Bayern Munich’s honorary president Uli Hoeneß has given a positive assessment of the team’s season. Hoeneß said, “Besser geht’s nicht!” which translates to “It doesn’t get any better than this!”.
However, there is a warning ahead of the cup final against VfB Stuttgart. The warning comes from the 2018 cup final, when Bayern lost to Eintracht Frankfurt.
Echoes of 2018: A Warning for Bayern
The circumstances in 2018 were similar. Bayern were dominant in the league and reached the Champions League semi-finals. Their opponent, Eintracht Frankfurt, were considered to be of a similar level to Stuttgart.
Joshua Kimmich described that season as “brutal enttäuschend” – brutally disappointing – highlighting the high expectations at Bayern.
Pressure to Secure the Double in Berlin
Christoph Freund recently stated that Bayern want to “krönen” – crown – the season with the double in Berlin. He added that it is a very big goal because they have not been there for a long time.
Freund implied that a defeat in the Olympiastadion would damage the overall impression of the season. Despite Hoeneß’s enthusiasm, the pressure remains significant. Kimmich indicated that he has learned from past experiences.
Kimmich said that from the outside, only titles count. He added that being involved with the team means they have consistently played football at a high level. “Ich mache den Erfolg einer Saison nicht an einem Spiel fest – das habe ich vor ein paar Jahren so gemacht” – I don’t measure the success of a season on one game, I used to do that a few years ago.
Kimmich sees a team that has fun and joy. He said that this is very valuable and that he is far from measuring success purely on titles.
Kompany’s Perspective on the Final
Bayern are aware that their history is defined by trophies. Coach Vincent Kompany stated, “In meiner Motivation spielt das keine Rolle. Nach dem Spiel wird es von allen eine Meinung geben, davon bin ich überzeugt” – It doesn’t matter in my motivation. After the game, everyone will have an opinion, I’m convinced of that.
Bayern have performed better over a longer period this season than they did eight years ago. Back then, the old master had to…
Trainer Vincent Kompany said that after the game everyone will have an opinion.