Bayern Munich head coach Vincent Kompany wants to ensure his team is mentally prepared to face Viking in the Champions League in hopes of avoiding the same kind of lapse the squad suffered in a 2-2 draw with FC Augsburg last weekend.
“It’s the Champions League. Every game is a challenge. If we come here and say we want to be Bayern, then that’s a question of mentality. It’s a special game for Viking, but I don’t want anyone to feel like it’s not important for us. No matter what the game brings, we’ll
go into it thinking that anything can happen and we’re prepared for that. And my hope is it works out tomorrow,” Kompany said (as captured by @iMiaSanMia).
While some fans were shocked to find out Viking has a “co-manager” situation, Kompany indicated he was in a similar setup at Anderlecht.
“I had the same thing at Anderlecht. We shared an office, watched videos, and exchanged ideas. And I was still playing at the time. I know what it takes. It’s sometimes no different when you can work well together with the coaching staff. You then make decisions together and share the responsibility. You spend so much time together that some decisions become logical and not just a gut feeling. You need to put a lot into that relationship, but it’s definitely possible,” said Kompany.
As for how Viking compares to Bayern Munich’s first UCL opponent, Bodø/Glimt, Kompany said that they have some similarities.
“Talking about tactics, they’re two teams with a back four. But against Bodø/Glimt it was suddenly a five, even though they’d never done that before. So I don’t like talking about tactics. We’ve seen the national team as well. And most of the teams I’ve watched are ones who like to cover a lot of ground. They’re not the quickest, but are brave and clever in tactical things, finding solutions in front of goal. And when it’s about attacking the box, they’ve got very clever players. A lot of good work has been done in Norway. There was Rosenborg back in my day and now two more teams,” Kompany stated.
Finally, Kompany touched on the topic of the game being played on artificial turf, which he does not think is a big deal.
“As a coach, I’m approaching the preparations as normal. Interestingly, as a player, I would have played one of my final games on artificial turf, but then COVID hit and we went into lockdown for three or four months. I then ended my career, so I never played on artificial turf throughout my entire career. It’s understandable that the topic is being raised, but it’s nothing unusual for us. If I were the opposition, I’d be happy if everyone talked only about the artificial turf. But we’re not going to do them that favour. One of the reasons we flew here was to get a chance to play on it beforehand. But it won’t be an issue tomorrow,” Kompany said. “The players these days are in very good physical condition and will be extremely well prepared. We try to gather as much information as possible to ensure they stay fit. That’s the difference at the highest level, allowing players to shape their careers in this way. And I expect our players to get through this phase of the season and stay fit.”
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