Bayern loses to Benfica at Club World Cup – Kompany's calculated risk
It's quite possible that FC Bayern would have made it through the group stage of the Club World Cup undefeated had Miroslav Klose been playing. Munich's 1-0 defeat to Benfica from Lisbon in the sweltering heat of Charlotte was the result of two contrasting halves. In the first half, the Bayern team, with seven changes to their lineup, struggled to get into the game. After the break – and with the introduction of A-list players such as Harry Kane, Michael Olise, and Joshua Kimmich – the German record champions were clearly the better team, creating chance after chance but missing the equalizer and thus winning the group in every possible way (including a Kimmich goal being ruled out for offside).
After the match, a sweating Thomas Müller stood before sweating reporters and recalled the greatest success of his waning career, the "glorious World Cup victory" he achieved with the German national team at the traditional world tournament in 2014. The German national team delivered "one, two, two and a half highlight games" at the tournament, said Müller, especially, of course, the 7-1 semi-final victory against hosts Brazil and the 1-0 final against Argentina. In other words: the remaining matches on the road to the World Cup weren't exactly highlights.
That's why Müller – like the rest of FC Bayern – continues to believe in a successful Club World Cup despite the defeat to Benfica. Was the match just a blip on the road to glory? Like Germany's arduous 2014 round of 16 victory against Algeria, keyword: ice bucket? "It was more like Ghana – only we didn't score the equalizer. Miro Klose was missing," said Müller. A quick recap: In 2014, Klose, now 47 years old and coach of 1. FC Nürnberg, scored the 2-2 equalizer in the second group match against Ghana.
Shortly before the end of the World Cup match between the German national team and Ghana in July 2014: Miroslav Klose scores to make it 2-2 – and prevents defeat.
Source: imago/Sven Simon
Müller's interpretation was, overall, the view FC Bayern took after the 1-0 defeat against Benfica: an annoying but unproblematic defeat, because they had already secured their place in the round of 16, and because every major team has one or two tournament appearances where they struggle. That the Munich team missed out on first place in their group because of the defeat, and now, as runners-up in the group stage, they could face Flamengo from Rio de Janeiro in the round of 16 (Sunday, 10 p.m., DAZN), and then Champions League winners Paris Saint-Germain in the quarterfinals? Here, too, they had clearly agreed on their answers: If you want to win the tournament, you have to beat every opponent.
In the long history of the German record champions, the defeat against Benfica was one that hurts less, and it was the result of a calculated risk by coach Vincent Kompany. Because the team had already qualified for the round of 16 after the first two group matches against Auckland City (10-0) and Boca Juniors (2-1), and because it was clear that the next match, in unbearable heat, would be just a few days away, Kompany opted for radical rotation.
The weak first half showed that the difference between Bayern's first and second eleven is considerable, but Kompany would not revise his decision to spread the special demands of the Club World Cup across the entire squad: "What do you say when the players are dead in the next round because they played 90 minutes in this heat (against Benfica)?" he asked in the well-cooled press conference room.
For Kompany, it was clear that, given that their place in the round of 16 was already certain, he had to give his top players a break in the final group match so they wouldn't be knocked out by the start of the knockout round. The Club World Cup, with its extreme heat, is particularly important for every coach at a tournament: they don't just coach the current game, but must also consider the further course of the competition. Kompany's rotation against Benfica was thus also a preparation for the round of 16. And the maneuver had the backing of the club: "That's how it was planned, and that's how it was implemented," said sporting director Christoph Freund about the extensive restructuring of the starting eleven: "We'll have our next game soon."
The loss to Benfica isn't automatically a reason to remove Munich from the list of favorites for the Club World Cup. Indeed, it's rare for a tournament winner to impress in every match. Germany's path to World Cup victory in 2014 included weak performances against Ghana and Algeria. Portugal became European champions two years later despite drawing three times in the group stage. Argentina began the 2022 World Cup, which ultimately saw them crowned champions, with a loss to Saudi Arabia.
At the Club World Cup, the trophy will also only be awarded after the final, not after the group stage. "In a tournament like this, it's all about getting through the group stage," said Müller. "The knockout phase is a fresh start. We're convinced we'll be in the competition for a long time." Incidentally, even without Miroslav Klose.
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