Bayern Munich (Germany) (Home) 10.08.2024

It was an uncharacteristic fast start by Spurs, with Porro clearing Bayern’s first attack with a high ball to halfway, where Kim Min-Jae tried to head it back to Upamecano.  Dejan Kulusevski read it and knocked the ball to Brennan Johnson, outside him on the right and when he tried to return the ball as he got level with the 18 yard line, it was behind Dejan and he could not control it.  However, neither could Kimmich, who could only turn the ball towards his own goal and Kulusevski adjusted his body quickly to volley the ball past Neuer from a couple of yards out, hitting his left-footed shot across the Bayern captain.  Scoring just after 23 seconds, it looked like a response would come from the Germans.

A free kick conceded out on the left brought the equaliser for Bayern.  Kimmich floated it beyond the far post and Tel was unmarked to head down towards goal.  Vicario made a good reflex save but it dropped for Upamecano to touch the ball in from a yard out to make it 1-1.  There was an overload at the far post and conceding goals from set-pieces was a failing last season, so we can only hope that this was due to the lack of our best back four in this match.

Just after Gnabry thought he had his ankles taken from under him in the box by Spence after we had lost the ball trying to play out from the keeper, Bayern were busy appealing for a penalty while Bissouma played the ball up to Son, who passed with the outside of his right foot down the line to Maddison.  Having already received some rough treatment from the Bayern players, Pavlovic didn’t even try for the ball and just pushed him, two-handed, to the ground.  James took the free-kick quickly and sent Kulusevski past the last defender on the left, from where he hit the base of the far post with a low effort.  But Spurs were caught out, just as they were in the first match against Bayern, when they lost the ball in their own penalty area.  Vicario played it to the penalty spot where Bissouma had a man pressing him and the ball went to Muller inside the box to the right of the goal.  He looked to square it, but Musiala got in the way, deflecting the ball out to the 18 yard line, where Gnabry drove a shot with his right foot low past Guglielmo’s right hand as he dived to the ground.  So, the lead was gone on the half hour and while the Bayern press will not be replicated throughout the season, we need to be aware of the amount of risk there is in playing the ball out when our players are under such pressure. 

Bayern moved the ball out of defence to Tel on the left and his powerful run ended, with a pass inside that allowed Musiala to try to thread a low shot through the penalty area from their left, but his shot went low past the foot of the far post.  Musiala fired in another shot after Tel pulled the ball back to him, but Vicario beat it out with both hands, although he didn’t have much chance two minutes before half-time, when Bayern stretched their lead.  Dragusin picked up a yellow card as he fouled Tel who was bearing down on goal and the free-kick outside the box was once again exposing our frailties.  When Kimmich again played the ball in, this time it was Thomas Muller coming in at the far post unmarked to go low to head through Vicario’s legs to make it 3-1.  Kulusevski was the man who should have picked him up, but Muller drifted behind him and Deki picked his run up too late to prevent the header.

Spurs were able to move the ball through midfield and one move gave Maddison the opportunity to drive a shot at goal from 25 yards, but it flew just wide of Manuel Neurer’s left-hand upright.  Another saw Porro break forward on the right and his low ball across the goalmouth was looking for Son at the far post, but Stanisic got there just before the Spurs skipper to concede a corner.  Werner did well to take on a couple f defenders to break into the area and his pull back was poked away from Kulusevski, but the ball then pinged around the box, bouncing off Bayern players, before it got cleared.

On the hour, Bayern were guilty of failing to hold onto the ball as they played out and Lucas Bergvall nudged the ball away from Laimer, got the ball back from Son and the young Swede moved forward before passing to the older Swede, whose run took him into the box and from 14 yards out, Dejan steered the ball into the keeper’s bottom left keeper as Ulreich dived the other way.  The winning of the ball and the pass was typical of Bergvall’s attitude in the game, being aggressive and skilful, he looks to be a player ready for the first team and adds quality to the squad.  However, there was a moment of concern when Lucas went down off the ball, seemingly choking on something prompting players from both sides to call the medical team on quickly.  

