Division in German media: “He is nowhere near top physical condition yet”

Former PSV player Ismael Saibari made his starting debut for his new club FC Bayern München on Wednesday evening during the match away to VfL Osnabrück (1-4) in the DFB Pokal. Saibari was substituted in the second half for Lennart Karl.

Vincent Kompany's side had a tougher time than expected away at Osnabrück, who play in the 2. Bundesliga. Thanks to a world-class goal by Robin Meißner, the home team even went 1-0 up in the fifth minute, but via Harry Kane and Tom Bischof, Der Rekordmeister still went into the break with a 1-2 lead.

Afterwards, various German media also pointed to former PSV player Saibari. The midfielder had an excellent Bundesliga debut as a substitute against VfB Stuttgart, PSV's CL opponent, with two assists.

In Wednesday evening's match, Saibari had a less impressive showing and according to BILD he barely managed a sufficient score. ''Saibari was less dangerous than in his competitive debut against Stuttgart (5-1), where after coming on (61st minute) he quickly provided two assists. He did create two dangerous chances in the first half, but he was unable to convert either of them. In the second half, he managed only one notable shot on goal'', the newspaper writes.

MiaSanRot, a fan site for FC Bayern, is also less than pleased with the performance of the former PSV player. ''Ismael Saibari made his debut in the starting lineup against VfL Osnabrück; it was not a successful debut for the Moroccan. 'Saibari stood out repeatedly for his sometimes alarming lack of speed. He was certainly not brought in as a sprinter, but the ease and the frequency with which he was overtaken give cause for concern'', the site says.

According to MiaSanRot, the injury that Saibari sustained during the World Cup also plays a role. ''Saibari is clearly still recovering from the injury he sustained in the round of 16 of the World Cup against Canada. It is therefore no surprise that Nathaniel Brown played in the number ten position in the first matches of the season. His substitute appearance against Stuttgart was successful, and for now he will likely be able to serve his team primarily in that position. He is still far from being in top physical condition,'' concludes the fan outlet.

Also the magazine FOCUS gives the Moroccan international a narrow sufficient grade. ''Saibari started out as number ten. At first he had trouble with the defense of Osnabrück. In the second half the new signing had more room, but he could not make use of it. His low shot was saved by the goalkeeper of Osnabrück. Saibari's performance was not convincing. He was rather ineffective in Bayern's attack'', the magazine writes.

Finally, the newspaper SPOX also saw that the midfielder was invisible. ''The new signing was virtually invisible for the duration of the game. One blocked shot, no more was shown by the number ten. He played better in the second half, although he was substituted after an hour: he missed with a low shot (59th minute) and provided the pass for the chance of Harry Kane (61st minute).' Abendzeitung München also gives him a four. 'After he had provided two assists as a substitute against Stuttgart, he was rewarded with a starting place. He often pushed forward, but this time he was less effective. In some situations, he lacked speed,'' the German newspaper said.