Highly touted German midfield phenom Tom Bischof finally made his starting XI debut for his new Bundesliga club last night. The former Hoffenheim man played alongside Leon Goretzka in midfield for German record champions Bayern Munich. The 20-year-old delivered an excellent performance, capped by an assist on Konrad Laimer’s late goal in Bayern’s 4-0 victory over Werder Bremen.
How precisely Bischof will find his way into Bayern’s crowded midfield remains to be seen. Bischof only earned a start due to the fact that Joshua Kimmich was out with a cold. Bischof must also find a way of displacing his fellow young German international Aleksandar Pavlovic, who has already started four times across all competitions this year.
In any event, plenty of Bischof’s teammates thought highly of Bischoff’s debut. The once-capped German international himself revealed that head coach Vincent Kompany placed him on the pitch with one simple and straightforward instruction. Namely, “just play your game“. Bischof revealed this solitary piece of advice in his post-match interview with Sky Germany.
“He said don’t do anything special,” Bischof told Sky. “I had a little feeling [that I might start] on Thursday. Coach told me the news on Friday and I, of course, was very happy. I’m generally rather satisfied [with my performance] except for four or five bad passes that bother me a bit.“
“The longer the game went on, the more you noticed that he was getting into his rhythm,” Kimmich said of the player who replaced him. “He got into the game. He grew more confident. He started to attack more. I think that’s where his abilities really come into play.”
“He’s a very special player,” FCB captain Manuel Neuer added. “I think that he took a great personal stride forward today and also helped us grow as a team.“
Despite the fact that Bischof was told to operate under the “nothing special” principle, his stats on the evening counted as something very special indeed. Bischof covered a total distance of 13.23 kilometers, racked up 96 total touches of the ball, connected on 92 percent of his 84 passes, and assisted on a total of three shots on the evening.
Enough to merit a regular starting role?
“I’ll work hard to get back on the pitch,” Bischof remarked in the mixed zone. “If the coach puts his faith in me, or if he wants to bring me on, then I’ll be there to give my all. And that’s the kind of person I am. I think I usually deliver. I just hope that I’ll get more and more chances.“
