It's not that long ago that referee Manuel Gräfe, formerly one of the best in the Bundesliga, discussed a tricky question.

"Yes," he said in an interview with "Zeit Magazin" in the summer of 2021, "you need more backbone to show Joshua Kimmich red than a player from Arminia Bielefeld." would be treated with more respect.

Christopher Meltzer

Sports correspondent in Munich.

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"I denied this bonus for a long time," said Gräfe.

"In view of the loss of standard of the referees, however, I have recently got the impression that some of the players and the club might have been taken into account at the moment of the decision." It was no coincidence that he chose Kimmich for his example, the leading player of FC Bayern.

And so to the probably decisive scene of this first Bundesliga game in Leipzig since the World Cup was interrupted.

In the 52nd minute, Kimmich, who was standing in his team's penalty area, carelessly passed the ball into the middle, where Leipzig's Marcel Halstenberg grabbed it.

The ball was immediately back in Bayern's penalty area.

There, Kimmich sprinted shoulder to shoulder with striker André Silva, suddenly fell – and shortly afterwards looked at referee Daniel Siebert.

Choupo-Moting scores for Bayern

He was probably waiting for what usually happens in those moments when he, the national player, falls: a whistle.

But that evening he waited in vain.

Because Siebert didn't whistle.

Instead, he saw how Silva crossed the ball through the penalty area, how Dominik Szoboszlai headed it through the penalty area and how Halstenberg then halstenberged it into the goal.

And Kimmich?

Why had he fallen over a small body contact?

Because he really couldn't keep his balance?

Or because he is used to the referees whistling in his favor in duels like this?

Either way, it was no longer 1-0 for FC Bayern, but 1-1.

On Friday evening, FC Bayern got a point in the Bundesliga in Leipzig.

"We can do things better, but we also did things well," said Julian Nagelsmann, the coach, later.

They were better in the first half of the game, when Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting (37th minute) made it 1-0 for his team.

In the second half of the game, when Halstenberg made it 1-1, it was weaker.

"For the first game after a two-month break, I'm not dissatisfied with the result." That was the essential thing.

And otherwise?

There were no major stories that night, but several smaller ones that could potentially grow into bigger ones over the next few weeks.

There is the story of Joshua Kimmich, who was even allowed to lead his team onto the field as captain that evening.

His standing in Munich is very high.

In Germany it was probably higher.

Kimmich has never been criticized as often as in the last few weeks.

One of the critics: Philipp Lahm, the world champion captain, who said in September that Kimmich had to "work a bit on the way of thinking, think a bit more defensively".

As we saw once again, there is something to this criticism.

When he later asked himself in an interview, Kimmich answered very confidently.

When asked if the duel with Silva in the 52nd minute was a foul, he simply said: "No."

There is also the story of Thomas Müller, who no longer seems to be untouchable not only in the national team but even in Munich.

Jamal Musiala played in his place in Leipzig.

And even if he certainly didn't make his best game, he should still be set.

When he later asked himself in an interview, Müller, who had only been substituted on in the 82nd minute, answered very confidently: "I'm in good contact with the coach, good exchange.

The most important thing is that we win as a team.

Each individual must submit to the team.

The same goes for me.”

And then there is also this story: The table leader scored a point against the table third – and defended his six-point lead in what was perhaps the toughest remaining Bundesliga away game of the season.

If it weren't for Bayern, you'd probably call it sovereign.