Bayern Munich hosts St. Pauli this weekend….
Bayern Munich coach Vincent Kompany is not going to let St. Pauli sneak up on him. The coach spent all week prepping to face what he thinks will be a tough, defensive squad.
“I spent my week watching St. Pauli. They’re a team that concedes very few goals. They’re dangerous in front of goal, even though they haven’t scored that many goals. They often get into the box and have a lot of energy. They can also press. The important thing is that we go in with respect and have complete confidence in ourselves. We want to give our best performance. The motivation is definitely there for this game,” said Kompany (as captured by @iMiaSanMia).
One of the hot topics to deal with for Kompany this week is injuries. With Manuel Neuer, Dayot Upamecano, and Alphonso Davies all lost to injury during the international break, the coach knows other players will have to step up for the three missing starters.
“Manu has a calf injury. I know it’s delicate. That doesn’t mean it’s serious, but he needs time. I don’t want to communicate a specific date; hopefully it will be resolved quickly,” said Kompany, who indicated that Jonas Urbig (who was also injured during the break) will start vs. St. Pauli. “We have enough defenders at the moment. At the beginning of the season, we had Hiroki Itō and Josip Stanišić out. Leon Goretzka has also shown he can do the job there. Everyone has to be flexible; if someone is needed in a position, they have to fill it.
“It’s a pity for Phonzy and Upa that they won’t be here at this crucial stage of the season. We’ve had to deal with a few absences this season, and we’ve always managed to do that so far. Hopefully, this will bring the group even closer together. How you react to such absences is important. There are no excuses for me; I always want to win the next game. You have to quickly focus on what you can control. We’re in a position where there’s no chance of taking a step back. We will do everything we can to achieve our goals.
“It starts long before the injuries, with everyone feeling that they’re important and that we need them. The guys coming in have already played a lot. The absences aren’t the first this season. Of course, you don’t feel good about the news at first, but then you look ahead. The guys who are injured get all the support they need. There are no excuses; we have to perform and win.”
Finally, Kompany addressed the title race where his squad holds a six-point lead over Bayer Leverkusen entering the weekend.
“Our mindset is that we have the same number of points. We assume that Leverkusen will win all of their games, and that we have to win all of them as well. The best thing is to reset everything and assume that Leverkusen will win eight games. Then you have to win eight games. That’s a good pressure. That has to be our mentality for the final games,” Kompany stated.
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