Coach Vincent Kompany equaled the record of points in the first ten matches leading Bayern in the Bundesliga set by Pep Guardiola in 2013.
With Bayern beating home team St. Pauli 1-0 in round 12 yesterday, November 9, Kompany won eight and drew two matches in the first 12 rounds of Bundesliga this season, earning 28 points.
Only two managers have ever guided Bayern to eight wins and two draws in the first 12 Bundesliga games. The first was the late Branko Zebec in 1968. Zebec led Bayern from 1968–1970, losing 12, drawing 15, winning 66 for a 59.09% win rate, winning the Bundesliga and the German Cup in 1969.
Guardiola achieved the same feat in the Bundesliga in the 2013-2014 season. The Spanish coach took charge at the Allianz Arena from 2013-2016, losing 21, drawing 47, winning 179 matches, achieving a rate of 72.47%. He won three Bundesliga titles, three German Cups, one European Super Cup and one FIFA Club World Cup.
At the Millerntor-Stadion, Bayern had 76% possession, 13 shots with six on target, while the home team St. Pauli only had three shots off target. But the “Gray Tigers” only scored once thanks to a “cannonball” from Jamal Musiala from outside the box that hit the bottom of the crossbar and into the net.
The German midfielder has scored seven goals in six games since returning from injury, including in the last two 1-0 wins against St. Pauli in the Bundesliga and Benfica in the Champions League. Musiala has nine goals in all competitions this season, and 51 in 176 games for Bayern.
Kompany said Bayern had a difficult time against St. Pauli because they had just met Benfica in the Champions League and did not have much time to prepare. The Belgian coach assessed that St. Pauli defended tightly and played with energy, while Bayern attacked ineffectively, and praised Musiala for his wonderful goal.
Musiala revealed that he has been practicing long-range shooting regularly in recent weeks, and has paid tribute to his assistant coaches Aaron Danks and Rene Maric. The 21-year-old midfielder admitted that he is in better form than last season and must maintain this top level until the end of the season.
In this round, defending champions Bayer Leverkusen drew 1-1 with bottom club Bochum, while Dortmund lost their fourth consecutive match with a 1-3 defeat at Mainz. With these results, Bayern maintained their top position in the Bundesliga with 26 points, five points ahead of Leipzig. Leverkusen ranked fourth with 17 points, equal with Frankfurt, while Dortmund dropped to seventh with 16 points.