A pair of first-half goals from Nathaniel Brown and Michael Olise were enough for Bayern Munich to survive Dortmund's late surge in the Franz Beckenbauer Supercup on Saturday.
New signing Ismael Saibari had a fantastic end to his Bayern debut. The team's preparation is officially done. Vincent Kompany and the boys head into this season on a positive note.
Here are three takeaways from Bayern Munich's 2-1 victory in the Supercup.
Nathaniel Brown is the perfect signing for Bayern Munich
Despite being classified as a left-back on most team sheets, Nathaniel Brown played the Supercup as a No. 10. He opened the scoring with a clean finish following Michael Olise's effort, leaving Gregor Kobel flat-footed. In his 80 minutes on the pitch, Brown was involved in every attacking hotspot, creating chances and delivering positive forward dribbles.
The German international's performance against Dortmund brought back memories for Raphael Guerreiro last season. Both players are not-too-speedy left-backs but technical enough to play as attacking midfielders. Brown promises the same versatility as Guerreiro, but on a higher level with his youth and physicality.
Having said that, Brown's primary position at Bayern will be left-back. Die Roten have ample choices behind Harry Kane in Ismael Saibari, Jamal Musiala and even Lennart Karl. But he has proven he can be that X factor if Bayern needs him to fill in any role.
Brown is a top-notch signing for Bayern Munich as he directly replaces the profile Vincent Kompany loves in his squad. This is the result of proper squad planning and scouting.
With three goals in the last three games, Nathaniel Brown's €55 million price tag is looking like an absolute bargain in this economy.
Solid as a rock, Kim Min-jae
With Dayot Upamecano's lack of preseason preparation, Kim Min-jae was the optimal choice to be next to Jonathan Tah against Dortmund. And he did not disappoint. The South Korean international was physically imposing and read plays well. He also looked calm with the ball. His presence in Bayern's build-up was absolutely crucial.
Upamecano might still start on the bench in the Bundesliga season opener against Stuttgart, but Kim has got this covered. After three seasons at Bayern Munich, this version of Kim Min-jae might be the best we have ever seen.
Shaky at the back
Bayern Munich dominated the game and controlled the midfield. For most of the game, the defenders were able to lock up the creative youngsters Konstantinos Karetsas and Giannis Konstantelias, limiting Dortmund's presence in the final third.
The last 15 minutes, however, left a lot to be desired. There was a sudden lapse in concentration from the double pivot and the backline, highlighted by Manuel Neuer's eccentricity in the box despite the tight scoreline.
Dortmund pulled back a goal and almost sent the game to a penalty shootout had Maxi Beier been more composed. Vincent Kompany and the defence have a lot of work to do before the stressful end of the season.
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