FC Bayern are facing the biggest game of the season – and Vincent Kompany has given his team a clear message ahead of the clash with Real Madrid: courage instead of fear
At the final press conference ahead of the quarter-final first leg, the Bayern coach made it clear what will be important at the Santiago Bernabéu. For Kompany, it’s all about the right focus. „The most important thing is that we have full focus on the game tomorrow. We want to show what we can do,“ explained the Belgian
He formulated a clear goal: „We’ll give it our all. I just want us to win, I don’t want us to be afraid.“
It’s not just quality that counts in games like this, but also mentality
Mindset is the key
Kompany placed particular emphasis on the mental strength of his players. Mistakes are unavoidable in soccer – it’s how you deal with them that is crucial. „Everyone makes mistakes, that’s part of soccer, but life goes on and on,“ he emphasized
His approach is clear: „People are strongest when they have little fear.“
The coach is thus deliberately focusing on self-confidence and courage – key factors in a clash with an opponent like Real Madrid
Lessons learned from the Inter defeat
Last season’s defeat to Inter Milan also played a role at the press conference, but Kompany made it clear that the situation back then was not comparable to the current one. „Nine players were missing against Inter back then, that was completely different,“ he explained, referring to the difficult circumstances
For him, the most important thing is the reaction: „You have to look forward. Moving on, that’s the most important thing.“
In contrast to last year, Kompany believes his team is in a much better position this time around: „We are in a very good starting position for tomorrow, our best players are involved,“ said the 39-year-old
The objective is correspondingly ambitious: „We want to win against one of the best teams in the world.“
One thing is clear: FC Bayern will travel to Madrid with self-confidence – and with a clear attitude: no fear, no hesitation – but a firm determination to win the premier class classic.