Thomas Müller’s contract with FC Bayern ends in the summer. The future of the world champion is open. Before the game at 1. FSV Mainz 05, coach Vincent Kompany comments on the personnel. And explains the Munich team’s injury woes.
The question made him smile. A reporter wanted to know on Friday afternoon whether he would be happy if his team won the last two games of the year in the Bundesliga away from home against 1. FSV Mainz 05 this Saturday (3:30 p.m., Sky) and the following Friday against RB Leipzig from Vincent Kompany. “Have you ever seen a coach who is happy? That doesn’t exist?” the FC Bayern coach replied at the press conference at the club’s headquarters on Säbener Strasse and laughed. “This is not our life. Only during the winter break, probably.”
Since April 2021, Bayern have not lost to any team away from home in the Bundesliga as often as against Mainz (three out of seven games). Kompany emphasized that the respect for Mainz is great, especially away from home. There is little time to be happy. And Bayern have personnel concerns.
Kompany announced that none of the numerous injured stars would be returning to Mainz. Not even striker Harry Kane, who will probably be able to play again against Leipzig after tearing a muscle fiber in his thigh.
“Looking at the injury history of a squad is important. The role we have is to minimize it. So far we have succeeded. But I’m not surprised that there is a moment where there are multiple injuries,” Kompany said. “We need every player, the entire squad. The medical department works at the highest level. We always have to look at the injury history of the players. But we also had some crazy injuries.”
The coach is therefore delighted to have a winter break. The 38-year-old Belgian did not have this opportunity during his time as a player and coach in the English Premier League.
“Right now I’m very happy that we have a winter break. Because there won’t even be a summer break (in 2025), if we look at the program we have in front of us,” said Kompany before Bayern’s end-of-year spurt.
Bayern professionals get vacation until the New Year
Immediately afterwards, the Christmas vacation begins for the Munich professionals, which will last until January 1st, as Kompany said. “It is important that players have a certain number of days to recover, not only physically but also mentally. We have that in the Bundesliga.”
Kompany’s stated goal is to win the last two games of the year and thus go into the new year as the clear league leader. This is Bayern’s second away game in Mainz this season. In the DFB Cup, Munich won 4-0 after three goals from national player Jamal Musiala.
They are still undefeated in the Bundesliga this season and won 5-1 against FC Shakhtar Donetsk in the Champions League last Tuesday evening. With 33 points after 13 games, the Munich team is having their best Bundesliga season in nine years.
Meanwhile, sports director Max Eberl and sports director Christoph Freund are working on the squad of the future. The club wants to extend the contracts of Jamal Musiala and Joshua Kimmich. And what about world champion Thomas Müller, whose contract ends in the summer?
“We talk to the player about everything that concerns the future. “I’m not thinking that far ahead as to whether and who can replace Thomas Müller,” said Kompany on Friday morning. “The transition is important. Everything has to happen at the right time. We also have players here who can do it in the future.”
Julien Wolff is a football editor and spent Friday morning on Säbener Straße. He has been reporting from Munich since 2011 about FC Bayernalso about the Bundesliga and the national team.
