Luis Diaz called it “a spectacular night” as he scored what proved to be an important second goal as Bayern Munich held on to beat VfB Stuttgart 2-1 in the Franz Beckenbauer Supercup. It was the perfect illustration of why Bayern wanted him.
The fee that was paid to Liverpool this summer could rise to £64.7m and that might look a little chunky for a winger who will turn 29 years old in January. But when Diaz ghosted in to head home, it was a little glimpse of what the Colombian adds to this Bayern side.
On the face of it, Bayern had a plethora of fine options that they were able to rotate in the wide areas last season. Given that the supporters are used to seeing such quality in those positions, the bar is set high for Diaz to impress at the Bundesliga champions.
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Luis Diaz doubled Bayern Munich’s lead on debut – then paid tribute to Diogo Jota
But dig a little deeper and there is hope that he can make the difference when it matters most. For example, while Kingsley Coman, now of Al Nassr, did find the net nine times last season, each of those goals came in wins that did not actually require him to score.
The aggregate in those matches was 36-2.
Leroy Sane, who has left for Galatasaray, did score two goals against St Pauli in a 3-2 win but that was the only game Bayern won directly because of his goals. Diaz has already proven decisive and, as Harry Kane explains, that is what he is capable of bringing to this team.
Asking Kane about that after the game, he said: “I think you can see what he brings one-v-one on the wing. Really sharp, really agile. I think his biggest asset, and probably what is going to be great for us this year, is the fact he scores goals like he did today.”
Kane added: “He gets into that six-yard box, he makes those runs and he has got a great finish. I think it is important, especially in this modern football, for the wingers to be scoring hopefully 15 to 20 goals a season. The goal was a great run, a great finish.”
Luis Diaz’s heat map and shot map for Bayern Munich in the Franz Beckenbauer Supercup
The England captain continued: “He had a couple of others that he was unlucky with in the game. For him, it will be great confidence. Scoring in your first competitive game for a new club is great and for it to be the winning goal is a perfect start for him.”
Kane, of course, was denied that perfect start on his own Bayern debut two summers ago when he was thrust into a Supercup on home soil that ended in a shock 3-0 defeat to RB Leipzig. His transfer had only been completed in the early hours of that morning.
Reflecting on that at the end of the night in Stuttgart, Kane now describes it all as “a bit of a whirlwind” and “a crazy 24 hours” – but the fall-out lasted longer. It robbed Bayern of momentum and they ended up relinquishing the title for the first time in 11 years.
Musiala and Muller void to fill
“It is important to have that momentum to start the year,” he says now. It feels particularly key after a disappointing Club World Cup, during which Jamal Musiala was seriously injured and key dressing-room figure Thomas Muller said his emotional goodbyes.
Kane admits that the players are still getting used to life without the latter. “He only really left last week. We have to look forward, we have to move on. He was a big character but that gives other people opportunities to step up and be that leader, be that person.”
There is no choice. The demands at Bayern are relentless. “We celebrate every trophy like it is the first and we move on to the next one.” That means looking to retain the Bundesliga title before achieving their ultimate ambition of winning the Champions League.
“We will be one of the favourites. PSG, Real Madrid, Barcelona, Man City, Liverpool, all the big teams are going to have their eye on that trophy. But as we know, there is a long journey from now until that final. Step by step, we try to move in the right direction.”
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Highlights from the German Supercup between Stuttgart and Bayern Munich
Diaz work ethic can help Bayern
That pursuit of the Champions League is the chief reason why Diaz is in Bavaria. There is no denying that Bayern proved themselves capable of punishing weaker opposition under Vincent Kompany but there are still question marks against the stronger sides.
They were knocked out of the cup by Bayer Leverkusen and beaten by Barcelona long before Inter ousted them from the Champions League. They drew two Klassikers against Borussia Dortmund and lost both Club World Cup games against European opposition.
There is a suspicion that they need to up the work rate if they are to come out on top in those games, adding energy on and off the ball. It was interesting that even though Diaz was clearly still getting up to speed, this was the specific quality being cited in Stuttgart.
Bayern’s sporting director Christoph Freund told reporters afterwards: “You could see how hard-working he is. I think that is a very important point over the whole season, that he is a player who works very, very hard and can still do decisive things up front.”
Luis Diaz has the work rate and the quality to help Bayern Munich in the biggest games
Kane: Bayern are a little light
Perhaps Bayern will still need more. Kane himself hinted at some of the challenges. “It has been a short pre-season. We have had to get a lot of stuff done in a short space of time.” He was even unusually candid about the requirement for more new signings.
“It is one of the smallest squads I have probably played in. There is still time from now until the end of the transfer window. We have a couple of really good young players who have done well in the pre-season games, but we are a little light, if we are being honest.
“We are going to need everyone. With the squad we have, everyone is going to play, everyone is going to get opportunities. There are going to be moments where each individual has to step up and show what they can do.” Luis Diaz, of course, already has.