The Audi Summer Tour kicked off in the Korean island of Jeju with Bayern Munich taking on Jeju SK FC. The Bavarians fielded a lot of young players for a large portion of the match and the 2-1 lead is a result of the Bayern youth’s hard work. While a few of the first team players came on later in the game, they could not affect the scoreboard despite some good chances. Here are the match awards from this hard fought game although it was a friendly on paper.
Jersey Swap – Matheus Aiás
The Brazilian was a live wire for Jeju. Aiás
was not only a finishing threat, but also had the skill to set up one of his teammates. Jeju’s goal came off some sheer brilliance from the Brazilian forward. His rainbow flick near the goal line completely flummoxed Kim Min-jae. He found his partner Chang-Min Lee who pulled back his marker in the very last moment to drift into open space. That was all Jeju needed to equalize. It was a brilliant goal from the setup by Aiás to the finish by Lee. Aiás was also the joint highest dribbler of the game with Bayern’s Guido Della Rovere.
Der Kaiser – João Palhinha
The Bayern backline suffered from poor communication. Dayot Upamecano did not travel for the tour and is on an extended holiday after France’s deep run in the World Cup. The Frenchman’s absence along with Jonathan Tah starting on the bench exposed the lack of leadership and co-ordination in the defense. The duo of Hiroki Itō and Kim Min-jae should have done better being the seniors on the pitch. While Jeju’s goal was brilliant, there were gaps in the box throughout the first half that could have led to more goals conceded.
João Palhinha was often rushing to break up play or screen the backline. He made two crucial tackles and was the primary physical presence for Bayern in their own third of the pitch. The Portuguese international’s reading of the game allowed him to shield his defenders and the passing lanes in between. His assist to Bastian Assomo’s winning goal came from an interception due to his positioning. A good game for Palhinha and maybe under Vincent Kompany can become a crucial sub in Champions League knockouts.
Fußballgott – Tom Bischof
The young midfielder showed once again why he is Bayern’s present and future in midfield. His technical ability is supreme, there is always a diagonal pass ready to precisely find his teammate across the pitch. His time at left-back last season further honed his defensive skills and that has improved his game in the middle. Bischof can really throw a tackle if he needs to. This is despite Bischof coming off as a typical technical player, who might prefer to let a defender or a CDM do the dirty work. With two tackles and just three passes misplaced, the 21 year-old is the best box-to-box midfielder under Kompany at the moment. Additionally, Bischof is miles ahead of Joshua Kimmich with his corner kicks which will be a welcome change in that direction.
Der Bomber – Bastian Assomo
The 16 year-old German striker is a unit on the pitch. The way he imposes himself on defenders and manages to get shots off despite under pressure is really unbelievable if you consider how young he is. The youngster took four shots and scored the winner with a rocket. Definitely one to watch out for and one who suits Bayern’s style of attack.
Meister of the match – Felipe Chávez
The Peruvian was a menace for Jeju to deal with. It would seem Bayern has a penchant for right wingers who like to cut inside and shoot every chance they get. Chávez’s drive to find the net paired with his ability on the ball made him an uncontainable opponent for the home side. Despite being noticed by the defenders and marked continuously, the 19year-old managed to get away and be a creative force with two chances and four shots from him with just three touches in the penalty box. This player managed to do a lot with not much time on the ball. First team minutes will be vital for his development and maybe a loan could be in the works.
Honorable Mentions
Bara Sapoko Ndiaye
The shrewd addition from the Red&Gold collaboration is probably going to be Bayern’s underrated signing of the window. The 18-year-old started at left wing taking his midfield game with him. One on one battles, quick passes, lockouts to recover possession, Ndiaye has it all to play in the middle of the park. His dribbling skill and pace can make him at LW an okay fix to give Luis Diaz rest, but the Senegalese really belongs in the middle of the park.
Guido Della Rovere
The Italian youngster was the CAM for the friendly and had some good moments showing glimpses of being the right glue who can be at the heart and operate the multitude of attackers in Bayern’s squad. In the second half, GDR really showed what he can do with attackers who can make well timed runs.
Maycon Cardozo
The Brazilian continued to be threat that Chávez was. Reading the movement of the Jeju’s defenders exceptionally well, Cardozo always had sight of a space to run to or a pass to find another teammate that only he could spot. His low centre of gravity meant, he could put dangerous turns at the edge of the box or a feint and layoff. Konrad Laimer was at the end of one such pass from Cardozo but put the ball on the wrong side of the post.
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