The German champions have been strangely quiet in the summer window, which could greatly hamper their chances of European progress
Bayern Munich are back in the trophy-winning habit. After wrestling the Bundesliga title back from Bayer Leverkusen in comfortable fashion last season, Vincent Kompany opened their new campaign with a 2-1 German Super Cup victory over Stuttgart, as goals from Harry Kane and new addition Luis Diaz saw off the DFB-Pokal winners.
It was by no means a vintage performance, but that was understandable given Bayern only had a short pre-season due to their appearance at the expanded Club World Cup, and Kane was right in the thick of the celebrations after the final whistle. "Here we are, first one of the season," the England captain wrote on social media. "Oh, it feels good."
However, once the euphoria of clinching his second career trophy in the space of four months passed, Kane voiced his concerns about the lack of depth in Bayern's ranks, and put some pressure on the board to make more signings. "It's probably one of the smallest squads I've ever played in. There's still time until the transfer window closes and decisions could be made by Max Eberl, Christoph [Freund], and the coach," he told reporters. "We have some young players who have done very well in pre-season. We're a bit thin, but that's not in the players' control."
That last part was an understatement. Kompany has just 22 fit senior players to choose from at the moment, and Bayern only have two weeks left to bring in extra reinforcements, with the summer window due to swing shut on September 1. Should they neglect to do so, the ultimate goal of Champions League glory will be beyond the German champions in 2025-26, regardless of whether Kane continues to deliver the goods in the final third…
Getty ImagesLack of forward planning
Bayern forked out £66 million ($89m) to sign Diaz from Liverpool, which was a shrewd piece of business. The Colombia winger was instrumental to the Reds' Premier League title success last season, and could potentially be an upgrade on Leroy Sane, who departed for Galatasaray in June.
Diaz could hardly have made a better first impression at his new club, as Kane said after the Super Cup win: "I think you can see what he brings one-v-one. He's really sharp, really agile. The goal was a great run, a great finish. Scoring in your first competitive game for a new club is great and for it to be the winning goal is a perfect start for him."
The combination of Kane, Diaz, Michael Olise and Serge Gnabry was too much for Stuttgart, but Bayern have to pray that they all stay fit between now and January. That's because club legend Thomas Muller has joined the Vancouver Whitecaps while Kingsley Coman completed a move to Al-Nassr, which has diminished an attack that is also currently without star playmaker Jamal Musiala, who remains on the sidelines while recovering from surgery on an ankle fracture.
Olise filled in admirably for Musiala in a central role on Saturday, and youngster Tom Bischof, another summer addition, could also do that job, but neither of them are natural No.10s. Bayern's lack of forward planning has left Kompany in a bind. Die Rotenare still strong enough to hit the ground running in the Bundesliga, but there is a real risk of the current frontline suffering from burnout when the Champions League league phase kicks-off and the coach is unable to rotate.
AdvertisementAFPKane needs more support
Kane was Bayern's main source of goals last term as he netted 40 times in all competitions, including 26 in the Bundesliga, to clinch the Golden Boot for the second year running. But whenever the former Tottenham man had an off day, so did Bayern, most notably when falling to a damaging 2-1 defeat in the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final tie against Inter.
If Bayern are to emerge as realistic contenders for the European crown again, Kane needs more support, especially after Muller's exit. Unfortunately, the club's attempts to replace the German have proven fruitless so far.
Nick Woltemade was their first target, but Stuttgart have rejected three bids from Bayern already, the last of which came in at €60m (£52m/$70m). They have also seen a loan approach for Chelsea outcast Christopher Nkunku knocked back, with the Blues holding out for a permanent sale. The trail has since gone cold for both players, and Bayern could be left hamstrung if they give up now.
Although Olise and Diaz will score their fair share of goals to ease the burden on Kane, it's not sensible to be heading into the new season without a backup No.9. What happens when Kane inevitably suffers with fatigue, or worse, picks up a serious injury? The risk of that is greater than ever for the 32-year-old as he continues to start multiple games week in, week out with no proper rest.
Getty Images SportDefensive worries
There are also doubts around the quality of Bayern's defence, despite their capture of Jonathan Tah from Leverkusen. The Hamburg academy graduate has arguably been the best defender in Germany over the past two years, and he has gone straight into Kompany's starting XI ahead of Kim Min-jae, who has struggled for consistency since joining Bayern from Napoli in 2023.
But it's a move that has the potential to backfire. While it's true that Kim can be prone to the occasional error, and hasn't always been in sync with centre-back partner Dayot Upamecano, he does suit Kompany's high-line system. Tah is more physically imposing than Kim, but he doesn't possess the same speed and agility as the South Korean.
The full-back situation is even more concerning. With first choice left-back, Alphonso Davies, not expected to return from his ACL injury layoff until October, Josip Stanisic has been standing in, despite being far more comfortable on the opposite side, where Austrian midfielder Konrad Laimer now plays.
Raphael Guerreiro and Hiroki Ito can provide cover, but Kompany really could do with another specialist full-back or two at the peak of their powers. The Bayern boss is having to mend and make do because of the club's muddled transfer strategy, and he is the one who will come under pressure if that proves too steep a task.
Getty Images SportToo easy to cut open
Indeed, has reported that Bayern bosses see "no compelling reason" for more transfers to be pushed through this summer, despite the gaps across the pitch. Bayern have allowed 11 players to leave, including Mathys Tel, Joao Palhinha, Eric Dier and Adam Aznou, while making only three new signings – so how is Kompany supposed to take the next step forward after that?
He has begun handing minutes to teenage sensation Lennart Karl while Aleksandar Pavlovic is close to a return after surgery on an eye socket fracture, but Bayern are looking very short in the middle of the pitch. Bischof has plenty of potential, but he's still only 20, and Kompany will once again have to rely predominantly on long-term servants Leon Goretzka and Joshua Kimmich, which is far from ideal.
Kimmich faced criticism last season for being caught too far up the pitch when the ball was turned over, while Goretzka is no longer as mobile after reaching the age of 30, and Bayern have been too easy to cut open as a result.
