Jamal Musiala, relegation woes, and more: three things we learned from Bayern Munich’s victory over Holstein Kiel
Bayern Munich dismantled Holstein Kiel 6-1 away from home at the Holstein-Stadion to continue their perfect start to life under Vincent Kompany.
Having easily breezed into an early 3-0 lead, Der Rekordmeister had threatened to turn this tie into a vintage Bayern battering just a quarter of an hour into the game.
Kiel were able to dig their heels in and subsequently held Kompnay’s side at bay for half an hour before Harry Kane added a fourth just before the interval.
After the break, it was clear that Bayern had taken their foot off the gas, registering a fifth and a sixth but conceding a goal to Kiel in the process, who offered their fans something to cheer about.
Regardless, the record champions put the game to bed after twelve minutes and will sit at the top of the Bundesliga table at the end of matchday three, while Kiel remain at the foot of the table, with a lot of work to do in the coming weeks.
Vintage Jamal Musiala
Over the past few weeks, Jamal Musiala has been headline news for a plethora of reasons.
Whether it be due to the fact he was shunned from the Ballon d’Or shortlist; Bayern are hoping to renew his deal at the club; or due to the fact that the record champions are hoping to link the 21-year-old up with Florian Wirtz in the summer of 2025, Musiala’s name has been everywhere.
However, this has subsequently led to his recent performances being analysed in excruciating detail, with claims now being made that Musiala should be offloaded in favour of Wirtz rather than securing the long-term futures of both individuals.
Despite this, against Kiel, it was clear from the first whistle that the 21-year-old was only ever going to use these claims to prove those who doubted and questioned him wrong.
Having opened the scoring, Musiala was key for Bayern’s third goal; after weaving his way past a number of Kiel defenders, his drilled ball into the six-yard box hit the unfortunate Nicolai Remberg, who could only bundle the ball into the back of the net.
While he may have been withdrawn at halftime, the damage he caused had already put the game beyond Kiel’s reach, and should Musiala use this performance to kickstart his campaign, then it could be a magical season for the Bayern Academy graduate.
Holstein Kiel are staring down the barrel of relegation
Prior to kick-off, there were concerns that Kiel would be stuck to the bottom of the Bundesliga table after their meeting with the record champions unless they were able to show some quality yet to be seen since their promotion.
However, them concerns rapidly turned into sheer dread after just 18 seconds when Musiala opened the scoring.
From then on, the hosts looked lost at sea against Bayern, and while they are certainly not expected to go toe-to-toe with Kompany’s side, their performances thus far this season have been severely worrying.
As of yet, they have been unable to prove how they may be able to survive this season, and as time goes on, it is becoming more apparent that they could turn out to be this season’s whipping boys in Germany’s top flight.
In years gone by, Heidenheim, Union Berlin, and Werder Bremen have all shown how courage, discipline, and a douse of quality are the required ingredients to avoid relegation, but after just three games, Kiel appear to have left all three in the 2. Bundesliga.
Bayern Munich struck gold with Vincent Kompany
When Der Rekordmeister appointed Kompany to be Thomas Tuchel’s successor, many Bayern fans, pundits, and journalists were left wondering how a recently relegated manager had been able to stumble upwards to the Bayern hot seat.
Having guided Burnley to the Premier League, the Belgian head coach was unable to keep his side in the English top flight as the Clarets succumbed to relegation.
Nevertheless, those in charge at the Säbener Straße saw how Kompany was able to guide a talented squad to the Championship title and drew comparisons to that Burnley side in the second tier and the current Bayern squad in the Bundesliga.
Thus far, Bayern’s thought process seems to have been faultless, with the former Manchester City defender running on a 100 percent record since taking over from Tuchel.
While defensively, the record champions have looked vulnerable, they are dominating games and creating chances like a vintage Bayern side, and should they iron out the flaws in their system—and prove their worth against a fellow title challenger—then Kompany could be the appointment of the season.
GGFN | Will Shopland
