Kompany: Whether to go to Cologne depends on Neuer himself, no one is a guaranteed starter

Football     10:47pm, 28 October 2025
At 3:45 am on October 30, in the second round of the German Cup, Bayern will face Cologne. Before the game, Bayern coach Kompany attended the press conference. He talked about some of the team's current situation.

About Neuer and the team's injury situation

-Whether Neuer goes with the team depends on himself. He needs to be ready for the game against Leverkusen. This is his responsibility. But we have a short period of time between Cologne and Bayer Leverkusen, so his preparation is crucial. Other than that, everything is going well, Guerrero is fully recovered, Stanisic and Gnabry are back in the team and our squad is ready for the next three games.

About Cologne

- They have been really good so far, especially the way they defend - I like their sense of urgency and their ability to quickly seal up space and stop shots and crosses. They are also very dangerous on the counter-attack, which has caused many teams to suffer.

Not only is the defense solid, their midfield is also very solid and can continuously launch threatening counterattacks. They will play at home and believe they have a chance to win. But we also go to Cologne with great desire to compete for this trophy! Now we are doing well and hope to bring this form to Cologne.

About Lennart Karl and Mara

-When a counterattack eventually turns into a goal, Mara often plays an important role. He has excellent first-step acceleration and can also perform a second acceleration while traveling, which catches many defensive players off guard, thus creating opportunities for him to shoot.

This ability to go from seemingly inactive to suddenly participating in a counterattack at full speed is one of his distinctive features. But for Karl and Mara, they still have a lot of room for improvement. They will continue to demonstrate this over the coming months and years. It's good for Cologne and Bayern, but we hope it's better for Bayern in the end.

About the lineup

-No one is a definite starter. This word has little meaning in football. Every player strives for playing time through his own performance. We have a lot of players so everyone has a chance to get game time. Gnabry performed well before, but then got injured.

My opinion on Jackson is a little different than everyone else's - but obviously, if he can score, there won't be any further discussion. I think he has done a lot for us. And Karl, as a young player, brings something magical to us - relaxation and scoring goals, which are both good for us. As for the game against Cologne, we will see tomorrow. But you can know that I respect every player.

About the specialness of the Cup

- You can always feel that the Cup is special. I prefer the team to have some pressure. This pressure has never had a negative impact on my team so far. As long as we perform well, we have a good chance of advancing. So I don't mind the pressure. responsibility? Football is always football. Not just the fans, but we are also keen to get to the cup final.

About the coaching team

- I have a very, very good coaching team behind me who share the same spirit. Everyone is thinking about our players.

Regarding defending smaller players, such as Karl

- Small players tend to have strong turning power, which is difficult for defenders to deal with, and they don't need much space to pose a threat. The key is: How quickly can you block their shot? I don't think it's a height issue, but Carr can definitely finish the shot quickly. All the best players in the Champions League can finish half a second faster than anyone else, and that's the deciding factor - not height.

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