Vincent Kompany brushed aside speculation linking him to Manchester City as Bayern Munich prepares for its DFB Pokal match against Union Berlin.
The Bayern manager addressed remarks from former president Uli Hoeness, who claimed that Pep Guardiola has indicated Kompany will succeed him as City’s head coach.
During a press conference, the former City defender stated: “I’ve often mentioned that I’m not here to comment on what Uli Hoeness says. I have great respect for him, but in football, I can’t afford to look too far ahead. My focus is solely on Bayern and what we can accomplish in the present. I prefer to concentrate on the world in front of me right now, which consumes all of my time. I have no thoughts about other teams; my sight is set solely on FC Bayern.”
Bayern has been impressive this season, although they have faced a few setbacks, including a draw against Union Berlin in last month’s Bundesliga.
Recently, they suffered their first defeat against Arsenal in the Champions League, yet they are currently eight points clear at the top of the domestic league after defeating St Pauli 3-1 on Saturday.
They relied on late goals once again, with Luis Díaz and Nicolas Jackson both scoring in stoppage time.
In their match against Union, Bayern had to come from behind twice, and even during their recent 6-2 triumph over Freiburg, they managed to recover from a two-goal deficit.
Kompany, however, played down any worries, saying: “We began the season by scoring three goals in the first 20 minutes, so it was expected that this would change. But falling behind is something we are focusing on improving. I still believe these are normal circumstances, but if it starts to become a trend, we’ll need to address it. However, in the last 20 games, we’ve often led 3-0 within the first 20 minutes, which has been the more common scenario.”
– Who joins Kane among the Bundesliga’s most electrifying attackers?
– Bayern’s Joshua Kimmich unimpressed by Arsenal: ‘Set pieces, long balls’
Bayern has not captured the DFB Pokal since 2020, and Kompany aims to change that, with the winner of Wednesday’s match advancing to the quarterfinals.
“By the end of the season, we hope to be under this kind of pressure again, perhaps even more,” Kompany remarked. “We want to deliver a strong performance and secure the win — we’re ready for anything, whether it’s 90 minutes or another 30. It’s positive pressure.
“You can always claim you want to win everything, but it requires hard work and the right attitude. If we demonstrate how hungry we are for the final tomorrow, then we’ll have a good chance.”
Alphonso Davies is still sidelined due to a long-term injury, but Kompany expects the rest of his squad to be fit and ready.