Leverkusen will be the true test of Kompany’s Bayern revival

Sep 26, 2024, 11:51 AM ETMUNICH — It’s probably not an example of perfect planning to be stationed here this week, if the thought of partying leaves you cold. Oktoberfest, or the Wiesn (meadows), as the world’s largest and most famous beer festival is often referred to, has been in full swing since last weekend.Once the famous words “O’zapft is” (the first beer barrel is tapped) are uttered, the race is on to consume copious quantities of the many different varieties of Munich beer accompanied by convivial chat with friends while often wearing traditional Bavarian costume. (At this point, it’s worth emphasizing that lederhosen are not some sort of national dress for all Germans, but rather a distinctly Bavarian feature.)Bayern Munich, of course, are expected to join the merriment on one assigned day every year, and last Sunday — a day on from hammering Werder Bremen 5-0 up north — was the chosen afternoon for Vincent Kompany and his players to roll up and, well, be Bavarians.The…