Five takeaways from Bayern Munich’s pre-season tour of Asia

Bayern Munich recently finished their Audi pre-season tour of Asia. Here are some takeaways after four friendly matches against other European elites.

1) Bayern Munich are still in need of work

This one perhaps goes without saying, but Bayern Munich are not yet a finished product. This is evident by merely examining the results of their four matches. The Bavarians managed only a single victory throughout their tour. They beat Chelsea 3-2, but nearly gave that lead away as well.

Both AC and Inter Milan humiliated Bayern. Arsenal defeated Die Roten on penalties after getting a late goal due to lack of concentration from Bayern.

Sure, it is only a pre-season tournament, but the results still leave much to be desired. Bayern hardly looked a semblance of themselves in any of the matches. Players often looked lackadaisical or lost on the pitch, almost as if there was no real game plan.

Okay, maybe that was an exaggeration. But only just.

Usually, much of the problem could be chocked up to new signings and the team struggling to find harmony with one another. However, that is not the case this time as the new signings were some of Bayern’s best players (more on that later)!

If it wasn’t the new signings causing disruption, then who is to be blamed for Bayern’s poor showings? Whether it can be blamed on the players or the coach is hard to tell, but one thing is certain: Ancelotti must sort this issue out soon, or else Germany’s “Star of the South” could be in serious trouble.

2) James and Tolisso fit in quite well at Bayern

One of the great joys of soccer is finally seeing your club’s great new signing in action on the pitch. Well, this tournament gave Bayern fans the opportunity to do just that. Moreover, Bayern fans had the opportunity to not see just one, but two big signings take the field.

The first, Corentin (Coco) Tolisso, signed for Bayern from Lyon last month and became the club’s most expensive ever signing. A technically gifted box-to-box midfielder, Tolisso slots in to the Bayern Munich midfield nicely.

He’s hard-working defensively and a real threat on the attack. Combine that with his already evident passion for Bayern Munich, and it’s easy to see why the club was so keen on acquiring his signature.

James Rodriguez, the second signing, is the player the majority of fans were most excited to see in this tournament. And he did not disappoint.

Although he couldn’t grab his first goal in a red jersey, James was a constant attacking threat when on the pitch. His creativity, vision and passing range perhaps shone more than anything. But his attacking prowess was also well on display.

It’s great to see Bayern’s two marquee signings prove their worth and show they have something to bring to the squad. If any Bayern fans were worried about how’d they fit in at the club (*cough* Sammer *cough*), they should take this pre-season tournament as indication that their concerns have no base.

3) Thomas Muller is ready for the season and hungry for goals

If one Bayern Munich player truly had a great pre-season tournament it was Thomas Muller. The Bavarian born German international was the best player at the Telekom Cup and carried his form with him into Bayern’s Asia tour.

Standing in as captain for the injured Manuel Neuer, the Raumdeuter gave an excellent showing for himself in all matches.

This was particularly true against Chelsea, where Muller scored two of Bayern’s three goals in an exciting first half display.

The first was a rather acrobatic volley (as acrobatic as Muller can be at least) at the end of a Franck Ribery cross. The second a wonderfully struck shot placed perfectly past Thibaut Courtouis into the bottom right corner from 25-yards out.

Last season was a poor one for the German, despite him finishing as runner-up in Bundesliga assists. Muller seems to have put last season’s woes behind him though and is focused on the campaign to come.

The World Cup is just next summer, and Muller surely has his eyes set on another Golden Boot. Now-teammate James Rodriguez just edged him out of the last one after the German won the prestigious award in 2010.

Whatever the motivation behind Muller’s return to form, it’s working. And both Carlo Ancelotti and the Bayern Munich board have noticed. Karl-Heinz Rummenigge himself spoke of the importance of Thomas Muller.

"“If we created a Bayern player from scratch Thomas Müller would be the result. He represents the club like no one else.”"

The importance of the Raumdeuter to Bayern Munich’s success cannot be understated. Generally, if Muller plays well, Bayern plays well. This pre-season has been the exception to that rule, but it nevertheless stands.

Having an in-form Thomas Muller would be a major boost to Bayern Munich’s title-winning chances this season. In fact, there’s nothing that could be more beneficial than the world’s best space interpreter finding his perfect place in Bayern’s star-studded squad.

4) Renato Sanches may have earned another chance at Bayern Munich

Renato Sanches’ debut season at Bayern Munich did not exactly go as planned. The Portuguese Golden Boy found playing time hard to come by and often struggled when selected.

He made six starts for Bayern Munich in the Bundesliga, playing only a total of 618 minutes. He neither registered any assists nor goals, but did pick up a few yellow cards.

Sanches often looked out of place on the pitch, overwhelmed by the pace of the game around him. His passes went astray, he was timid while on the ball and weak in his tackles.

All these struggles led many to believe that young Renato would be on his way out of Munich  much sooner than anticipated, whether it be on loan or through sale. AC Milan appeared to be the youngsters number one suitors, with Sanches himself even mentioning his interest in the club.

But after a string of good performances, Sanches’ future may in fact lie in Munich. Like Muller, Renato has been one of Die Roten’s better performers in Asia. He showed many of the characteristics which helped him secure a move to Bayern Munich just over a year ago.

So impressive was his play that Rummenigge has now stated that Bayern have no interest in ridding him from the club.

"“We would send him out on loan for maximum one year because we are convinced he can become a good and useful Bayern player. “I had a long talk with Renato and this is a story with an open ending. He does not necessarily want to leave, he wants to play. We all share this opinion.”"

Renato Sanches is one of Bayern’s most exciting young players. If he can stay at Bayern and develop into the world-class player he has shown the potential of becoming, then the club will be all the better for it.

In order for that to happen though, he must play. Whether he’s playing in Munich or somewhere else in Europe, the ’17-18 season will be one of massive importance for the development of young Renato Sanches.

5) New season, same injury woes

Perhaps just as disappointing as their poor performances were the several injuries to Bayern players over the past few weeks.

Prior to the tour of Asia, Arjen Robben injured his ankle while on holiday. He was left in Munich to train individually rather than going on the tour with the squad. He wasn’t the only one left in Munich though.

Manuel Neuer and Jerome Boateng too were left behind to recover from prior injuries.

Thiago Alcantara was forced to exit the tour early after a calf injury. The creative midfield playmaker returned to Munich so he could recover quickly. His fellow Spaniard Juan Bernat was not far behind him.

Unfortunately for Bernat, however, his injury was much worse than Thiago’s. The left-back suffered ligament damage and was rushed back to Munich to undergo surgery. After a successful surgery, he’s set for a lengthy spell on the sidelines.

Franck Ribery too suffered a minor injury, but has already been declared fit for the next match.

Next: James Rodriguez wants to become a global superstar at Bayern Munich

It’s certainly better for Bayern to be plagued by injuries now than in the late rounds of the Champions League. Yes, injuries are a natural part of the game, but they’re still a cause for concern.