KOMPANY'S FREIBURG DEMAND: LUIS DIAZ MUST FIRE BAYERN TO WIN

Bayern's Luis Diaz is suspended for the Arsenal UCL clash. Coach Vincent Kompany has challenged the winger to "go all out" against Freiburg in the Bundesliga to help the team before his ban.

Kompany's Freiburg DEMAND: Luis Diaz Must Fire Bayern To Win
Arsenal BAN Forces Action, Kompany Challenges Diaz In Bundesliga

Bayern Munich's coach, Vincent Kompany, has asked attacker Luis Diaz to play better in the club's next game versus Freiburg, because the Colombian winger will probably not play in the game against Arsenal. Diaz was given a red card in Bayern's 2-1 victory against Paris Saint-Germain, so he will now miss the Arsenal game in the Champions League.

Kompany's Challenge to Diaz


Bayern are playing in their own league again and want to improve after their tie last week against Union Berlin, which stopped them from winning every game in all competitions this season. Kompany hopes his team can win this weekend and thinks Diaz has no reason not to try his best.

During a news conference, Kompany asked Diaz to play his best in Bayern's game against Freiburg, especially because he will miss the game in the middle of the week. He said: "For him [Diaz], there is definitely no question about how much he should play. He needs to go all out tomorrow and help us. The others will have to manage on their own against Arsenal on Wednesday."

"The game against Arsenal will not really matter to Freiburg. The guys are excited for the Freiburg game. We want to win the game and are not thinking about Arsenal now."

The length of Diaz's suspension has not been officially announced by UEFA yet, but Kompany said he understands the situation by saying, "I have heard it is one game." I do not know when it will be shared, but if what I heard is wrong, I would be upset."

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Kompany's evaluation of the season


After Bayern and Berlin tied 2-2, Kompany could not beat the record. Kompany has matched his mentor Pep Guardiola's record of winning ten Bundesliga games in a row in his first ten games of a season, which the former Barcelona coach achieved in the 2015–16 season. Bayern has started the season amazingly, playing 17 games without a loss in the Bundesliga, DFB-Pokal, DFL-Supercup, and Champions League. If you think about the changes in the team—the loss of important attackers like Leroy Sane, Kingsley Coman, and Thomas Muller, and not being able to get players like Nick Woltemade and Rafael Leao—the run seems even more impressive.

However, Kompany has turned these problems into strengths. His system, which depends on effort, team movement, and smooth attacking changes, is very clear and well-coordinated. Harry Kane is scoring at a great rate of 23 in just 17 games because the system has helped him play his best.

"I still remember that we lost our previous match with Union," Kompany stated. "This year doesn't look like it will be easy. Most importantly, you won't gain anything if you aren't tough when it matters most. Right now, our great beginning is simply extra. We hope to be even tougher by the time the year ends.

To help Bayern keep playing hard all year, Kompany probably used the break to look at his team again and think about changing strategies. Also, he's likely hoping that Díaz returns wanting to make up for not being able to play and really help Bayern in their game against Freiburg this Saturday.

BAYERN MUNICH RULE OUT MARCUS RASHFORD MOVE REGARDLESS OF ANTHONY GORDON OUTCOME

Marcus Rashford is not a target for Bayern Munich this summer, as the club focuses entirely on signing Gordon from Newcastle.

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Bayern Munich excluded Marcus Rashford from their summer plans - Photo Credit: Getty Images

Bayern Munich aren’t considering a move for Marcus Rashford this summer, no matter what happens with Anthony Gordon. That’s according to a German reporter who’s close to the story.

Right now, Rashford is wrapping up his loan at Barcelona. He’s set to return to Manchester United at the end of the season. Barcelona have an option to make the deal permanent for €30 million (£26 million) in the summer. Both Rashford and Barcelona want him to stay, but here’s the catch: the club doesn’t want to pay the full €30 million.

Barcelona would rather keep Rashford on loan for another year or get him for a lower fee. Manchester United’s not having it. They want the full price, so Barcelona are starting to look at other players.

Rashford hasn’t made a secret of where he wants to be. Earlier in the season, he told Sport, one of the local Barcelona papers, about how much he wants to stay, saying, “Of course, what I want is to stay at Barca. It’s the ultimate goal.” He talked about the pressure and expectations at the club, saying they keep him motivated and that he feels like he’s in the perfect environment to grow and win trophies. For now, though, it’s all up in the air until next summer.

Last year, Bayern Munich actually showed some interest in Rashford before he went to Barcelona. But now, they’re focused on signing Anthony Gordon from Newcastle United for the left wing. The problem is, Gordon’s interested, but Newcastle’s price is ridiculous, reportedly around £80 million (€92.6 million). That’s much higher than what Bayern’s willing to pay. They’re thinking closer to £60 million (€69.4 million), and maybe with add-ons or an instalment plan. If Newcastle won’t budge, it probably isn’t happening.

Christian Falk, a trusted journalist from Bild, says Bayern aren’t considering Rashford as a backup if they can’t land Gordon. Bayern’s got a short list of players for the left wing, and Rashford isn’t on it. Gordon’s their main focus, but even if that deal falls through, Rashford’s not the next in line.

So at this stage, Bayern and Rashford won’t be coming together this summer, even if Gordon stays at Newcastle. That’s just not in the plans.

BAYERN MUNICH IDENTIFY ARSENAL’S KAI HAVERTZ AS TOP TARGET FOR SUMMER WINDOW

From North London to Munich? Kai Havertz emerges as the leading candidate to join Bayern’s elite Premier League-built attack.

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Kai Havertz emerges as Bayern replacement for Jackson following Chelsea deal collapse - Photo Credit: Getty Images

Bayern Munich still have their eye on an Arsenal star, hoping to bring more Premier League experience up front, especially after plans with Chelsea fell apart.

Right now, Bayern are among the best teams in Europe. It really depends on how you rank PSG, but Bayern’s up there, no question. Vincent Kompany deserves a lot of credit for getting them to this level. Still, you can’t ignore their recruitment. They keep picking top-flight Premier League attackers, and it works.

With Luis Diaz, Harry Kane, and Michael Olise, Bayern’s attack is lethal. Those three have already scored 100 goals this season. Defenders in the Bundesliga just can’t cope, and you can tell their time in England’s toughest league has paid off.

Bayern have another Premier League forward in the mix right now, but he’s not sticking around.

Chelsea deal off, Bayern looking at Arsenal.

On Wednesday, Fabrizio Romano made it official that X: Chelsea’s Nicolas Jackson will head back to Stamford Bridge this summer because Bayern aren’t activating his €65m buy option. Bayern’s director, Max Eberl, confirmed it, so that the backup spot behind Kane opens again when Jackson leaves.

James Benge reports that Kai Havertz’s name is coming up as a possible replacement. He said on the Inside Arsenal podcast that Bayern are definitely interested, “but nothing concrete yet.” Havertz could be the squad player who covers for Musiala and Kane.

Honestly, signing a German for Germany’s top club makes sense. Arsenal won’t just roll over, though, if Bayern come calling. Even after picking up Viktor Gyokeres last summer, Mikel Arteta still prefers Havertz up front. When Arsenal played Manchester City in their biggest game this season, Arteta benched Gyokeres and started Havertz.

Havertz has had injury issues this year. Heading into summer, he’ll still have two years left on his contract. If Bayern make a strong offer, Arsenal could think about selling.

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