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Hello! We are heading to Germany. Is Bayern Munich back in business?

On the way:

Vincent Kompany Baptism of Bayern Munich

city ​​of manchester injury crisis for Pep Guardiola

Watching Bukayo Saka 50 first division goals

Pyrotechnic madness in River Plate

Good company?

Vincent Kompany joined Bayern Munich in the summer (S Mellar/FC Bayern via Getty Images)

Last season in Germany he belonged to Bayer Leverkusen; Bundesliga champions for the first time, almost perfectly. But little happens at the top of German football without the conversation turning to Bayern Munich, the club that normally holds that trophy.

The most intriguing question after Xabi AlonsoThe insurgency was whether it represented a change of power; It would be unrealistic to expect prolonged Leverkusen dominance, but had they ushered in an era in which Bayern were not untouchable? Will German football find a new competitive advantage?

It was necessary. Bayern have been champions 33 times. No other club in Germany has double figures, and Leverkusen’s title took 120 years. But last season he shook up the great and the good in Munich. They washed their hands of Thomas Tuchel. Shortly after they opted for Vincent Kompany (above) as head coach. He and Burnley were relegated from the Premier League.

As best they could, Bayern pressed the reset button.

Has it worked? Yes and no. Kompany’s team leads the Bundesliga ahead of RB Leipzig by goal difference. But in the champions leaguehas lost two of its three games, the worst of them 4-1 against Barcelona. Seb Stafford-Bloor thought it was time to ask: this version of Bayern any police?

Did Tuchel have bad luck?

Kompany’s predecessor, Tuchel, took the England job last month. Bayern’s underlying numbers under him were strongThey simply couldn’t match a Leverkusen side that remained unbeaten, won 28 of their 34 league games and finished with 90 points. Leverkusen was a phenomenon of nature.

Like other patches where failure usually causes the night of the long knives… real Madrid and Barcelona in Spain, the old firm in Scotland: Tuchel was never going to get his way if Bayern spilled the title after having won it for 11 years in a row.

Kompany is doing well nationally. Bayern have scored 29 goals, an average of 3.6 per game. They have only conceded seven and have not lost yet. Kompany has them running at both ends of the pitch, although our expected goals (xG) graph, above, suggests Bayern had a much greater attacking threat under Tuchel.

When he doesn’t leave his cleats on the goalkeepersHarry Kane is doing what he does (already 15 goals), and Michael Olise has been a delight since his move from Crystal Palacelanding in Germany more smoothly than anyone expected. this help Jamal Musiala against Werder Bremen made us drool.

(YouTube/Bundesliga)

However, the initial problems are evident. Kompany’s style, described by Seb as “mechanical and repetitive,” can hit brick walls against low, defensive blocks. His press also seems routine. Barça realized this when both teams met in the Champions League, going through and galloping to victory.

It was probably telling that, with the You are offered a job in LiverpoolLeverkusen coach Alonso opted to do nothing during the summer. Maybe he wants to get more seasoned. Maybe he’s waiting for the Bernabéu. But perhaps he thought that Bayern’s stumble was more than a season away and that more German honors could be achieved. Bayern look stable under Kompany, but not exceptional yet.

Saturday’s Bundesliga teams: Bayern Munich vs Union Berlin, 10.30/14.30 — ESPN+; Borussia Dortmund vs RB Leipzig, 1:30/5:30 p.m. — ESPN+/Sky Sports.

News summary

Turning the tables

(Getty Images; design: Eamonn Dalton)

TAFC may have previously been guilty of controlling the Premier League’s draw predictor known as a supercomputer. Your predictions change from week to week. If it was really great, it could be ranked in August. Get your coat.

However, there are no such qualms with the Point from 10 games in a season It is used to evaluate how the division will look on the last day. The correlation is surprisingly precise, and I found this statistic from Mark Carey’s article incredible: 77 percent of the statistical variance in the table after 38 games can be explained by the way the table looks after just 10.

