Three takeaways: How Jackson gives Bayern a new dimension | OneFootball

FC Bayern wins their second Champions League group stage match against Pafos FC. FCBinside provides three insights into the game.

The Munich team confidently secured a 5-1 victory against the Champions League newcomer in Cyprus. The game provided the following insights:

1. How Jackson gives Bayern a new dimension

In his initial appearances for Bayern, newcomer Nicolas Jackson did not impress. However, the breakthrough came during the Pafos match: The 24-year-old recorded his first goal involvement in a Bayern jersey when he played a stylish one-two with Raphael Guerreiro, who converted it to make it 2-0 for Munich.

Jackson then scored the 3-0 himself, marking his goal debut for Bayern. The Senegalese player expressed his joy in an interview with Prime: “I am very, very happy about the fresh start. I hadn’t played for a long time before, but now I’m getting my fitness back and trying to be as good as possible as quickly as possible.”

Jackson even had several more scoring opportunities, which he couldn't capitalize on. Notably, before Bayern's last goal by Olise, the striker missed from a good position – a double would have been perfect. Beyond the pure scoring points from his first good game for Bayern, what stood out was how Jackson gives the Kompany team a new dimension.

Photo: IMAGO | Photo: IMAGO,

With him and Harry Kane, Munich can seriously attack with a dual strike force for the first time in years. The Bayern team did this intermittently in Cyprus. Jackson played more as the sole striker while Kane dropped back into the playmaker role. The transitions here are, of course, fluid.

If Bayern no longer relies solely on strong wingers to serve a central striker, they become even harder for opponents to predict. It will be interesting to see if Kompany will use this tactic against stronger opponents than Pafos.

After the game, Kane praised the collaboration with Jackson and his performance: “He played a great game. I’m really happy for him. He’s starting to understand the team and the way we play. That’s important.”

As a playmaker, Kane could repeatedly showcase his strengths – besides his incredible goal-scoring instinct. This also gives Bayern another option to replace the still-injured Jamal Musiala until his return. However, Jackson must also relieve Kane of some of the work in attack. In Cyprus, it worked really well for the first time.

2. Bayern manage their resources well

Next, Bayern must face Eintracht Frankfurt on Saturday evening. Then there’s another international break, but after that, games will come thick and fast in a three-day rhythm. This includes the cup match in Cologne, Bundesliga top matches against Dortmund and Leverkusen, and the Champions League clashes at PSG and Arsenal. These will be anything but easy tasks.



It will be all the more important to conserve energy against supposedly easier opponents like Mönchengladbach or Union Saint-Gilloise. Bayern practiced this against Pafos. The game was essentially decided by the 34th minute at 4-0. After that, the players could ease up a bit.

Especially during the busy weeks, this energy management is essential. Additionally, coach Vincent Kompany continues to manage his players' workload through rotation. In Cyprus, he started with five new players compared to the starting lineup against Bremen. This also helps keep the players fresh, ensuring Bayern is prepared for the first really intense phase of the season.

3. Kim fails to seize the next opportunity

Minjae Kim was also rotated into the central defense. However, the South Korean couldn’t seize his chance – once again. In the past, Kim has repeatedly been noted for his mistakes.

And before Pafos' only goal, he didn’t look good. Instead of clearing decisively, Kim played the ball into the feet of the scorer Orsic. In several other scenes, Kim also appeared uncertain. This is concerning against a weaker opponent like Pafos.

Kim’s defensive competitors Upamecano and later the substitute Tah had no problems with the Pafos attackers. Thus, Kim couldn’t recommend himself for bigger tasks. Rather, he further cemented his status as Bayern’s third-choice central defender behind Upamecano and Tah at the Limassol stadium.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇩🇪 here.