Bayern Munich have stabilised on and off the pitch, but questions about consistency are keeping them from the top of the Bundesliga table. A hard-fought 2-1 win at promoted Elversberg on matchday three left Vincent Kompany's side in fourth place with seven points, level with Augsburg but behind leaders Freiburg and Borussia Dortmund on nine. The win required a four-substitute shake-up after the hour mark before Harry Kane settled it, and Kompany was candid about the difficulty of the contest.

The bigger story of the week has been off the pitch, where Bayern have locked down their sporting structure. Sporting director Christoph Freund signed a contract extension to 2029, joining CEO Jan-Christian Dreesen and sporting director Max Eberl, who both renewed in late August. The completeness of that leadership group matters, though a report from Sport1 added an edge to proceedings by claiming Karl-Heinz Rummenigge abstained in the supervisory board vote on Eberl's extension, signalling ongoing internal tension beneath the surface.

In the squad, Alphonso Davies is emerging as a quiet beneficiary of the new season. Written off by some after a difficult injury period, he has outpaced new signing Nathaniel Brown in minutes played and looks sharper for the competition. Luis Diaz, by contrast, continues to waste chances at a concerning rate, though Eberl remains publicly confident the goals will come. Bayern host Union Berlin on Friday before the international break, with a Champions League trip to Viking Stavanger to follow in October.