At 1:30 PM CET on October 10, Bayern Munich will play away against Augsburg in the fifth round of the Bundesliga. Ahead of the match, Kompany attended the team's press conference. In the third part of the press conference (due to its length, we divided it into three parts), he discussed his expectations for the match and his thoughts on the Ballon d'Or.
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Two top players in the team, Kane and Olise, are nominated for the Ballon d'Or. How do you assess their chances of winning? Who do you favor on paper?
I don't know. The voting has closed, and the results cannot be changed. I apologize, but I don't think about the Ballon d'Or every day. Today, we are discussing Augsburg, and that's enough. As for the rest, of course, I hope a Bayern Munich player wins.
But the most important thing for me is for the whole team to win trophies. I'm getting to know Olise and Kane better, and for them, team trophies are also the primary goal. This is the characteristic of our team and our star players.
The team is traveling to Norway early for an away game against Viking on an artificial pitch. Why go early to adapt and train? What's the difference with artificial turf?
For example, I've hardly played on artificial turf in my 20-year career. I think: if players are stepping onto such a pitch for the first time, it's best to go early to adapt, get a feel for the surface, and decide on shoe selection. I don't have the answers to these questions myself, and I don't want to wait until match day to experience it. I hope we can get familiar with it the day before the match.
My philosophy has always been consistent: wind, rain, scorching sun—whether it's 45 degrees in Carolina, USA, or minus 5 degrees on artificial turf against Viking in Stavanger—the environment is no excuse for me. Wherever we go, we must play like Bayern Munich. Traveling early to adapt to the pitch is the right decision to gather more information about the venue before the match.
I don't know if you've been following the German national team's matches. Bischoff performed brilliantly last week, playing excellently in midfield alongside Pavlovic. He hasn't had many appearances for the Bayern Munich first team this season. Will his impressive national team performance make you consider giving him more opportunities? What are your plans for him?
Only six league games have been played this season, so it's normal for most players to have limited playing time; this is typical for this stage of the season. I've explained my views on national team matches many times: national team performance does not directly determine my starting lineup choices in the league.
But whether players perform well or poorly for the national team, I will be very happy if they return to the club with a good mentality. This will be a factor I consider. However, if the national team trip doesn't go well, it's fine; put it behind you and return with the form you showed for Bayern Munich.
I still remember my experience with the Belgian national team. When I played for Hamburg, Belgium was ranked around 70th or 80th in the world, similar to Austria. Germany, on the other hand, was consistently in the top ten. The results of national teams from smaller countries fluctuate greatly, and Belgium experienced that.
Back then, I was a core player for the national team. We lost 2-3 away to Kazakhstan, Armenia, and Azerbaijan, and returned home in a bad mood. Dutch players in the team, like Nigel de Jong, would even joke about Belgium's losses. So I learned one thing: only bring back the positive aspects from the national team, and leave the rest behind.
I have always adhered to this principle since becoming a coach. I won't forget who played well against Union Berlin, Bodø/Glimt, who won the Supercup against Borussia Dortmund, or who performed excellently against Stuttgart at the beginning of the season. All these will be kept in mind, and of course, even in winning games, continuous improvement is necessary.
If Borussia Dortmund wins, they could theoretically lead by 5 points. Compared to being chased, will being the chaser now provide more motivation? How do you view the consistent form of Borussia Dortmund?
Their strong start and their current results don't surprise me. However, our approach is "tunnel vision"—we only focus on the next game, on what we can control. We will play against Borussia Dortmund in the future, and that match will have greater significance.
For now, we are only focused on our own games. We cannot think, "we can always catch up later." Leverkusen's 90-point season was also a surprise. We cannot have that mindset. Every match must be played to win, to get three points. This is the top priority, above everything else.
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