Vincent Kompany issued a brutal warning to his players ahead of Bayern Munich’s Champions League last-16 tie against Bayer Leverkusen.
Kompany took charge of Bayern Munich last summer following a trophyless season under Thomas Tuchel at Allianz Arena. The Belgian manager was entrusted with the task of bringing back the glory days at the Bavarian club. The Bavarian giants are currently eight points clear at the top of the Bundesliga, into the last 16 of the Champions League but have been knocked out of DFB Pokal.
As Bayern prepare to take on league rivals Bayer Leverkusen in the Champions League knockout stage, Kompany has sent out a brutal warning towards his players. It has to be noted that Kompany’s side have already been knocked out of cup competition this season after losing to Xabi Alonso’s Leverkusen in the DFB-Pokal Cup.
Speaking to FIFA media, Kompany said: “Be hungry – or go somewhere else. It’s that simple. I can identify with many of the players I see here. There is no big difference to the groups I knew from Manchester City. That is definitely an advantage. I know what motivates them. I know what ambitions they have and what their simple worries are.”
He added: “I am lucky to have a very good group of players who enjoy spending time together. I also know how important it is to protect this dynamic. I’ve always been at clubs with high standards. Anderlecht had some of the best youth teams in Europe in the 1980s and 1990s. We could beat any big European team. We always had that pressure, from the age of six: to win, to play well, to behave in a certain way. When I got to top-level football, that was already a big part of me.
“That of course continued at Manchester City. When I then became coach of FC Bayern, it was something very familiar to me. I didn’t come into an environment that I didn’t know, but into an environment that I grew up in.”
After their clash in Europe this Wednesday, Bayern will be back in action in the Bundesliga on March 8 as they take on VFL Bochum.
