A depleted FC Bayern München struggled for long periods in their 4-1 DFB Cup win over Preußen Münster (© Imago)
A depleted FC Bayern München struggled for long periods in their 4-1 DFB Cup win over Preußen Münster (© Imago)

Teething troubles for Bayern

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Cologne - Beaten in the Supercup and with a mandatory win in the DFB Cup, FC Bayern München start the defence of their Bundesliga title still some way short of hitting their proper stride.

Badstuber makes comeback

In their last outing before the league opener against VfL Wolfsburg, the 17-time cup winners departed third-division Preußen Münster with a in the bag to reach the second round of the knockout cup for the 20th year running.

With five of their six World Cup winners on from the start - Bastian Schweinsteiger is laid up for the coming weeks with a recurring patellar tendon problem - Bayern improved after a shaky opening to secure an ultimately comfortable win and head coach Pep Guardiola commended his charges for a “serious” display, saying he was “satisfied, but you could see that we need more time.”

Guardiola made four changes to the side that started in the 2-0 Supercup loss to Dortmund. Dante slotted in at the back in place of Martinez, ruled out for the rest of the year if not longer after rupturing a cruciate ligament at the Signal Iduna Park, while Holger Badstuber made a welcome return to the competitive arena after a 20-month absence and put in a solid shift until being subbed off in the 79th minute.

Martinez replacement required


Two of Germany's heroes from Brazil, skipper Philipp Lahm and golden goal scorer Mario Götze, were also playing from the off in place of youngsters Gianluca Gaudino and Pierre Emile Hojbjerg. Robert Lewandowski meanwhile missed an added-time penalty and thus has to wait a little longer for his first competitive goal in a Bayern shirt.

On the transfer front, Bayern are actively seeking a stand-in for Martinez, with Guardiola confirming there was a consensus with the management that, “We certainly need a new player.” One, he added with a smile, who “has to be tall, fast, strong in the air, tactically versatile and not too expensive. But we might be a bit late now, trying to get all that.”