Alphonso Davies and Luis Díaz, who had been given a break from their national teams during the international break.
Kompany also used the session—which still had a manageable number of players—to give several campus prospects a chance to train with the pros. Tim Binder, Vincent Manuba, Guido Della Rovere, Noah Codjo-Evora, and Bogdan Olychenko were given the opportunity to showcase their skills. U23 coach Dante also watched the session in person.
For Bayern, this marks the start of preparations for their Bundesliga away game against FC Augsburg. Kompany and his team have five days left until Saturday’s match.
However, it will likely be much harder for outsiders to discern what tactical drills the Bayern coach has them practicing in the meantime. The new privacy screens make Säbener Straße more of a sealed-off training zone than ever before.