I know what you’re thinking. Manchester City are on top and they don’t bottle these races, so let’s just hang out. But not- because City is in the mud with injuries. They dropped like flies in the Carabao Cup on Wednesday and Pep Guardiola claims only 13 of his players are fit. “We are in real difficulties,” Pep complained. Needless to say, supercomputers cannot foresee this.

The Premier League balancing act

For the first time, four Premier League teams failed to win any of their first eight games. Crystal Palace resolved itself by beating Tottenham Hotspur last weekend, but Ipswich Town, Southampton and Wolverhampton Wanderers We’re still waiting to release a double.

You don’t need me to tell you that ipswich and Southampton They just got promoted. Given that the three teams that were relegated last season were the same three that were promoted from the Championship in 2022-23, Michael Cox is reasonably debating if the promoted teams need to grow as a couple and be braver: braver with their style, their ambition and their recruitment.

Should Ipswich have invested more money in signings like Liam Delap? (Ryan Pierse/Getty Images)

It’s a good balance. If you push yourself too hard in the Premier League, the consequences can be financially disastrous. Furthermore, the wealth disparity between Championship and EnglandThe first division is beyond stupid. But Michael’s point is fair: what’s the point of going up if you just come back down with a whimper? Get those knuckles white.

Around Athletic FC

Bukayo Saka has scored 50 goals in the Premier League (Naomi Baker/Getty Images)

Test question

One last mention of the Ballon d’Or of the week, if you can stand it after Real Madrid’s fit of rage. Eleven English clubs have had a player in the top three over the years. Go ahead and name them.

We’ll have the answers at Monday’s TAFC and you’ll find them here later today.

Watch a match (ET/UK times)

(Selected games)

Friday:
MLS Cup, first round: Charlotte vs Orlando City7:30/11:30 p.m.; Colorado Rapids vs LA Galaxy21.30/01.30 — both MLS Season Pass/Apple TV.

Saturday:
First League: Newcastle against Arsenal8.30/12.30 — US Network, Fubo/TNT Sports; wolves vs Crystal Palace13.30/17.30 — NBC, Fubo, Peacock Premium/Sky Sports.
League 1: PSG front lens12:00/16:00 — beIN Sports, Fubo.
MLS Cup, first round: New York vs Cincinnati5:00 p.m./9:00 p.m.; Atlanta United-Inter Miami7pm/11pm; Minnesota United vs. Real Salt Lake21:00/01:00 — the entire MLS/Apple TV Season Pass.

Sunday:
First League: Tottenham against Aston Villa9am/2pm; Manchester United-Chelsea11.30/16.30 — both USA Network, Fubo/Sky Sports.
La Liga: Barcelona vs. Spanish10.15/15.15 — ESPN+, Fubo/Premier Sports.
Series A: Naples vs Atalanta6.30/11.30; Inter Milan against Venice14.45/19.45 — both CBS, Paramount+, Amazon Prime, Fubo/OneFootball, TNT Sports.
MLS Cup, first round: New York Red Bulls vs Columbus Crew4:30 p.m./9:30 p.m.; Houston Dynamo vs Seattle Sounders18.30/23.30 — both MLS Season Pass/Apple TV; Vancouver Whitecaps vs. LAFC20.45/01.45 — MLS Season Pass, Fox Sports, Fubo/Apple TV.

And finally…

A HISTORICAL AND MONUMENTAL RECEIPT pic.twitter.com/nMzMrv0syc

— River Plate (@RiverPlate) October 30, 2024

Tuesday is Bonfire Night in the UK, an annual fireworks festival. I bet no one here will top the pyrotechnics produced by Argentina‘s River Plate before their Copa Libertadores semi-final at home against Atlético Mineiro of Brazil.

The scores on the doors? River Plate was eliminated overall. But still, damn…

Do you have any questions/comments? Email us: [email protected]

(Top photo: Tobias Schwarz/Getty Images)