Bayern Munich prove they are Champions League contenders while injury bug gives PSG reasons to worry

The Parc des Princes was the scene of a wild one on Tuesday as Bayern Munich won 2-1 over PSG to extend their unbeaten start to of the season to 16 games, all wins. It’s a major result for Vincent Kompany’s team, and in defeating the defending champions of Europe at their home, it’s arguably the biggest win of Kompany’s Bayern Munich career.

Looking to bring Bayern their first UCL title since 2020, Kompany has his team on the right track in what could be a record-breaking campaign. Harry Kane has been the center of attention with his 22 goals in all competitions, but facing PSG while finishing with 10 men was a moment to showcase the defensive improvement after the addition of Jonathan Tah from Bayer Leverkusen. Bayern didn’t make many transfers during the summer, but in the additions of Tah and Luis Diaz, they’ve been impactful ones.

Time will show if this is the season for Bayern to make it back to the top of Europe, but they’re on the right track now.

Injuries mount for Paris Saint-Germain

Just when Luis Enrique’s team was getting their midfield back together with Joao Neves making the bench, quickly setbacks were suffered. Ballon d’Or winner Ousmane Dembele left the match after only 25 minutes with what seemed like a hamstring injury. Dembele was only making his second start since returning from a thigh injury, which caused him to miss seven matches in all competitions, and now he’ll likely be sidelined again. The Frenchman is critical to everything that PSG do, and with Desire Doue also nursing an injury, it leaves the club quite light up top. 

There was another injury during the match to Achraf Hakimi, who went off after a reckless challenge from Luis Diaz. The severity of Hakimi’s injury is unknown, but when he is able to get forward with ease while also defending, it’s quite a blow for the Parisians. Speaking of Diaz…

Two ends of the spectrum for Luis Diaz

With a brace in the first 35 minutes of the match, Luis Diaz showed how much his signing has meant to Bayern’s unbeaten start to the season. Capping off a counterattack with speed, Diaz beat Lucas Chevalier for a goal before taking the ball off Marquinhos to put Bayern up 2-0. Near the end of the half, it was his tackle on Hakimi that almost cost Bayern their victory. After a review, his yellow card was upgraded to a red, but Kompany made adjustments to keep his side on the front foot. 

After the half, another one of those summer signings, Tom Biischof, entered for Serge Gnabry to keep the pace in the midfield. Kane also had to press more and play as a target man as Bayern did their best to limit PSG while Manuel Neuer did what he could, facing eight shots on target in the second half and only getting beaten by one.

A shift for the German giants

Attacking has never been the issue for Bayern, but even under Kompany, defense has been their issue in major matches. After already taking care of Chelsea in Champions League play and now following it up with a victory away to PSG, it’s impossible to ignore Bayern’s credentials. Of the teams who have played four games in the league phase, only Real Madrid, Tottenham, and Arsenal have allowed fewer goals than Bayern’s three. Add that alongside their high powered attack, and it’s easy to see how Kompany’s men are brushing aside everything in their path. Bayern are now the top scoring team in the league phase alongside PSG after this result. 

Mixing in youngsters like Aleksandar Pavlovic and Lennart Karl, Bayern are also improving their depth for the long run, which will help if any injuries crop up going forward. It’s easy to forget that Bayern are doing this without Jamal Musiala and already performing as one of the world’s best teams. They can take another step forward when he comes back, and that’s a scary proposition.