New signing João Cancelo had only been on the pitch for a good quarter of an hour for Bayern when he was already resisting coach Julian Nagelsmann.
“He doesn’t get scared for that,” assured the coach after the 4-0 (3-0) win and entry into the quarter-finals of the DFB Cup against FSV Mainz 05. Instead of playing back as requested, the Portuguese international crossed to Eric-Maxim Choupo -Moting, who turned the precise cross into the opening goal in the 18th minute.
“It was a good cross but the way Choupo-Moting completed it was even better,” said the 28-year-old Manchester City loanee modestly. “I am very happy to have contributed to this victory.” Aside from this artful preparatory work, he received a lot of praise for his lightning debut just a day after his arrival in Munich. “He did it very well and implemented what we wanted. He has extremely good creativity,” Nagelsmann commented on the Cancelo premiere.
“A pretty good performance”
“It was a pretty good performance for his first game in a new team,” said captain Thomas Müller. “It was a great start.” Joshua Kimmich also sees the newcomer on the flank as an enrichment. “I hope and assume that we will still have a lot of fun with him,” he said.
Mainz were less happy with the successful transfer coup from Munich. “It’s hard to believe that FC Bayern can get stronger. They actually did it,” said 05 sporting director Martin Schmidt after the cup loss, in which Jamal Musiala (30′), Leroy Sané (44′) and Alphonso Davies (83rd) contributed the other goals.
After the false start into the new year with three draws and the crisis talk at the industry leader, the mood was good again after the convincing liberation. “There are worse crises,” said Nagelsmann, who brought new esprit to the offensive with the unexpected change in the game system from a back four to a back three. “We showed from the first minute who wants to win,” emphasized Kimmich.
End the draw series against Wolfsburg
At VfL Wolfsburg, the draw series in the Bundesliga should also end on Sunday (5.30 p.m. / DAZN), “because otherwise the lead in the table is gone,” said Nagelsmann. 1. FC Union Berlin has only one point less on the account.
“The team showed their true colors against Mainz for the first time this year,” tweeted CEO Oliver Kahn, who was indignant after the false start. “But we have to bring this attitude to the pitch directly against Wolfsburg in the Bundesliga.”
President Herbert Hainer was also hopeful again after the cup gala against overwhelmed Mainz. “The team showed again what they are capable of. I want to see this enthusiasm and desire to win again in Wolfsburg,” he said. He never doubted the coach in this mini-crisis: “Julian always finds solutions. I was convinced that one would find one this time too.”
Hainer was also very impressed by the Cancelo premiere in Bayern dress: “Super. You could see what a great footballer he is. He’ll be really good for us.” If the Munich team use the secured purchase option for 70 million euros, they could enjoy him for a long time after the end of the season.
