T.I.

List of my threads:🧵 More to come soon! I always update the latest ones to here too.

Brilliant performance from Ismael Saibari! Once again showed his versatility as a No. 9. Dropping deep to receive, making runs in behind, intelligently exploiting space and creating opportunities for teammates to attack the space behind the defensive line. In a fully fit Bayern squad, I see him as an excellent option to support Kane, much more naturally suited to the No. 9 role than playing as a No. 10 or out wide. The criticism of his physique is also ridiculous. In an elite squad with such demanding standards, having different physical profiles and player builds is incredibly valuable.

This victory is absolutely monumental. Not just because this may well have been Harry Kane’s best chance to win this trophy. But also because he represents one of the last remaining greats of an era of truly elite No. 9s at the highest level of football. The position itself may never be quite the same once Harry Kane hangs up his boots.

Bayern are tearing Freiburg’s man-to-man defence apart by constantly rotating and interchanging positions. Harry Kane repeatedly dropping into a libero-like role to receive from Urbig. On the right, Bayern exploit their physical advantage. On the left, it’s Brown’s off-the-ball movement and Gnabry’s clinicality making the difference. #SCFBAY

Last night was all about the on-ball quality of two elite sides. Tonight, it’s a pure off-the-ball masterclass from both teams on ridiculous level. #BAYARS

I don’t know how fans live and die by every game, it must be exhausting. One day Luis Diaz sucks, next day he’s great. All summer, Brown is amazing, now he sucks. Everyone loves Neuer, now everyone hates Neuer? Kimmich is loved, now Kimmich is hated… Like 1 game, or even 10 games shouldn’t completely wipe the contrast of your opinion on a player. Don’t do it.

PSG are exceptional at controlling and manipulating the flow of games. They dominate possession without feeling the need to constantly force chances. Their efficiency in front of goal is almost absurd. Give them 2 xG and they’ll score four. Bayern, meanwhile, still lean too heavily towards an all-or-nothing approach, despite becoming a bit more mature and measured side under Kompany.

Viking FK 3–3 FC Bayern | Kompany’s Struggles Continue After The International Break. Two draws and two utterly underwhelming first-half performances in the Bundesliga and Champions League tell you pretty much everything you need to know. Vincent Kompany has failed to get his side properly prepared for the return to club football after the international break. Bayern have struggled to establish any real rhythm or get games flowing on their own terms in the opening stages. Sure, individual errors have crept in here and there, but right now, I think the bigger issue is more mental than anything else. The team looks a little mentally drained. Their finishing has also taken a hit. Bayern are still generating more than enough xG to win these games, but the luck hasn’t exactly gone their way either. However, you have to earn your luck, and Kompany’s Bayern want to rise above the randomness of football rather than be at its mercy. Not any reason to hit the panic button yet. From a purely footballing perspective, Bayern have still looked convincing. They need to show more awareness of far-side runners when defending transitions (Viking’s 2–0 goal being a perfect example) and, quite frankly, rediscover their mental edge. The RB Leipzig fixture couldn’t have come at a better time. After these disappointing results, a high-level, high-intensity game is exactly what Bayern need to get themselves going. Leipzig have also been finding the back of the net recent times. Bayern’s intensity and overall approach from the very first whistle will be the main things to watch this weekend.

I find it baffling how many Bundesliga coaches fail to set their teams up with a +1 principles. This trend of constantly pushing players higher and going man-to-man, even when it gives your team no real qualitative advantage, is just idiotic. FC Bayern create +1s all over the pitch, all the time, and they press man-to-man because it gives them both a numerical and a qualitative advantage. Now it’s going to be really interesting to see what Jürgen Klopp can get out of this group of players. He could very well suffer from this current trend at first. Germany need to play slower, not faster. If you learn to play correctly at a slower phase, you can also play correctly at a higher one.

Saibari and Brown dominating the left side. Petkov switches off, they create the overload on the left and Karl finishes it on the right. Saibari gives you the ability to receive and carry. Brown gives you explosive off-ball movement. This is exactly the kind of variation Bayern have been missing. Kompany is showing it now. #ELVBAY

Bayern manipulate the wide areas by firstly creating a 2v1 with two of the best crossers in world football. Match that, and you open the half-space for the Austrian running machine. Match that too, and the best tight-space player in the world comes to collect on the edge of the box and carries it straight into goal. #UCL #BAYBOD

Bayern struggled for three halves against a 5-4-1 low block. The attacking game needs fresher ideas. Saibari, Brown and Bischof could become very important in that regard. Tom Bischof & Joshua Kimmich would be my first-choice midfield pairing against blocks this deep. Kimmich’s elite distribution and Bischof’s long-range ball-striking give Bayern an extra layer against teams that defend this low. #UCL

He has earned Vincent Kompany’s trust, and at FC Bayern that is a player’s lifeline above almost everything else. With Saibari added in the summer and this no longer being a “Musiala-less” season, he is most likely the player who will get spells at LW behind Luis Diaz. Just putting it out there in case you’re still entertaining hopes of something different. I’d consider that scenario very likely, at least.