Bayern won a narrow victory over PSG to continue to move forward in the Champions League qualifying round. The 1-0 result was not as spectacular as usual, but it brought many other meaningful aspects. That is a huge progress for the "Gray Tigers" in the Champions League after a boring season. Not only that, it is a great spiritual encouragement for young coach Vincent Kompany.
Since being destroyed by Barcelona away at the end of October, Bayern Munich have won 7 consecutive matches. Without this good streak, Kompany would fall into the same situation of skepticism as when he first debuted for the team.
Bayern not only won, the home team at Allianz Arena also kept a clean sheet in all 7 matches. That is the result of hard training and very high synchronization, from the coaching staff to the players. In the loss to Barca, Bayern's defense was criticized as heartless. This time, the central defenders Kim Min-jae and Dayot Upamecano not only played well, but Kim was also the owner of the only goal to help the home team keep 3 points.
The minimalist win over PSG may not have satisfied fans at the Allianz Arena with the number of goals celebrations, but it showed that Kompany's team has matured a lot. Bayern did not allow PSG to coordinate as they wanted, even though the away team's coach - Luis Enrique is one of the masters of that.
"The gray Tigers" have shown the nature of Predators when they always play lurking, waiting until the opponent is exhausted and has the only shot. The home team applied pressure in a disciplined and highly organized manner. The factors took turns pressing each layer, organizing each small group of 3 people instead of assigning each person to run after the opponent. No other than that, this is Kompany's tactical impact on the team.
The Belgian captain was once doubted for being a good luck driver to get into the hot seat at the Allianz Arena. However, Kompany showed that it was his mental strength that was the most formidable weapon in a team already featuring many big stars. From young players who have not won titles to veterans who have won many trophies, all follow Kompany's way of playing.
Kompany's playing career has been associated with a strict image. Now, he is applying the same to keep Bayern players' feet on the ground. Bayern are not better than last year in terms of personnel additions, but their performance is becoming outstanding. Once the spirit is clear, everything will be very easy for a strong team like Bayern.
The striker knows how to score, the midfielder is good at covering, the defender is solid and the goalkeeper is still wonderful, that is Bayern's shape in the past 7 matches. The opponents are getting more and more difficult to play, but Bayern are always like that. When needed, they can score 9 goals against the opponent in a match. However, there were times when they only needed a single blow to defeat the obstacles.
Shortly after the referee blew the final whistle, Kompany entered the court, hugged and celebrated with the players. The handshake between Kompany and Neuer not only showed solidarity, it was also proof of the team's victory over countless criticists after a painful loss to Barcelona.
The defeat of PSG will be a good start to prepare for the tourmalet stage of Christmas. This minimalist victory was not enough to make fans burst into tears with many emotions. However, when calmed down, it showed that Bayern now know how to turn to respond when the opponents are getting stronger.
This weekend, another victory over Dortmund in Der classsiker will further affirm Bayern's dominance. It could happen again with a 1-0 scenario like against PSG, but that is enough for the "Gray Tigers" to become more and more fearsome and unpredictable in the eyes of their opponents.
