Despite reaching the round of 16: Bayern coach Kompany is self-critical | OneFootball

Despite their early progress into the last 16, Vincent Kompany was not completely satisfied after the 2-0 win against Union Saint-Gilloise. The FC Bayern Munich coach had clear words after the Champions League evening in the Allianz Arena – especially with regard to the first half.

„It’s the Champions League, it can’t always be easy,“ Kompany explained to DAZN after the game. Although there was no phase in the first half in which the opponent was clearly better, the Belgian criticised: „Nevertheless, our first half was not at our best level.“ Munich dominated the game for long stretches, but struggled to find clear solutions against the deep-lying Belgians.

The Bayern coach saw a different team after the break. „I definitely saw an improvement in our performance in the second half,“ emphasised Kompany. Even the yellow card against Minjae Kim did little to change the positive impression from his point of view: „And despite the red card in the second half, we actually played very well.“ The 39-year-old highlighted his team’s reaction in particular: „The team’s strength is that it always reacts.“

Kompany: „Sometimes the game cracks…“

photo: IMAGO

Kompany classified his team’s patience as a necessary skill. Games against dominant defences often only open up in the second half. „Sometimes the game cracks in the second half. That’s just the way it is. The result doesn’t always come in the first half,“ explained the head coach, referring to his own experiences as a player.

Despite all the self-criticism, Kompany also referred to the general conditions. „We play every two or three days, and at the moment we’re doing an excellent job of winning the games,“ he said. He rated the one-nil game in particular as an important factor: „We played to nil today. So the balance has to be there too.“

In the end, it was the result that mattered most to the Bayern coach: „Absolutely. If you win in the end, it doesn’t matter at all,“ Kompany made clear. FC Bayern are therefore safely through to the round of 16 and still have the chance to improve their starting position and knock Arsenal off top spot on the final matchday of the league phase at PSV Eindhoven.