While Bayern’s attacks had been less threatening in the second half, they still posed a danger and a Kimmich free-kick whistled half-way up the left hand post of the Spurs goal but was just wide and after some untidy defensive play around our box, Laimer had a shot that was low, lack power and allowed Vicario to flop to the ground to get behind it. 

The moment this game was taking place finally arrived ten minutes from the end.  Harry Kane came on to take the armband and replace Kimmich to great applause.  That didn’t last long, as doing his defensive work he tackled a Spurs player and was roundly booed by the Tottenham fans !!  He had two shots from outside the box that was powerful, but both were too high.

Bayern had been putting it about and Palhinha flew into a tackle on Mikey Moore, with nothing given, but the Portuguese midfielder didn’t like it when Lankshear bundled him over after he had played a pass and it all got a bit heated.  Will got a booking, as did Coman, who decided to get involved, while Anzou and Aseko decided to get caught up in it, stupidly facing up to Cristian Romero.

The game calmed down until the final whistle and while the Spurs players applauded their fans and the Bayern players went over to the North-East corner to salute their supporters, Harry Kane ploughed his own furrow and went around the whole ground, taking the ovation afforded him as “one of our own”.  What might not have been seen was Son and Maddison making their way back from the South Stand, being behind Kane and clapping him along with the crowd.  A nice touch and one reciprocated by Kane, who was nominally the Bayern captain at the end of the match, but he passed on the honour of lifting the trophy to Neuer out of respect to the Tottenham faithful.

There were some nice moments, as Djed Spence made two nutmegs on a run forward, Mikey Moore sold his marker a massive dummy ducking under the ball, leaving him a free run forward and the love shown to Dier and Kane by Romero and Bentancur when they received their pre-match presentation.  There was also the moment when Kane touched hands with Will Lankshear, who was coming on at the same time as the former Spurs striker.

While it was the second defeat to Bayern in just over a week, it was a match that pointed out some things we already knew and some we didn’t.  We realise that there is an issue with defending set-pieces and a number of clubs look to play the ball way beyond the far post (i.e. Everton and Brentford among them) with the ball then returned by header into the goalmouth.  Playing the ball out from the back against a very heavy press is still yet to be perfected, with the risk of gaining the space in behind needing players to be available to receive it, so that the second pass after Vicario becomes almost instinctive.  Any hesitation and the ball will be lost.  The young players once more flagged up to Ange that they are ready for the first team.  Bergvall is a mixture of silk and steel.  Great technical ability and not afraid to put his foot in, wile will Lankshear showed that he will not let his team-mates get kicked around.  His strength both in a physical and a goal-scoring sense will be a great addition to the squad, while Mikey Moore is like a baby Musiala; a bunch of tricks, but not for the sake of them.  His skills get him into some great positions and he links up with his team-mates very well.  The use of Dejan Kulusevski through the middle of the front three seems to be working very well although today, it appeared to push Son to the fringes of the game on the left wing, but he wasn’t alone in that.  Brennan Johnson wasn’t in the game that much and Pape Matar Sarr didn’t have his best 45 minutes.  James Maddison looked bright and sharp, so we will have to hope that he makes the same sort of a start as he did last season.  

The lack of defensive cover in front of Djed Spence on the left allowed him to be exposed to Gnabry and another running at him and while we probably know he won’t be a frequent starter, there will be times when he plays and needs the midfield to give him some protection.  Playing what seemed to be a more rigid 4-4-3 with the full backs pushing on requires the three midfield to do the covering job, so maybe this was an opportunity to try it out and for the larger part of the second half, it worked OK.

Things will be different when Postecoglou fields his first choice XI against Leicester on the 19th August and a win would be a great start to the season.

Stan Chun

• Tottenham paraded new signings Lucas Bergvall, Archie Gray and Dominic Solanke before kick-off.
• Spurs paid tribute to Harry Kane and Eric Dier for their service to the club with presentations before the match.