Bayern Munich will hit the road for a short trip on Friday…
For Bayern Munich coach Vincent Kompany, the prospect of facing a red-hot FC Augsburg ahead of Tuesday’s Champions League tilt with Inter Milan might not be a bad thing.
“It’s a derby, we’re not traveling so far, which is rare. It’s traditionally not an easy game for Bayern — they haven’t lost in eleven games and have conceded very few goals. But that’s also a good thing, because the team’s focus is immediately there, because everyone knows it’s a difficult away game. If we perform to our potential, we can get points there, too,” said Kompany (as captured by @iMiaSanMia). “We have good attacking players. St. Pauli also conceded very few goals, and we created many chances against them. That doesn’t mean it’s easy, but we can always go into games with full confidence.
“We know we’ll always get our chances. Hopefully, we’ll score a goal and change the dynamic. We know we can score a lot of goals, and we want to bring that into the game. A couple of players worked individually yesterday. Normally the players who were available against St. Pauli will be available tomorrow. The players who weren’t there against St. Pauli won’t be there tomorrow.”
One of the players referenced as training individually was Raphaël Guerreiro, who is the only true left-back standing (literally and figuratively) these days. Kompany’s statement seems to indicate the veteran will be able to play, but the coach talked through all of his options at the star-crossed position.
“We’ve often played with Rapha (Guerreiro) on the right. Josip (Stanišić) is right-footed, Rapha is left-footed. Konrad Laimer also played on the left at times and also did well. Left and right is important if you’re always passing down the flanks, but with us it’s flexible,” said Kompany. “Of course, you do get into habits when you play a lot in one position. We have a few options for the full-back position. You can also get creative. The important thing is that we have confidence and it doesn’t change the fact that we have to go full throttle. We want to win.
“(Sacha Boey is) definitely an option. Sacha is a player who really enjoys playing on the right. He’s fit and definitely an option; he’ll get his moments in the coming weeks. Before his injury, he was in a good position; hopefully, he’ll show his qualities again. We have options to be creative; currently, we have six players who have regularly played in defense. It’s important that the boys stay fit.”
Because of all of the injuries, Kompany has needed to get extra bodies into training and has leaned on the club’s campus.
“We needed the boys in training, they helped us. We’re always looking for the next talents, I love that. We mustn’t forget the steps that are necessary. It’s a sensitive issue with any young player, anything can happen there – they’re still at school, some of them live at home. You never get an absolute guarantee. You may get one or two who’ll make it,” Kompany noted.
Cassiano Kiala (16/CB), Chivano Wijks (16/RB), Roko Mijatović (17/CB), Raphael Pavlic (17/CB), Magnus Dalpiaz (18/CB/RB), and Julien Gerd-Joachim Yanda (17/LB) all took part in Bayern Munich’s training on Wednesday.
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