Three takeaways from Bruges: Karl makes Bayern even more unpredictable

FC Bayern secures their third win in the third Champions League match against Club Brugge. FCBinside provides three insights from the game.

Bayern convincingly and confidently defeated the Belgians 4-0. The game provided the following insights:

Lennart Karl was the Man of the Match against Brugge. In the Champions League. At 17! His goal was world-class, and now every football fan in Europe knows Lennart Karl . Just five minutes in, the youngster dribbled through the overwhelmed defense and scored unstoppably. This made him the youngest German scorer and the youngest scorer for FC Bayern in the Champions League, surpassing Jamal Musiala in these statistics.

Musiala is a good keyword: When the national player was severely injured at the Club World Cup, there were concerns about who would provide enough offensive power for Bayern in his absence. Now it shows that Munich can compensate for Musiala's loss with several versatile players. And Karl makes Bayern even more unpredictable.

That he made his starting XI debut in the Champions League against Brugge was already surprising. Then Karl didn't play as expected on the right offensive side but in the number ten position, where Michael Olise was more expected. Karl's goal was certainly a highlight, but aside from that, he contributed a lot to the FCB game in this position. The super talent has excellent ball handling, is tricky, and plays smart passes. Why shouldn't he play more often in the number ten position?

After Musiala's injury, Serge Gnabry initially played here and did not do badly. Newcomer Nicolas Jackson has also been thrown in, with Harry Kane tending to drop further back. Olise can also operate in the center. Luis Diaz could also play centrally or as a supporting striker.

When Musiala hopefully returns soon, Bayern will have almost endless possibilities in their attacking play, as long as everyone else stays healthy. Back to Karl: If he remains free from serious injuries in the coming years, he can become the next Bayern star. He has everything it takes football-wise, and the fans already love him. Karl has a great future ahead of him.

Variability is key for Kompany's Bayern . Not only in offense but also further back. That Karl played in the middle was not the only surprise. After the kickoff, one had to rub their eyes briefly because Konrad Laimer took over the left side of the back four, and Raphael Guerreiro positioned himself on the right.

This move by Kompany was game-changing. The 2-0 and 3-0 for the hosts came from the left side, with Laimer being the provider both times. Brugge attacked incredibly late throughout the game, with the Belgian defenders repeatedly trying to just position themselves against the Bayern stars. This created large spaces for the hosts' offense, especially on the left side. Laimer and Diaz exploited these brutally.

Probably, Kompany identified this weakness of the Belgians in the opponent analysis and placed the fiery Laimer there, who seems unstoppable this season. The Austrian is currently becoming one of the best full-backs in the world.

Why he had to play on the left this time was not entirely clear to Laimer himself after the game. The coach only said it was for "tactical reasons," Laimer revealed laughing after the game. So he played on the left. It doesn't matter anyway.

Laimer currently feels comfortable everywhere on the pitch and is indispensable in the Bayern team. Alongside Karl, Laimer was the best player on the pitch. And his performance against Brugge in an unfamiliar position was crucial for Bayern's third win in the third Champions League game of the season.

Bayern has not only won all their Champions League games so far but also the first twelve matches of the season across all competitions. This record run underscores how much better the team is in the second year under Kompany.

But even isolated from the results, Bayern's performances are football-wise impressive. At the moment, Bayern is unstoppable. All the stars are brimming with confidence, and the team spirit is palpable. Everyone fights for everyone, and everyone is happy for the other.

Harry Kane, for example, scored again, but in his obligatory social media post, he preferred to congratulate the whole team and especially youngster Karl. That is not a given. The statements of other teammates about Karl also show that even the established stars grant the newcomer his spotlight. This was not always the case in the Bayern dressing room in the past.

The time together at the Club World Cup in the USA brought the team even closer together. Everyone in this group of highly talented players can play football anyway. The conditions seem good for many titles. However, these will be awarded in spring, not in autumn. Bayern now faces interesting duels.

In the cup, they have to play in Cologne next week, and sporting director Christoph Freund warned of a heated game and emphasized that they definitely want to go to Berlin this year. The cup final has been missed for many years in a row. The title-hungry Bayern wants to grab this trophy again.

In the Champions League, a real blockbuster awaits: Bayern has to go to Paris to face PSG. The French, alongside Bayern , are the second team currently unstoppable. This duel will be the first major test of strength. At the latest, with a victory at the Parc des Princes, everything would seem possible for Bayern in the Champions League as well.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇩🇪 here.