FC Bayern have to do their homework against Bratislava and hope for others to do theirs. Vincent Kompany will be watching the situation closely.
A man of headlines, Vincent Kompany has not yet become at Bayern Munich. He likes to get a little more emotional when he talks about his beginnings in Brussels, but otherwise the coach tends to act cautiously, calmly and objectively. On Tuesday, the day before the last “group game” in the Champions League against Bratislava, Kompany was very honest.
“I want to tell the truth now,” said the Belgian with a grin, and talked about his attempts to get Bayern Munich into the top eight of the premier class using a table calculator. ‘I lost my Sunday over it,’ reported Kompany. ‘I now have a rough idea in my head of what needs to happen.’
The topic is actually not that funny. Kompany was not supposed to have any scenarios in his head before the end of the league phase, in case Bayern still managed to qualify directly for the round of 16. Actually, a win against the second-last team in Slovakia should be enough for Bayern to be able to sit back and relax on Friday when the playoffs are drawn.
This plan is no longer viable after the 3-0 defeat in Rotterdam last Wednesday, and now all sorts of scenarios are needed for the Munich team to make the unexpected possible. “Ten percent is ten percent,” said Kompany about the probability. “For me, though, it’s still important what we control. It’s all about our own performance.”
However, a victory alone will not be enough; it would take many favorable results elsewhere. That is why Kompany is “completely transparent” and makes no secret of the fact that he will be kept up to date on Wednesday. “In the last ten or 15 minutes, it is of course important to know where you have to go.” Perhaps Bayern will need another goal, in which case Kompany could react in terms of personnel.
Neuer is ready to go and avoids a curious situation
For now, though, the coach can only control what the players he selects manage. Manuel Neuer, for example, will be in goal, although he only did individual training on Tuesday. Incidentally, the Bayern captain is avoiding a potential dilemma by doing so, because Sven Ulreich is suspended after his red card in Rotterdam (as a substitute!), Daniel Peretz is out due to a bruised kidney and newcomer Jonas Urbig is not registered for the league phase of the premier class. That leaves only U-17 world champion Max Schmitt as a backup.
In defense, Dayot Upamecano returns after suffering from muscular problems, while Eric Dier will probably be in the squad despite being slightly ill. Konrad Laimer is likely to return to the right-back position in defense for Joshua Kimmich, who will set the pace alongside Aleksandar Pavlovic, taking the place of the suspended and injured Leon Goretzka.
Meanwhile, a still relatively unknown name left its mark: Wisdom Mike, a 16-year-old young winger, trained with the professionals for the first time on Monday and was also allowed to take part in the final training session. The German-Nigerian player, who is a winger, joined Borussia from Gladbach at the age of 13 and caused great displeasure at the time for Borussia’s sports director Roland Virkus: “Deals like that are anything but beneficial for German youth football. I find it distasteful.”
