The mountains surrounding the Tegernsee had been shrouded in heavy, grey clouds since the afternoon. Around an hour before the start of FC Bayern's open training session, the sky sent heavy drops of rain cascading onto the FC Rottach-Egern pitch, at times so heavy that it seemed as if someone had turned on a tap up there. However, the numerous fans who continued to brave the elements and stand around the pitch despite the rain got their just reward.
Just as FC Bayern's first training session with new coach Vincent Kompany was about to start at the Tegernsee, the rainstorm moved on. At times, the sun even peeked out tentatively as stadium announcer Stephan Lehmann loudly welcomed the team and their supporters to the picturesque sports ground. Also back with the squad for the first time: EURO 2024 participant and FC Bayern returnee Josip Stanišić. In addition to initial stretching and strengthening exercises by the team including Leon Goretzka, Serge Gnabry, Aleksandar Pavlović, Eric Dier, Minjae Kim, Mathys Tel and Co., the spectators were also regaled with exciting anecdotes from 1990 World Cup winners and FC Bayern Legends Raimond Aumann and Klaus Augenthaler.
However, this was no laid-back showcase training session in the idyllic alpine setting: Kompany and his coaching staff repeatedly pushed the Bayern players to increase their speed and accuracy during cognitively demanding passing drills, and later on, the game forms with and without goals were even more gruelling. The coach observed attentively, clapping his hands, praising and hugging the players - but also encouraging them loudly if he didn't see enough passion or speed being displayed in certain activities.
Watch the entire session again here:
During the open training session, mascot Berni posed for selfies with the young supporters, for whom there was also a KIDS CLUB pavilion with a wheel of fortune. After the session, the FC Bayern players signed autographs and also posed for selfies. For the grown-up fans, there were numerous catering stands and a fan shop truck, which many immediately used as an opportunity to stock up on merchandise for the new season. By the way, they also had waterproof jackets on sale.
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