Kompany Steps Up the Pressure: The Break Is Over for Bayern Stars | OneFootball

FC Bayern is entering the next phase of its preseason preparations. After the national team players were initially eased back into the squad following the World Cup, Vincent Kompany is now ramping up the intensity. Ahead of the tough test against Aston Villa, the Bayern coach announced that he would give several key players significantly more playing time.

Many national team players joined preseason training late following the 2026 World Cup and have been deliberately used sparingly in recent days. In the 2-1 friendly win against Jeju SK FC, Joshua Kimmich, Jonathan Tah, and Nathaniel Brown, among others, were on the field for only about 30 minutes.

After the match, Kompany made it clear that the playing time distribution would change against Aston Villa. “I think the players who played 30 minutes today will be able to play 60 minutes on Friday. And those who played 60 minutes today will play 30 on Friday,” the Belgian explained at the press conference.

The European League champions will provide the German record champions with their most challenging test of the preseason so far. Accordingly, the workload is set to increase further.

Not all returning players are ready yet

Photo: FC Bayern

However, not all first-team players will be able to increase their workload. Some players still need more time. “Lucho Díaz, Laimer, and Stanisic aren’t ready for that yet. But the German national team players, Minjae, and Ito are ready. Players like Bischof and Ibrahimović, who’ve been with us for the entire preseason, can handle a bit more. We want to perform well and get a good result,” Kompany emphasized.

The Munich team’s Asian tour will end after the match against Aston Villa. The team will then return to Germany, where the final World Cup returnees—including Harry Kane, Michael Olise, and Dayot Upamecano—will rejoin the squad.

The friendly against Aston Villa should therefore provide an important indication of how the rest of the preseason will unfold. While the workload for most national team players is now increasing significantly, Kompany continues to work on getting his squad in top form in time for the Franz-Beckenbauer Super Cup against Borussia Dortmund.