Tom Bischof got the starting nod in Bayern Munich’s midfield alongside Joshua Kimmich from Vincent Kompany for their 4-1 first round DFB-Pokal win over VfL Osnabrück. He scored Bayern’s second goal of the match, which wound up being the match winner and had a strong performance that highlights just how much of a luxury he is to have in the squad, even if he doesn’t often start ahead of either Kimmich or Aleksandar Pavlović in midfield.
In addition to his match winning goal, Bischof boasted a 92% pass
accuracy rating, completed a total of 98 passes, completed 7 of his 8 attempted long balls, had 22 passes into the final third, had 7 ball recoveries, won 3 tackles, and had 100% of his shots take on target. Simply put, it was a true midfield stalwart performance from Bischof, who rose to the occasion in his natural position. Bayern fans will remember how often he had to slot in at left back last season and do a job for Kompany.
After his midfield partner’s strong performance vs. Osnabrück, Kimmich sang Bischof’s praises and was hopeful he’ll get solid minutes throughout this season. “He had a good performance and scored an important goal. He played some great passes and always wants to have the ball. He will certainly be very, very good for our game and will hopefully play many games this season,” Kimmich revealed (via @iMiaSanMia).
With lots of “English Weeks” on the horizon as Bayern have matches across three fronts, Bischof will get his chances and he certainly staked his claim with his performance in the DFB-Pokal in what could’ve been a tricky away match for Bayern. With Leon Goretzka now gone, there’s less overall coverage in midfield, which adds impetus for Bischof, who spent large portions of last season slotting in at left-back when both Alphonso Davies, Josip Stanišić, and Hiroki Ito were out injured.
When Kompany fields his strongest starting eleven and everyone is fully fit, that will most often translate to Kimmich and Pavlović starting as the double pivot in midfield, but it is a massive luxury for him to know that he can also rely on Bischof.
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