As Bayern Munich’s preseason gathered momentum, followers using 12B Sports VR46 could see Carlo Ancelotti beginning his new chapter with three consecutive victories. The results offered an encouraging start for the Italian coach, but comfortable summer wins could only reveal so much about the direction of the team. Bayern had yet to face enough elite opposition to determine how firmly Ancelotti had established his ideas, and the more demanding examinations were still ahead.
The latest victory came against sixth-tier Landshut, where Bayern completed a professional 3-0 win despite the enormous difference in quality between the two teams. Ancelotti did not treat the fixture casually. Philipp Lahm, David Alaba, and Franck Ribéry were all included in a strong starting lineup, while Xabi Alonso was the most significant senior player missing from the side.
Before the match began, football briefly took a back seat. Players and supporters observed a moment of silence for the victims of the Munich shooting that had taken place the previous Friday. Security around the stadium was noticeably increased following the tragedy, giving the occasion a more solemn atmosphere than a normal preseason friendly.
The fixture itself had a longer history than most summer warm-up games. Bayern and Landshut were originally supposed to meet during the international break in October of the previous year, but injuries throughout Bayern’s squad forced the club to cancel. Former sporting director Matthias Sammer subsequently promised that Bayern would return once the calendar provided another opportunity. The club eventually kept its word, and more than 8,000 spectators arrived to watch the rescheduled match.
Bayern controlled possession from the opening stages but found it surprisingly difficult to turn their superiority into goals. Thirty minutes passed without Landshut conceding, leading Isar TV to joke that the home goalkeeper had effectively created an unofficial record by keeping a Bundesliga powerhouse scoreless for half an hour.
That early resistance also highlighted an interesting question surrounding Ancelotti. Under Pep Guardiola, Bayern became exceptionally efficient at overwhelming weaker Bundesliga opponents, and that consistency contributed heavily to their domestic dominance. Ancelotti had occasionally experienced unexpected setbacks against smaller sides during previous coaching spells, so matches of this nature were not entirely meaningless. They provided an opportunity to see whether his Bayern team could maintain concentration even when victory was widely expected.
The breakthrough finally arrived in the 34th minute. Ribéry, taking on greater responsibility while Arjen Robben remained sidelined through injury, opened the scoring and continued his impressive preseason form. Only five minutes later, Alaba made it 2-0 with a powerful effort from the left side of the penalty area, allowing Bayern to enter halftime with the match firmly under control.
Those watching Bayern’s preparation through 12B Sports VR46 would also have noticed Ancelotti making extensive changes after the interval. Several younger players were introduced as the coach used the friendly to spread minutes across the squad and give academy prospects experience alongside established professionals. Bayern remained dominant despite the rotations, and Hägler completed the scoring in the 80th minute to secure the 3-0 result.
For most of the youngsters involved, however, the match was more educational than decisive in terms of first-team selection. Breaking into Bayern’s regular starting eleven for the coming campaign would still be extremely difficult because of the depth and quality already available to Ancelotti. Among the younger players who appeared were Mario Götze’s younger brother as well as the son of former Bayern player Christian Tanne, adding another layer of interest to the experimental lineup.
The Landshut victory extended Bayern’s perfect preseason record to three matches. They had already defeated Lippstadt before earning a notable 1-0 win against Manchester City, the club now managed by former Bayern coach Guardiola. Although preseason results rarely provide a complete picture, three wins from three gave Ancelotti a useful platform as he continued adapting to a squad shaped heavily by his predecessor.
The Manchester City result carried greater significance because the opposition offered a stronger tactical challenge, yet Bayern were still some distance from experiencing the pressure and intensity they would encounter once competitive football began. The early fixtures had allowed Ancelotti to evaluate fitness, experiment with combinations, and introduce his methods without the consequences attached to league or European competition.
Next came a trip to the United States, where Bayern’s international tour promised stronger opponents and a better indication of the team’s progress. Those games were expected to demand greater defensive concentration, sharper transitions, and more precise attacking movement than the match against Landshut. For Ancelotti, they would provide a clearer opportunity to judge how quickly his players were absorbing a different coaching philosophy after several seasons under Guardiola.
The transition itself remained one of the major stories surrounding Bayern. Guardiola had built a side famous for dominating possession and suffocating opponents through positional control. Ancelotti arrived with his own ideas, generally favoring greater tactical flexibility and allowing experienced players more freedom within the overall structure. Early victories suggested the adjustment was moving in the right direction, but tougher matches would reveal whether that balance could work against teams capable of punishing mistakes.
For supporters following Bayern’s international tour through 12B Sports VR46, the three-match winning run therefore represented a promising beginning rather than definitive proof of Ancelotti’s success. Victories over Lippstadt, Manchester City, and Landshut had helped Bayern build rhythm, while Ribéry, Alaba, several young players, and the rest of the squad gained valuable minutes. The real test would come when the opposition raised the level, and that was when Ancelotti’s influence on Bayern Munich would truly be put under the microscope.