Tom Bischof has had a remarkable debut season at FC Bayern. The 20-year-old has collected numerous minutes of action, impressed with his versatility – and could now even crown his first season in Munich with the double. But the start has obviously been anything but easy
In an interview with Sky, the U21 international spoke openly about his initial problems at the record champions – in particular about the surprising change in role under coach Vincent Kompany
Bischof is normally considered a central midfielder, but due to the tight personnel situation, Vincent Kompany increasingly deployed the youngster as a full-back over the course of the season – both on the left and right
It was a change that Bischof found difficult at first: „I had a bit of a problem accepting it at first, especially in the first one or two games,“ the 20-year-old admitted openly
Defensively in particular, the former Hoffenheim player obviously had to get used to the new demands at the highest level
Kimmich helped the youngster
Discussions with experienced teammates were particularly important during this phase, with Joshua Kimmich in particular helping him to better accept the situation. „He told me that I would get my chance,“ revealed Bischof
Looking back, the adjustment paid off: „I’m just happy that I could now also help out on the left and help the team.“
Despite the difficult initial phase, Bischof was particularly enthusiastic about coach Vincent Kompany. The Belgian had developed him enormously and placed a lot of trust in him right from the start. „I’ve learned a brutal amount,“ explained the Bayern youngster
Bischof was particularly impressed by the coach’s coaching in everyday life: „In the early days, he helped me a lot and coached me a lot with every action.“
Karl with great learning progress
bischof played 37 competitive matches in his first season at FC Bayern, scoring three goals and providing three assists
However, his sporting development was probably even more important: „I’ve never had a season in which I’ve learned as much as I have now under him,“ emphasized the 20-year-old
His newfound flexibility in particular could prove to be a great advantage in the long term – both at FC Bayern and in the German national team.