Vincent Kompany on Harry Kane and Michael Olise's Absence Against Schalke
Vincent Kompany insisted there was nothing mysterious about leaving Harry Kane and Michael Olise out of Bayern Munich’s starting XI in the goalless draw with Schalke – just cold logic.
The Bayern coach, speaking after his side were held in the second round of the Bundesliga, underlined that both attackers are still short of full fitness after late returns and a draining cup assignment.
“It was simply a rational decision,” Kompany told reporters. “They came back very, very late from their break, and the Osnabrück match drained a lot of energy from them.”
The DFB-Pokal tie against Osnabrück clearly sat at the top of his priorities.
“The priority was for them to be available for it, because it was a German Cup tie,” he said. “Then I had to make a decision about today’s match. They are still not properly ready to bear a full physical load. It was a rational decision.”
Bayern dominate, Schalke survive
On the pitch, Bayern controlled almost everything except the one thing that matters. The ball would not go in.
“Every match has its own story,” Kompany reflected. “Unfortunately, today’s story was that we could not score. This does not detract from Schalke’s performance. They really fought hard and closed the spaces well.”
Schalke dug in, stayed compact and made life tight around their penalty area. Bayern pushed, recycled the ball, and tried to drag defenders out of position, but the final touch kept deserting them.
Kompany, though, was quick to highlight what he felt his side did exceptionally well without the ball.
“On the other hand, the counter-pressing we did today was exceptional, and we did not allow them to create any chances,” he said. “We also created many clear chances against a compact defence, so there are positives too.”
The pattern was familiar: Bayern hemmed Schalke in, hunted in packs after every turnover and prevented any real threat on the break. The only missing piece was the finish.
Kompany did not dress up the outcome.
“In the end, the result is what it is,” he concluded. “At Bayern Munich, you can only be happy if you win.”
