MUNICH — It’s probably not an example of perfect planning to be stationed here this week, if the thought of partying leaves you cold. Oktoberfest, or the Wiesn (meadows), as the world’s largest and most famous beer festival is often referred to, has been in full swing since last weekend.
Once the famous words “O’zapft is” (the first beer barrel is tapped) are uttered, the race is on to consume copious quantities of the many different varieties of Munich beer accompanied by convivial chat with friends while often wearing traditional Bavarian costume. (At this point, it’s worth emphasizing that lederhosen are not some sort of national dress for all Germans, but rather a distinctly Bavarian feature.)
Bayern Munich, of course, are expected to join the merriment on one assigned day every year, and last Sunday — a day on from hammering Werder Bremen 5-0 up north — was the chosen afternoon for Vincent Kompany and his players to roll up and, well, be Bavarians.
The Belgian stressed before the visit to the Theresienwiese, the home of the festival since 1810, that it was a chance for him to sample and better understand local culture in his new home. Kompany’s previous experience of this country was as a player with Hamburger SV, and it would be fair to say traditions up near the North Sea are quite different. Certainly, no one is wearing lederhosen.
The former Manchester City defender might be only a few weeks into the job but has adapted well to Munich life already, and it’s tempting to mention the similarities between his approach and formula and that of his mentor, Pep Guardiola, a football thinker still greatly revered at Bayern’s headquarters on the Säbener Strasse.
Bayern are a talented squad of individuals, but Kompany has them prospering in a tactical constellation that brings out the enjoyment in acting as a team, and that’s not always an easy feat for a head coach of a high-profile club.
Thomas Müller used the word “spass” (“fun”) this week, and it made us all realise that it had been missing from Bayern. Of course you’re bound to have fun when you score 20 goals in three matches in a single week, or when you outshoot the opposition 25-0 as was the case at the Weserstadion.
So what are Bayern doing differently? For one thing, relentlessly pressing the other team, and doing so happily for 90 minutes. There is a complete commitment to winning the ball back quickly high up the pitch, and this has Kompany’s stamp on it.
We are even seeing little Guardiola-esque touches like Alphonso Davies, normally a flying full-back who hugs the left touchline, often pinched inside Kingsley Coman in Bremen.
Gone is the overthinking and inertia that bedeviled the Rekordmeister at times in their first trophyless campaign since 2011-12, and now this once again feels properly like Bayern.
It’s impossible to talk about the fresh start under Kompany without highlighting Michael Olise‘s blistering beginning. Five goals in six games for his new club only begins to tell the story.
Naturally left-footed but playing on the attacking right in a 4-2-3-1, Olise has a skills repertoire most footballers can only dream of. There is subtlety, imagination and an eye for design as well as finishing prowess. Even at a transfer fee of €53 million, board member for sport Max Eberl and the other Bayern decision-makers might feel they’ve landed something of a bargain by adding the former Crystal Palace man.
Olise fits perfectly with Harry Kane, who has already shattered new records these past days — top all-time English scorer in both the Champions League and the Bundesliga. With 10 goals in six matches, including his fifth career Bundesliga hat trick against Holstein Kiel and a Viererpack (four-goal haul) in the 9-2 Champions League thumping of Dinamo Zagreb, the England captain is well on his way to becoming the dominant striking figure in German football for a second season running.
Jamal Musiala, meanwhile, continues to thrive playing behind and sometimes even just beyond Kane, constantly making the impossible look routine with adept dribbling, running and passing.
Other decisions Kompany has made: Joshua Kimmich is his midfield fulcrum, not a right-back, even in the injury absence of Josip Stanisic and Sacha Boey. The ball-playing Aleksandar Pavlovic suits the Kompany-Bayern midfield vision, and it could mean big-money signing João Palhinha spending more time than anticipated on the bench.
Whereas Thomas Tuchel bounced between different central defenders, Kompany has made it very clear with his selections that he’s committed to the partnership of Dayot Upamecano and Kim Min-Jae.
Manuel Neuer missed the Bremen game after his collision with Dinamo Zagreb’s Bruno Petkovic but will play against Leverkusen on Saturday.
I’ve used this space to try to spell out how complete Bayern have been so far this season, but there is one caveat: The real tests have yet to come, and there’s no doubt that Bayer Leverkusen — despite a shaky defence — can trouble them in a way most cannot.
From there, the fixtures continue to be rigorous: Aston Villa away, revitalised Eintracht Frankfurt away, VfB Stuttgart — who finished above Bayern last season — at home and then a meeting with former coach Hansi Flick and his Barcelona side away. That’s not to ignore the Torfestival (goal fest) from the past three games, but rather to make the point that if they continue in this vein against their next, more challenging opponents, I’m not sure anyone will touch Bayern domestically this season.
Plus, never underestimate what Bayern at home (dahoam in Bavarian) means in a campaign everyone here hopes will end with a Champions League victory in front of their own fans. This week, dahoam represents the joys of the Wiesn, playing in special Oktoberfest kits and the chance to avenge the crushing 3-0 reverse suffered in Leverkusen at the height of Rheinland-Karneval time.
In a country where football often meets culture and community, stand by to enjoy a terrific spectacle on Saturday no matter how it unfolds.
