Club World Cup: Companys Rotation logic must open against Flamengo

Vincent Kompany looked as drained from the brooding heat as his players when he defended the absolute rotation, which was absolutely alternative for him, after the first defeat of FC Bayern at the club World Cup. The fact that the Munich had to leave Portugal’s football record champions against Benfica Lisbon due to the avoidable 0: 1 (0: 1) against Benfica Lisbon and now play Flamengo in the round of 16 against Brazil’s top team and not against FC Chelsea, makes no difference for the coach.

“There are no simple co-rounds,” said Kompany. In the tournament tree, the Bavarians are now on the probably stronger co-round side. In the quarter-finals, the mega task against Champions League winner Paris Saint-Germain lurks when they come on. “Of course they are good. But we have already beaten them,” said Thomas Müller confidently.

Company spoke with visibly heated head in the air -conditioned press hall of the “Bank of America Stadium” of “very logical decisions” that he had made. Seven changes in the starting eleven had an impact effect, even if he rejected the term “b-eleven”. Several top forces such as Joshua Kimmich, Harry Kane or Michael Olise were spared at least 45 minutes.

Otherwise “the players are all dead”

Because Kompany wanted to avoid with a view to the second tournament phase that is now beginning that “the players are all dead because they played here for 90 minutes in the heat. My goal is to get us into the best possible prerequisites for the next game,” he said vigorously before the strength of strength with Flameng next Sunday (10 p.m./Sat.1. And dazn). “And I will agree with a positive result,” hopes the 39 -year -old Belgian.

It’s hot in Miami too. But it is not a comparison to the glut oven in Charlotte’s totally open football stadium. “The players had cramps, they suffered,” said Kompany. The truth also includes the fact that the completely newly formed eleven for newcomers and debutant Tom Bischof put down a “rather mew first half”, as the captain Manuel Neuer, which was well held again.

It was only after the break that Kimmich, Kane, Olise and later Konrad Laimer and Jonathan Tah “played completely different football,” said Neuer. With more steam – and more quality on the pitch. What was missing were the goals. Laimer hit the post, especially Leroy Sané, shortly before his Bayern subscription, failed several times due to the very good Benfica goalkeeper.

“Usually we score a few goals, that’s the truth,” groaned Kompany. And then afterwards would not have been talked about in the supposed luxury squad. Kimmich defended the second guard and Kompany: “It was also a question that the coach wants to take all the players with them. It is not enough that you only have a good starting eleven. But also players behind them who work. They also need rhythm.”

Müller’s mentality counter: “Are we now in Dortmund?”

Was the weak first half a matter of mentality? Thomas Müller reacted slightly pampy when asked. “Are we now in Dortmund? Do we already have mental problems?” You could totally forget that: “We are very lane about our mentality to win here.”

The tournament veterans Müller (35) and Neuer (39) do not doubt a bit on the other Bayern path in America. “What happened here has no relevance,” said Müller: “I know that such a co-round is always a game with the fire. But I am convinced that we are still here for some time.”

“Then we make the big games”

Neuer also looks ahead “very positive”. “If we continue playing like in the second half, it will be a very good tournament.” Now it goes into the co -rounds – “and these big games, we will then make them”.

Müller, for whom every game could actually be the very last as a Bayern professional on his farewell tour from now on, reminded of the shaky “Algeria game in our glorious World Cup victory” in Brazil with his great experience from national team times. Only with a lot of effort could be continued in the round of 16 against the outsider. For every tournament winner there are moments in between, “where it gets tight and not everything runs optimally”.

Before Kompany left Charlotte on never again, he made a declaration of war. “The first tournament phase is over, the second starts. And that’s a new story. We go into the game against Flamengo.”