As Bayern Munich prepares for SC Freiburg, head coach Vincent Kompany is not going to take the Breisgau-Brasilianer lightly.
“They’re a team with intensity, and they’re incredibly strong at home. They have players who have confidence and can score goals. Despite their busy schedule, they’ve remained very consistent – not everyone manages to stay consistent in Europe and in the Bundesliga. This shows how their young coach, with his personal touch, is helping the club. If I have a list of tough fixtures
in the league, then Freiburg away is one of them. We’ll need a lot of strength and energy for this game,” Kompany said (as captured by @iMiaSanMia).
The big question for Kompany, though, was about who will play the vacant No. 9 positions as Harry Kane is injured and Nicolas Jackson is suspended. Kompany used all of his evasiveness to slink out of directly answering this question — the coach rarely gives any information in a press conference that reveals strategy or tactics.
“It all depends a bit on what happens in training today, who shows they’re 100% fit for this game. Our interpretation of that role, the two players taking on the number 10 role, is very, very flexible. We can play with two strikers, no problem. We can play two number 10s. We can play a 9.5 profile. That’s the beauty of it: because we have enough attackers in the penalty box. Whether we do that, we’ll see – it depends on the information from the last training session. We’re trying to make logical decisions that will help us,” Kompany filibustered.
When it comes to the health of his players, Kompany said that Alphonso Davies and Jamal Musiala are available, but did not divulge if either would play a major role vs. SC Freiburg or Real Madrid.
“Harry is out. Jackson is suspended. Otherwise, things are looking good. Jamal is back, Phonzy as well. They’ve had a full training week. (Hiroki) Itō has gained playing time through the national team, Manu (Neuer) is back, Pavlo (Aleksandar Pavlović) is back. We’ll see who can start – but the squad is where it needs to be,” Kompany stated. “(Davies and Musiala) are options for the next few games. But whether they can play three games in a week or a full 90 minutes is another question. But we no longer have the luxury of that much choice. We have to win. And everyone has to deliver to the max and show their best level. I’ve seen we’ll get their quality in the minutes they do play. We try to make logical decisions,”
Meanwhile, Manuel Neuer has been formally cleared for a return to action.
“Manu is 100 percent fit. And what he’s been doing in training this week is at his best. If he can show that next week, we’ll all be very happy. And Jonas has been back with us since yesterday, which is also very positive for us. We’re going into the final two months with full motivation,” Kompany said.
If you are looking for more Bayern Munich and German national team coverage, check out the latest episodes of Bavarian Podcast Works, which you can get on Acast, Spotify, Apple, or any leading podcast distributor…
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