KOMPANY CONTENT WITH KANE’S CONTROLLED ENGLAND WORKLOAD
Bayern boss Vincent Kompany has "no issue" with England's use of Harry Kane during the break. The striker, who scored twice for England, is fit for Der Klassiker against unbeaten rivals Dortmund.
During the October international break, Vincent Kompany had no problem with England's deployment of Harry Kane, a forward for Bayern Munich.
After suffering an ankle injury during Bayern's triumph at Eintracht Frankfurt two weeks prior, Kane was unable to play in England's 3-0 friendly victory against Wales at Wembley.
The in-form 32-year-old Kane reacted with a brace after England manager Thomas Tuchel, whom Kompany replaced at Allianz Arena, deemed him fit for Tuesday's World Cup qualifying match in Latvia.
"I am not the coach of England or Germany," Kompany said at a press conference before Saturday's Klassiker against Borussia Dortmund. The coaches have the final say.
"Everyone wants Harry to be in good shape. Our objectives are the same. If a player is not healthy, nobody wins. He had adequate time to prepare for the next game because he did not play in the first one. So, everything is OK.
The former Tottenham Hotspur striker has scored 21 goals in 13 club and national appearances this season, including his double for England.
Kane, the captain of England, recently gave Kompany credit for helping him "unlock another level" in his game.
However, Kompany maintained, "On his own, he is at his next level. That is what he always does. That is the mindset he established every year, even when I was playing against him and in the years that followed.
Perhaps the fact that he did not win a title for a while helped him maintain his hunger.
He is aware of his potential contribution to our squad and to his colleagues. He then demonstrates his abilities by including others in addition to his ambitions.
"There is no additional strain on him if he occasionally performs worse, but we hope he can maintain that. There, the others will make up for it. We have a lot of faith in our team.
Dortmund's visit will put Bayern's spotless record of ten wins this season in jeopardy.
With four wins from their six league games, Dortmund is currently second in the Bundesliga behind leaders Bayern, but Kompany assured his squad that eliminating their opponent's undefeated domestic start would not provide them with any additional motivation.
"That is not a thing for me," Kompany continued. All we want is to win. These championship matchups with Dortmund are comparable to their own cup competition.
"I mean in the sense that a five-win or five-loss streak is irrelevant. Your only goal in this game is to win. I do not want it to be boiled down to three points or a record. All we want is to defeat Dortmund. Is it that easy?
"First against second, both undefeated, is our motive for this Klassiker. This game has us thrilled.
"On the whole, Dortmund is a good team because of a variety of factors, but we are at home and are prepared for this match. I am hoping for a successful outcome for us and a fantastic game for the supporters.
JAMAL MUSIALA RISKING WORLD CUP SPOT FOLLOWING LATEST CHAMPIONS LEAGUE INJURY SETBACK
Jamal Musiala faces a race against time to be fit for Germany and Bayern Munich after a recurring leg injury flare-up.
Watching Gianluigi Donnarumma crash into Jamal Musiala’s ankle was tough. His ankle twisted horribly, and just like that, Bayern Munich lost one of its brightest stars for the first half of the season. When Musiala finally made his comeback in January against Rasenballsport Leipzig, grabbing an assist almost immediately, it felt like a breath of fresh air. He didn’t stop there; soon after, he started his first game post-injury versus PSV Eindhoven in the Champions League, and, like clockwork, he found the net.
But that Leipzig match was over two months ago, and things haven’t been smooth sailing since. Musiala has only started two more games. Then, during the Champions League tie against Atalanta Bergamo, pain flared up in his leg again. Now, he’s at risk of missing both Germany’s last international break before the World Cup and some of Bayern’s most critical matches from March through April.
Everyone’s feeling the frustration – fans, coaches, you name it. All eyes are on when Bayern’s number 10 will finally be back to full speed for club and country. Both Bayern’s head coach, Vincent Kompany and Germany manager Julian Nagelsmann need to figure out how to navigate Musiala’s recovery during the international break.
Someone asked Kompany about all this before the second Atalanta leg. He said:
"I’ll call Julian Nagelsmann at some point; I haven’t done it yet, so, just to be clear, we haven’t spoken," Kompany said, "We’re on the same page here: we both want a fully fit Jamal Musiala. If he’s in top shape for Bayern, he’ll be in top shape for Germany. He’ll get back to his best; it’s just a matter of time. We have the same priorities."
Sure, their interests are aligned, but the timing isn’t. Kompany wants Musiala in the lineup immediately, while Nagelsmann’s likely playing it safe, not in any rush to throw him back in. In the end, everything comes down to getting Musiala fully fit and firing again. After the year he’s had, he deserves it. So does everyone, hoping to see him at his best.
LUIS DIAZ SUSPENSION UPHELD BY DFB COURT FOLLOWING CONTROVERSIAL LEVERKUSEN RED CARD
Luis Diaz will serve a one-match ban after the DFB court rejected Bayern Munich's appeal against his Leverkusen red card.
Bayern Munich’s effort to have Luis Diaz’s red card overturned has fallen short, even after the referee admitted his decision was mistaken. Diaz was sent off for what was initially called a dive during the 1-1 draw against Bayer Leverkusen. Replays, however, showed there was definite contact between Diaz and the goalkeeper. Despite this, the DFB sports court ruled that the one-match suspension must be upheld, adding to Bayern’s growing squad problems.
The referee himself acknowledged the punishment was harsh. Diaz had scored Bayern’s only goal before being shown a second yellow, which led to his dismissal. The second booking was given for an alleged dive in the box. But post-match footage clearly showed some contact with Leverkusen goalkeeper Janis Blaswich. Christian Dingert, the referee, later admitted in an interview that the second yellow was too harsh and that, seeing the replays, he wouldn’t have made that call again.
Bayern acted quickly to appeal the ban, banking on Dingert’s admission to get it rescinded. That didn’t happen. The DFB’s sports court decided the referee’s comments after the match weren’t enough to overturn the original decision made on the field. Court chairman Stephan Oberholz explained that the incident didn’t meet the strict standard needed for a retroactive change. He also pointed out that Diaz had actively sought contact with the goalkeeper, so the card wasn’t entirely unjustified.
The DFB clarified their position in detail, stressing that referees’ decisions hold unless they are clearly and obviously wrong. Oberholz made it clear that for an appeal to succeed, the original decision has to be seriously flawed, which this was not. In his ruling, he said that since the incident was classified as a factual decision, it could only be overturned if it was indisputably incorrect, and they did not find that to be the case. As a result, Diaz will have to sit out Bayern’s next match against Union Berlin.
This absence worsens an already tricky situation for Bayern manager Vincent Kompany. Diaz’s suspension comes amid injury concerns for other key players. After a demanding Champions League win over Atalanta last week, Alphonso Davies and Jamal Musiala were already sidelined for the Leverkusen game due to injuries picked up in Europe. Bayern’s squad depth will be tested even further as they navigate a packed fixture list.
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