Bayern Munich sporting director Christoph Freund was able to find plenty of positives despite the team’s 2-1 friendly defeat to SV Wehen Wiesbaden.
“We played with a really young team in the first half in particular. Lots of the boys were playing against men for the first time but did well and held their own. It was a bit of a different game in the second half. We had a bit more experience on the pitch. It was a good first friendly on the whole after a week in which we trained with lots of young players
and a big group. The important thing was that nobody got injured,” Freund told FCBayern.com.
The result obviously was not what Bayern Munich wanted, but the circumstances surrounding the match were far from normal. With the majority of the club’s World Cup players still away from the team, Bayern Munich was forced to rely heavily on young players and members of the extended squad.
For many of those players, the match represented a significant step up in competition. Going from youth football to facing experienced professionals can be a major challenge, making the performance of Bayern Munich’s young players particularly encouraging.
The second half provided a different test as more experience was introduced, but Freund’s overall assessment was positive. After a week of training with a large group of young players, the most important objective was to get minutes in the legs, build fitness and avoid injuries.
A preseason friendly is not about the result. For Bayern Munich, it was about giving opportunities to young players and beginning the long process of preparing for the new season.
And according to Freund, the team accomplished the most important objective of all: everyone came through healthy.
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