The international record of Bayern’s professionals has been mixed so far, with one talented player even suffering a bitter disappointment. Coach Vincent Kompany could now benefit from resting his stars.
The record champions have a busy schedule ahead of them before the short Christmas break: five Bundesliga games, two Champions League games and the DFB Cup round of 16 at Union Berlin are still to come within a month. The workload remains high, so any rest in between is welcome. For two French players, this was hinted at before Sunday evening.
Because the two-time world champions have qualified early for the World Cup, coach Didier Deschamps is likely to plan without several stars for the final qualifying game in Azerbaijan. Michael Olise and Dayot Upamecano will probably travel with the team, but are likely to get a well-deserved break after the 4-0 win against Ukraine. Olise scored once and played 89 minutes. With Upamecano on the field, the French have now gone 18 of their last 23 international games without conceding a goal. Both should therefore be rested enough when Munich host SC Freiburg next Saturday.
Wisdom Mike back unexpectedly quickly
Wisdom Mike is another talented player being brought through by the record champions, but the 17-year-old’s U-17 World Cup in Qatar ended in bitter disappointment. A 0-1 defeat to Burkina Faso ended the tournament in the round of 32, meaning Mike is already available as an alternative against Freiburg. He started in three of the four games in the tournament, scoring twice, but was also ineffective in the defeat to the Africans.
Meanwhile, Harry Kane is following in the footsteps of one of the greats in soccer history. If the Three Lions captain scores against Albania, he will equal Brazilian legend Pelé’s tally of 77 international goals. Kane failed to score in last Thursday’s 2-0 win over Serbia, coming off after 65 minutes. Keyword: rest. Perhaps his coach Thomas Tuchel will also use him sparingly now that qualification has been secured.
Josip Stanisic already gained World Cup experience in 2022 and has qualified again with a 3-1 win over the Faroe Islands. The defensive player was on the field for 90 minutes and has a good chance of going into the tournament as a regular this time.
Min-Jae Kim also played 90 minutes in South Korea’s 2-0 friendly win against Bolivia. Konrad Laimer also started for Austria at left-back and impressed in the 2-0 win in Cyprus. To qualify for the World Cup, he and his country need a draw in their final home game against Bosnia-Herzegovina on Tuesday evening.
Nicolas Jackson, meanwhile, played 40 minutes for Senegal in their 2-0 defeat to Brazil. Colombia, meanwhile, won 2-1 against New Zealand in Fort Lauderdale with Luis Diaz, but Kompany will be happy with that, as he also only played for a good hour before being allowed to rest.
