Kane and Olise on the bench: Kompany explains the surprising decision | OneFootball

FC Bayern had to settle for a 0-0 draw at Schalke. Vincent Kompany’s decision to start Harry Kane and Michael Olise on the bench caused quite a stir. After the game, the Bayern coach explained why he chose not to start his two star forwards.

Harry Kane and Michael Olise didn’t enter the game until after halftime in the 0–0 draw at Schalke. The Englishman replaced Nathaniel Brown, and Olise and Jamal Musiala followed shortly afterward. Despite the reinforcements, however, Bayern was unable to score against Schalke’s compact defense.

For Kompany, the decision to keep Kane and Olise on the bench initially was a matter of managing their workload: “The decision regarding Michael and Harry was simply a very rational one,” the Bayern coach explained at the postgame press conference.

“It’s not a given that you can just say, ‘You’ll play 90 minutes, 90 minutes, 90 minutes.’ The cup game in Osnabrück also took its toll. You can’t always put that full workload on these guys,” Kompany continued.

A return to the starting lineup against Bodø/Glimt?

Things could change again as early as Thursday. That’s when Bayern kicks off the new Champions League season with a home game against Bodø/Glimt. After being rested against Schalke, Kane and Olise are likely to be back in contention for the starting lineup.

Regardless, Kompany expects his team to convert more chances. Against Schalke, Bayern had several promising opportunities but repeatedly fell short due to their own lack of efficiency and goalkeeper Loris Karius.

“We have to make sure we capitalize on our chances again in the next few games and score our goals,” the Belgian insisted.

The 0-0 draw was doubly bitter for Bayern. For the first time since the Club World Cup quarterfinal against Paris Saint-Germain in July 2025, the record champions failed to score in a competitive match. At the same time, Bayern lost its lead in the standings following the draw.

This means the record champions are not at the top of the Bundesliga for the first time since September 1, 2024.

This makes Bayern’s response in the Champions League all the more important for Kompany. With Kane and Olise starting from the beginning, the Bayern coach could once again rely on his full offensive firepower.

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