This Bayern championship is different than before: a self-evident title, but not a complacent one

However, there were to be no typical Bavarian wheat beer showers and other spontaneous celebrations this Sunday evening in Munich – at the players’ own request, as coach Vincent Kompany recently revealed. The focus should quickly turn to the semi-finals in the DFB Cup against Leverkusen, which will take place on Wednesday.

This attitude is certainly not for football romantics and some people might accuse the Munich team of a lack of appreciation for the German Bundesliga title or even arrogance. Unlike one or two triumphs in recent years, this verdict would not do justice to Kompany and his team.

Bayern player Leon Goretzka once said in an interview that Kompany reminds his players every day how special the championship title is. The 40-year-old Belgian is also seen as someone who always pushes his team to keep learning, to get better and to want even more.

Kompany has formed a team whose mindset is such that they absolutely want to win every game. Be it an away game in Heidenheim on a cold Sunday evening in December or a big Champions League night at the Bernabéu in Madrid. At Bayern, especially this season, you have the feeling that everyone is pulling in the same direction. Instead of airs and graces, each individual gives everything for the team’s success – that is primarily the credit of the head coach.

Hardly any other team in Europe can boast this mentality, coupled with the extremely high quality of football, in which almost everyone can shine individually, but the teamwork also works exceptionally well. It is certainly no coincidence that this season is already historic with the goal record in the Bundesliga.

Under Kompany, the team around captain Manuel Neuer has developed a sense of winning without seeming complacent. Even if we’re behind against Real Madrid, nobody gets nervous; they have too much trust in themselves and in the coach. He demands everything from his team, but makes it normal. And even after the last-minute win against the Madrilenians, players like Jamal Musiala and Michael Olise then delve into tactical discussions instead of celebrating in front of the corner.

So it’s not entirely surprising that after the well-deserved championship title, attention quickly turns to the DFB Cup and then to the semi-finals of the Champions League. Since the time under Hansi Flick, Bayern have not been this good and so close to the triple. This championship is routine for the Bundesliga – for Kompany’s Bayern it should only be the beginning.