Seven changes, one team as Bayern beat Bayer Leverkusen to prepare for PSG

Harry Kane was one of the first with his arms in the air in celebration. He was high-fiving and hugging players and backroom staff alike with a beaming smile on his face – all while on the substitutes bench in his tracksuit. And he wasn’t the only player usually in the thick of the action who enjoyed Bayern’s three first-half goals in the 3-0 win over Bayer Leverkusen from the dugout. Michael Olise and Luis Díaz had also been afforded a rest by Vincent Kompany. That’s the source of 21 of the team’s 30 Bundesliga goals this season all on the bench – not including assists.

“Puzzled by the many changes”

“Honestly, I was a bit puzzled by the many changes,” admitted Manuel Neuer afterwards with a grin. It was seven from the team that had started the 4-1 win over Köln in the DFB Cup during the week as they now prepared to face their biggest domestic rival of the last two years. But the players sent out there still produced a masterful display. “We didn’t have any fear, because we know our team, know the players,” the captain added.

No matter who comes into this team, they are compelled to perform, play with confidence and enjoyment at a high tempo. They are driven on by those around them – in the stands and this time also the likes of Kane on the bench. There’s a special spirit in this team that wasn’t just on show in this game against Leverkusen. Everyone is pleased for everyone else; everyone is there for everyone else.

It was once again the difference against the Werkself. Bayern covered almost six kilometres more than their opponent, leaving the visitors chasing shadows for much of the evening. “As a player you’re thinking after 60 minutes that you’ve just spent the whole game running around after them, and then they send on those three,” deplored Robert Andrich. The Leverkusen captain was referring to the trio of Kane, Olise and Diaz, who Kompany afforded the final half hour at the Allianz Arena. The visitors can take some solace in knowing the score remained at 3-0 even with them.

No chance for Leverkusen

On the whole, Bayern afforded Leverkusen almost no chances of note. “We had a plan to play more with the ball, to press higher,” said visiting coach Kasper Hjulmand. However, the Bundesliga leaders never allowed that to happen, pressing the visitors back into their own half. With 15 minutes played, Bayern were at 75 percent possession. Those seven changes had in no way impacted the tactics, the intensity, the aggression or anything else. “Everyone knows what they have to do. The confidence is there, no matter what position and who starts there. We saw that from the first minute,” Neuer explained. “It’s a delight to feel the energy the team is playing with. You can say now that Leverkusen were passive, but when you’re constantly pressed and don’t even have half a second to control the ball, it’s extremely tough and can become demoralising as an opponent,” added board member for sport Max Eberl.

That’s especially the case once the goals start to follow. Tom Bischof’s inch-perfect pass set Serge Gnabry away to finish for the opener. “It was a perfect ball from Tom. It had the perfect distance. I could take it perfectly in my stride,” the goalscorer said of his move before slotting the ball between Mark Flekken’s legs on his 250th Bundesliga appearance.

Minutes later, Konrad Laimer crossed for Nicolas Jackson, who was able to head in the second unmarked in the box. “We were always too slow. The second goal was an example of that. No pressure out wide, no contact in the middle. You invite Bayern to score there, no matter who’s playing,” Leverkusen’s Andrich explained.

And with half-time approaching, Bayern had their third, as Raphaël Guerreiro’s cross forced Loïc Badé to turn the ball into his own net. Even with 45 minutes still to play, Leverkusen looked set for their first Bundesliga away defeat in two and a half years. “When I see how we’re so pleased for each other and the way we play to our principles, how everyone runs for the others, that’s special. That hasn’t happened often,” Joshua Kimmich stated.

The result meant Bayern were able to rest players ahead of their big Champions League game away at Paris Saint-Germain in only three days. In contrast, they had needed to fight until added time to snatch a 1-0 win against Nice. “I’m looking forward to PSG,” Kompany said excitedly. “We’ve earned the right to go there full of enthusiasm. It needs to be rock ‘n’ roll.” Gnabry, though, recalled how evenly balanced recent encounters with the French club have been, and that the first goal has often decided the course of the game. However, the forward still expects it’ll be “a cracker. We’re going there with confidence and hoping for a win.”

Who ends up cheering the goals from the bench on Tuesday isn’t important. The only thing that matters, as Eberl summarised, is that “We beat the club world champions at home. And now we want to beat the European champions PSG too.”

Get more reaction to the Leverkusen game here: