Has Vincent Kompany gambled with Thomas Müller? The curse that is not to be fitting grabs FC Bayern

Has Kompany gambled?
The curse that is not to be fitting grabs FC Bayern

04.04.2025, 6:15 a.m.

FC Bayern travels with a heavy mortgage to the quarter-final second leg of the Champions League. At Inter Milan, the Munich team must win after the bitter home defeat. For this, a Harry Kane has to do everything differently.

There is this story about Harry Kane that nobody wants to hear anymore. The striker, who scores so many goals and is so incredibly important for his teams, has not yet won a title in his career. Except, of course, the Torneio Internacional Algarve Cup, with the English U17, 15 years ago. But that doesn’t count. The super striker from England is still completely bare when it comes to team success. Hard to believe. He wants to change that with FC Bayern. Unlike his ex-team Tottenham Hotspur, the Munich team are able to win titles at any time. Or not? On this Tuesday evening, a next chance was drew off in a bitter way after the Titellos previous season. Also because Harry Kane did things that a Harry Kane would not do. FC Bayern lost the quarter-final first leg against Inter Milan in the local arena with 1: 2 (0: 1).

After 26 minutes, the Munich wing striker Michael Olise had prepared everything so that it could be a big evening for his team. Despite the recently piled up mountain of injuries. The young Frenchman, who was raised by sports director Max Eberl to the benchmark for new transfers at the record champions, had fumbled the entire defense of Inter. The defense monsters from Italy could not grab Olise with her teeth, he just danced past them and then put it across to Kane. That was free. As free as you would never expect from a super striker against Milan. The stadium rose, everyone knew what would come. But then it did “Pong” and the ball slammed on the post. It was not 1-0 for FC Bayern. Kane was stunned, his teammates were stunned, and the stadium was also stunned. For the second time that evening.

Company whistles on football romance

Around an hour before the kick -off, when the line -up became public, the Munich supporters rubbed their eyes. A player was missing in the almost self -made starting eleven. The player was missing. Thomas Müller, the club icon, which had to be informed to some extent on Saturday that his club would not want to continue to employ him, was only on the bench. Each expert had expected the newly inventing free spirit from the start. Because with Jamal Musiala the most important man failed in midfield and because she conjured up the power of the angry miller, who wanted to show everyone again at his last meters in red. But the trainer whistles on the kitschy romance. He had the best for his team in mind and Müller didn’t look like that from the start. Raphael Guerreiro played on the ten. “My focus is only on what we do to win this game. The last time Rapha played in this position and scored two goals. This is a position he knows. Hopefully he also gives us a little extra defensive,” Kompany justified.

Müller reacted professionally to the coach’s decision. Under no circumstances did he want to focus too much his person and his special situation after the announced Bayern party at the end of the season. “It is important that I stand out that it is about the big whole,” he said.

In retrospect, the list of Guerreiro was not a classic wrong decision. The Portuguese played a good game and kept causing impulses. In the 20th minute he left a great chance with his weaker right foot. In the 65th minute, a shot of him rushed over the goal. In the shade of the hero Müller previously prevented, he could have written his own heroic history. But that evening did not want to work so much against these strong Italians. That defend so well and are so brutally effective. After 38 minutes they had taken the lead. They had played a counterattack on cotton candy. The outstandingly good Carlos Augusto put the ball on the left in the middle of the gate, where Marcus Thuram passed the hoe forward perfectly. Captain Lautaro Martínez stabbed the gap and shot the ball fantastically with the outer hit in the top right under the crossbar.

The Munich team then lost their strength, which they had broadcast until then. They had played a good game and had chances. But of all people, her ex-goalkeeper Yann Sommer was on the spot several times. The precision was missing, especially in the last pass, but everything seemed somehow stable, brave, dangerous. The Bavarians radiated a good feeling. The strength only returned after 74 minutes. Thomas Müller was ready to show everyone. He came for Leroy Sané and milled around immediately. The spectators were kissed wake up by the magic that this man is still wearing. Bavaria vehemently pressed the equalization. And the lot, thanks to Müller. After 82 minutes he failed with a shot in the legs of Alessandro Bastoni, then he was right after 85 minutes. He had stolen on the long post, waved vehemently several times and got a cross from Joshua Kimmich. From a very short distance he pressed the ball over the line. What a story! Müller had shown it to everyone. His trainer, the bosses, the whole world!

“It is stupidly 1: 2 through the last counterattack”

“Thomas has the feeling of doing something in the narrow room. I hope it happens often,” Kompany said later about his joker. Against the defense gladiators from Italy, more Müller would have needed it with superior Bavaria. “Inter does not look super dangerous, but they are tough to play. A bit like chewing gum. That’s why it wasn’t a walk. In the end, the things they made decided. It is now stupidly 1: 2,” analyzed Müller.

You can’t imagine such a story. You can feel them. Or not. But this story had another story ready. She didn’t want to let Müller stand up as a radiant hero, but as a tragic. As soon as the last pictures of the 1: 1 were sent away, it stood in an ice cold. Davide Frattesi once again completed a perfectly executed attack against the Munich, wide and wildly advanced. The “Demon of Piacenza”, coach Simone Inzaghi, once again did everything right with the choice of staff and tactics. It got quiet in the stadium. The mortgage that strikes this goal on Bayern was immediately noticeable. The “final Dahoam” suddenly far away.

“Milan is always difficult. But we get the chance again. There is no team to the cabin after a 1-2 at half -time and said that we can go home. We believe in our chance,” said coach Kompany. He hopes for Müller, then maybe from the start? Because in addition to the question of whether Harry Kane will ever get rid of his curse (little spoiler: it looks very good in the Bundesliga!), The question remains: What would have happened if Müller had played from the start?