Bayern Munich Must Rediscover Their Killer Instinct in the 2025/26 Season

Having seen the first two preseason friendlies of Bayern Munich and the last few matches they played at the Club World Cup, it is evident that they produce many goal-scoring opportunities in every game, but they also require worryingly many chances in order to score.

Lessons From Painful Defeats

That was even the case in a recent emphatic 4-0 victory over Tottenham Hotspur, on Thursday, August 7, as the Bavarians totally outplayed the reigning UEFA Europa League winners. Despite that, they were only really able to put Spurs to the sword late on in the match.

Beyond that, something completely unnatural happened, as Harry Kane missed a penalty against his former side. To be fair to the number nine, though, the reason for missing his first penalty in a Bayern Munich shirt was that he slipped before taking the spot kick.

In any case, the reason this trend is worrying is the fact that the team had dominated Benfica Lisbon and PSG at the Club World Cup as well, while needlessly losing those two games.

Bayern are accustomed to controlling the game in any competition against almost any opponent, but the reason so many around the world love football is the fact that it is the only sport, where one team can completely dominate their opponents and still lose.

That is certainly something that Bayern Munich had happen to them, not only at the Club World Cup, but in many key matchups last season. They have lacked the killer instinct up front, while making far too many mistakes at the back.

In both legs of the quarterfinals of last season’s Champions League against Inter Milan, Bayern were arguably the better side over the 90 minutes.

If next season is the year where the Bavarians will at least be competitive in all three major competitions until the end, they must find the lethal touch up front, while being more compact at the back.

New Signings, New Solutions for Bayern Munich

The signing of Luis Diaz is certainly meant to improve Bayern Munich’s attacking game, while the arrival of Jonathan Tah should bring stability to the centre of the Bavarian defence.

While it is likely unfair, Bayern Munich’s success is measured very differently from that of any other German team. When it comes to the Bundesliga title, many of Bayern’s critics treat their winning it, as a given. Another major title must also be won, in order for a season to be successful.

That hasn’t been the case since Bayern last won the treble in 2020. Since then, they have been knocked out of the Champions League at the quarterfinal stage four times, while struggling in the German Cup with their worst spell in the competition since the 1990s.

While in reality, the Bundesliga title is still the most honest they can win, given that they have to be top of the league after 34 rounds of play, perception matters a lot in this business, particularly for a club as big as Bayern Munich.

Failure to win the cup competitions, though, shows that the team, for years no,w have struggled to perform in knockout football, in the games that by themselves really matter.

That must change if Vincent Kompany wants to earn himself a place as one of the great coaches in the club’s history.