Bayern Munich II’s Timo Kern embraces veteran role

The only veteran in the Bayern Munich II squad in 2022/23, Timo Kern reveals details about his role, the atmosphere in the team and his assessment of the newcomers.

Explaining the difficulties of the congested timeline ahead of them, the 32-year old said, “There is no question that it will be exhausting before a training camp. I was looking forward to spending time with my fellow players. With the amateurs, we always have the task of coming together as a team because we have to act as a cohesive team throughout the season.”

He further spoke on motivation despite the exhausting schedule ahead, stating that the only way is to go through, gritting your teeth.

On the impacts of the continuous training sessions, he believes that they’ve come together as a team as a result and that exchanges between the players helped a lot with the same.

He understands that as the only experienced player on the team, he will be taking on more responsibilities, but without changing the approach he holds towards his task.

He reflected on his sporting philosophy, a mixture of adopting the Bayern identity, following the coach and the added responsibility of lending an ear to the youngsters around him. He explained that Bayern’s identity lies in the passion to win every game. On the other hand lies the philosophy of the coach, which relies on possession-based attacking football, which he wants to take the responsibility for.

Without the presence of Nicolas Feldhahn and Maximilian Welzmüller, Kern has certainly a challenging task ahead of him.

“A lot is changing because Nico and Welzi have not only become special teammates for me, but also close friends. The two were always present on the pitch when reinforcements or clear announcements were needed. For me it is important to embody these qualities as well as possible in the future and to be there for the team. I want to help the young players to grow as a footballer and as a person,” Kern said.

“The most important thing is that we grow together as a team. We want to use the time in preparation for this. On the other hand, of course, we also want to be successful in sport. But I already have a good feeling because the young players have already shown a lot of quality. They want to keep playing attacking football and inspiring.”

“The mood is great. Most of the boys have played together for a long time in FC Bayern’s youth teams, which makes it easier to get to know each other. There weren’t that many newcomers. The mood is good, the guys know each other and know how the amateurs work.”, he said, reflecting the positive mindset among the Bayern II players.

On missing out promotion from the Regionalliga, he said there was no discussion on the same since the priority was to get on track and unite as a team.

For the new signings, Kern has nothing but praise.

“Toni Tikvić is a good, self-confident guy. He is a very good passing, technically gifted player. The combination as a left foot in the left central defense is also not that common. I’m excited to see what he does with his potential. Lovro (Zvonarek) came to Munich from Croatia and has settled in very well here. How quickly he learns German is remarkable and shows that he takes his job at Bayern Munich very seriously. He has a good technique and always wants to keep up the pace,” Kern said.