Pleasing result

FC Bayern raves: “Expectations exceeded!”

FC Bayern tested against Tottenham.(Bild: AP/ASSOCIATED PRESS)

Even before the 13-hour overnight flight back to Munich, the Bayern professionals around local hero Minjae Kim still had marketing appointments to attend to in Seoul. CFO Michael Diederich raved about the record number of jerseys sold and the enormous amount of attention in defender Kim's home country. 

"From a merchandising point of view, this was the most successful trip ever," said the 58-year-old: "We always have high expectations, which were exceeded in this country."

And in sporting terms? Even if the 2:1 against Tottenham was only a test match in sauna-like conditions, the victory was very important for the balance of the trip. He "saw a lot of good things", said sporting director Max Eberl. "High energy, high willingness to run, high intensity." The new Bayern style.

Courageous pressing
The most striking innovation: a pressing style, courageous man-to-man to aggressively win balls. "It was important for us to exude danger from the moment we gained possession of the ball. We did that really well," praised new coach Vincent Kompany.

Bayern coach Vincent Kompany(Bild: AFP/APA/Michaela STACHE)

When asked about individual players and their roles, the former world-class defender again didn't say anything specific. However, he did give an initial indication with the formation of Joshua Kimmich in midfield and Leon Goretzka's more attacking midfield role. Konrad Laimer played in central midfield alongside new signing Joao Palhinha from the second half onwards.

Overcoming the European Championship exit
The European Championship exit against Turkey "hurt for days", admitted Laimer. "It still affected me on my vacation for the first few days. But that's over, now I'm fully focused on the season and looking forward to soccer again."