Bayern Munich coach Vincent Kompany is ready to face VfL Wolfsburg, but also knows that he will have a formidable adversary in the opposing coaching box.
“Ralph Hasenhüttl always brings intensity to his teams, they play very physically and have quality. They have good attacking players. But we also have our strengths,” said Kompany (as captured by @iMiaSanMia). “It’s different when you come out of a break and immediately have several matches. We only had one friendly. If you were injured there or lack rhythm, then you need to make that up in the actual fixtures, like Serge (Gnabry), Jamal (Musiala), or Josip Stanišić”
Bayern Munich did not take too long to get going after the break as it tallied five goals against Hoffenheim on Wednesday, something the coach thinks is a product of the players’ overall quality.
“Around 90 percent of the work is improving the players’ individual quality. We’ve got good players who want to perform, want to run. Then we can achieve certain things. Scoring goals is the focus of my work, even though I was a defender. I grew up in Brussels, Anderlecht, street football. That’s my character. As a coach, you make important decisions, we manage the squad. But you can also have success as a coach with various approaches,” said Kompany.
One of the positions on the team that has been up for grabs all season is right-back where Konrad Laimer and Raphaël Guerreiro have capably filled in for Stanišić and Sacha Boey. Kompany says that Laimer and Guerreiro both bring different qualities to the job when call to play it.
”Both are right-backs now. They’re different types of player, different types of people. Both could play every game but we’ve got cover there. Sacha Boey and Josip Stanišić have been out for a long time. It’s nice to have players with their quality. I trust both. We’re spoilt for choice there. Rapha is very creative and Konrad works very hard,” said Kompany. “I need to see the players in training. I’m assuming we’ll have Josip Stanišić back in the squad. But we need to be patient with him because he’s not had a proper preparation.”
Finally, when asked how he would grade the first half of the season for the squad, Kompany refrained and chose to speak about the attitude of the players.
“I don’t want to give it a rating. But the hunger of the players is there. They always want to improve. We need to keep that up. I know we need to keep doing what we’ve done well so far. We want to win tomorrow. Hopefully things then keep going,” Kompany stated.
Looking to get ready for Bayern Munich vs. Wolfsburg? Then why not do it with the Bavarian Podcast Works — Preview Show? We’re talking each team’s form, injuries, and giving predictions on a lineup and the match. You can get the show on Patreon, Spotify, or below:
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