Nagelsmann and Tuchel might have reacted differently. Even a modest win in Wolfsburg showcased Vincent Kompany's genius

When asked about the reasons for the team's current defensive frailty, youngster Tom Bischof was surprisingly forthcoming in his comments to Sky after the 1–0 victory: "It's always bad when you concede so many goals and face so many chances. Unfortunately, I've watched a few games from the sidelines recently: the basics of counter-pressing—closing down the opposition immediately after losing the ball—have been lacking." Moments later he added, "I haven't been on the pitch much recently, so I've observed this from the sidelines. Because of that, we're covering unnecessary distances. When we press quickly, we score plenty of goals; unfortunately, we've been conceding a lot lately."

His remarks come across as refreshingly honest and self-assured. Yet it is surprising that a 20-year-old who is not yet a first-team regular chose to voice criticism so publicly in his first season at Bayern. He was also indirectly exempt from much of his own analysis, having returned to action in Wolfsburg for the first time in four weeks after a torn muscle fibre and two 90-minute spells on the bench.

So when Bayern coach Vincent Kompany was asked whether Bischof's critique was accurate, he grinned broadly before delivering a firm verdict: "No, of course not. He is a young player and made a mistake in that interview." Unusual words, considering that public criticism of his players is normally taboo for Kompany. But it was the manner of his reaction that provided further proof of what, alongside the achievements attributable to him purely in footballing terms during his time at Säbener Straße so far, constitutes one of the Belgian's greatest strengths: He has a knack for striking the right tone in his interpersonal dealings with players, even in awkward moments—a skill that puts him ahead of most managers and one that is hard to learn.

His response to Bischof's remarkable interview was corrective, not condescending, firm yet free of drama. He simply brushed it off with a grin. When he refuted the player's view with his own, he did so calmly: "The problem isn't a lack of willingness to counter-press; you can't win games that way. The point is you don't always have to decide games in the first ten or 15 minutes. That doesn't always work. We started well for ten minutes, then lost our patience. You can go into counter-pressing once, twice or three times, but at some point your legs start to give way. I think we did much better in the second half, and that was down to our behaviour when in possession." In short, there was no longer any need to keep switching back to the counter-press, because the ball stayed in Bayern's ranks for longer.

It's hard to put into words, but all the more palpable on an emotional level: what makes Kompany so strong in such situations. Just imagine if his Bayern Munich predecessors, Julian Nagelsmann and Thomas Tuchel, had been directly confronted with a player's criticism of their own style of play. It's easy to imagine they would have got their fingers burnt. Not necessarily on the merits, but because they sometimes lack Kompany's calm coherence. "Tom is a great lad. But it's straight after the match and I had a bit more perspective," the FCB coach added. Bang—issue resolved.

That response—both predictable and unusual—mirrored Bayern's entire evening at the sold-out Volkswagen Arena. Having already sewn up the league title and still smarting from their Champions League exit three days earlier, Bayern were always likely to lack a spark in Wolfsburg. Yet the manner in which 16th-placed VfL unsettled the side widely regarded as Europe's second-best outfit was still remarkable.

"They could have scored five goals; that wasn't good at all from us," Bischof said after the first half. "The first ten minutes were still okay; we saw how we could create chances, but then we simply didn't carry on like that." Instead, Wolfsburg repeatedly threatened in front of the Munich goal, yet the outstanding Urbig was always alert. "The way Manu (Neuer, ed.) always steps up when he gets the chance is brilliant," Bischof said, praising his keeper.

Bayern rarely threatened the Wolves' compact defence. Harry Kane had the best chance, stepping up to the penalty spot in the 36th minute. He slipped as he struck the ball and saw his effort fly wide—only his second missed Bundesliga penalty in 25 attempts. Unusual, yet not entirely unexpected. "With Harry, you're usually certain he'll score, but even he's allowed to miss every now and then," noted Bischof.

Having already posted lacklustre first halves in their two Bundesliga outings since sealing the title on 19 April—4-3 at Mainz 05 and 3-3 with Heidenheim—Bayern showed little improvement against the Wolves. The difference: this time, there was no clash with Paris Saint-Germain on the horizon, so Kompany did not rotate the squad as heavily. Kane, Michael Olise and Joshua Kimmich—the three most important outfield players—all started, unlike against Mainz and Heidenheim.

With little cohesion on show, the mood in the dressing room could only be described as sour. Yet, just as in the games against Mainz and Heidenheim, a noticeable improvement materialised after the break. "I also paid tribute to the team for their reaction. It's not easy to come out and practically turn everything around. We did that again today in the second half," praised Kompany. Opposing manager Dieter Hecking agreed. "What his counterpart has achieved with Bayern this season is on another level. Of course there are more people involved than just Vincent, but you have to congratulate Bayern on the performances they deliver week in, week out. Even today, it's not a given that, after such a defeat (against PSG, ed.), they would keep the pressure on us so high and give it their all to still win this match. That's worthy of a compliment," said Hecking.

Bayern looked much more incisive after the break, pinning Wolfsburg back and barely giving the home side a moment's respite. Goal-scoring opportunities became regular, and the logical consequence was Olise's stunning winner (56'). The sequence was both predictable and extraordinary: Olise drifted inside from the right, curled a powerful left-foot shot across the goal and into the far corner, and the ball nestled perfectly in the net. Such brilliance has become almost routine for the exceptional talent. "Michael has set the bar so high for himself that I would have been disappointed if it hadn't gone in – and that's absurd. It shouldn't be normal, but he's got us used to it," Kompany noted back in late April, when Olise had already pulled off his trademark move in Mainz.

By repeating the trick in Wolfsburg, Bayern had something to celebrate just 72 hours after their exit to PSG. The champions will celebrate their 35th Bundesliga title in front of their home fans next Saturday after the final-day clash with 1. FC Köln, and a week later they will travel to Berlin to face VfB Stuttgart in the DFB-Pokal final.

Bayern's sporting director Max Eberl told Sky before the Wolfsburg game that anything less than a domestic double would still leave the season feeling incomplete despite already securing one trophy. "The way we play, we're German champions, we reached the Champions League semi-finals and held our own against the best team in Europe. We're also in our first cup final in years, and we want to win it," Eberl insisted, describing the campaign as "a very, very good season so far". He also stressed, "Another soft fact is this: how many people rave about how much fun it is to watch Bayern games. They've never been Bayern fans, but they enjoy watching us because it's football just as you'd want it to be. You don't get a trophy for that, but it counts too."

Click here to read article