Julian Nagelsmann could be satisfied. In his second friendly in charge, FC Bayern drew 2-2 with Ajax at the Allianz Arena on Saturday in the Audi Football Summit. The Bavarians, who were still without the international players who were involved at EURO 2020, gave a good account of themselves. "Considering the squad we had available, it was quite alright," summarised Nagelsmann.
Good spell after half-time
„"We changed things around a bit at the break and were really on top in the first quarter of an hour. We created a lot of pressure and won the ball a lot."”
Julian Nagelsmann
Bayern particularly impressed at the beginning of the second half. "We changed things around a bit at the break and were really on top in the first quarter of an hour. We created a lot of pressure and won the ball a lot," said Nagelsmann. The youngsters who came on in the 60th minute also did "very well. They were brave and used the ball well."
Internationals returning
„"We have to work them differently. We have players who are in their fourth week and players who are only starting now, so we pretty much have a two-pronged approach."”
Julian Nagelsmann
After a day off, the Munich men begin the fourth week of pre-season on Monday, when the majority of the EURO 2020 internationals will be returning. "The guys are doing the sports-medical tests on Monday and then joining training," explained Nagelsmann. It will be a case of managing the different conditions of the players. "We have to work them differently. We have players who are in their fourth week and players who are only starting now, so we pretty much have a two-pronged approach," added the 34-year-old. Thomas Müller, Manuel Neuer and Joshua Kimmich will return a little later.
Two more friendlies before season start
Serge Gnabry has already completed two individual sessions.
Bayern have two more friendlies scheduled before their first competitive match of the season at Bremer SV in the first round of the DFB Cup on 6 August. This Wednesday (18:00 CEST), Borussia Mönchengladbach visit the Allianz Arena, where Serge Gnabry could return to the squad. "He's already done two individual sessions. He might be able to play 20 minutes on Wednesday, but we'll see how it looks on Monday and Tuesday," revealed Nagelsmann.
Audi Football Summit against Napoli on Saturday
Then in the final friendly, the Audi Football Summit against Napoli next Saturday (16:30 CEST), it's expected that as many of the internationals as possible will feature. "We hope they all arrive well, start well in training and are then in contention for Saturday. We'll decide at the end of the week how many minutes they'll get," said the FCB boss.
Watch the video interviews following the match against Ajax:
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