Bayern Club World Cup clash with PSG a 'perfect storm': Kompany
"You have teams who are able to make a lot of good use of the ball in nearly every game, against deep blocks, high presses, everything," Kompany told a news conference Friday.
"That creates a sort of, what we've seen here a lot, thunderstorm, right? It's a perfect storm. These games are always interesting, and... I would pay to watch it."
Bayern and PSG can rest easy on Saturday because of the roof at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta which means there will be no storm disruption, and Kompany said the match would be one to savour.
"If I was a neutral, I would come to see this game, for sure," he said. "Both teams have quite 'extreme' principles, which is why it's usually an interesting game."
Despite the obvious strength of the Champions League winners, Kompany said there was no side he would rather face than the Parisians.
"There's no reason to think that they're not going to be absolutely at their best tomorrow, but I think it's the type of challenge you like," he explained.
"If I could pick one team to face, as a professional athlete, as a competitor, it's always the winners, and they are the winners, so we get a chance to play against them.
"It's tough, it's the toughest game, maybe, but that's why we're here, so I wouldn't have it any other way."
'Completely over the top'
The Belgian coach also hailed his PSG counterpart Luis Enrique, who won the treble with the French side.
In November PSG lost 1-0 against Bayern but Kompany said criticism of the Spaniard at the time was greatly overblown.
"I could follow (his press conference) on one of the big screens and all the questions that were asked to him were completely over the top," said Kompany.
"Really tough questions, big statements, everything is over, you failed in your job, you can do nothing -- all these big statements.
"But I remember watching his team before we played them, most games they should have won 5-0 but somehow it was 1-1 or they lost, so it wasn't reflective of the spirit of the team... (or) of the dominance they had in every game."
Kompany said he was happy to see Luis Enrique's determination rewarded.
"It's nice to see that in those moments consistency paid off for him, but most importantly that he was strong enough to continue," said the coach.
"It's not a compliment I'm giving, it's just a fact... it's just interesting to do this (rematch) six months fast forward, and to see how much things can change."
Find more details on group standings, match schedules, and competition statistics
(For more sports news and updates, follow Ahram Online Sports on Twitter at @AO_Sports and on Facebook at AhramOnlineSports.)
Short link:
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Al-Ahram Weekly
6 hours ago
- Al-Ahram Weekly
Al Hilal showed Saudi league not just about money: Koulibaly
Simone Inzaghi's team beat Manchester City 4-3 in the round-of-16, delivering the biggest upset of the tournament and one of the competition's most thrilling games. Al Hilal began their campaign with a draw against Spanish giants Real Madrid and they came through the group stage unbeaten with a draw against Champions League regulars Salzburg and a 2-0 win over six-times CONCACAF Champions Cup winners Pachuca of Mexico. With a squad that mixes local Saudi talent with international recruits, the newly appointed Inzaghi was able to take the team to the brink of the last four. For former Napoli defender and Senegal international Kalidou Koulibaly, one of the expensively recruited foreign players, the performances at the first 32-team Club World Cup, were a message that the Saudi league is not just a lucrative retirement home for European and South American players. "We showed that the teams from Saudi are very strong, very powerful and we have a lot of good players. Everyone thinks that when we went there we only went for the financial argument but we showed that we are working over there," he told reporters. "We showed it at this World Cup and every team who played against us can see that we have talent. We want to improve the league, we have improved a lot in two years," he added. Koulibaly was one of the early recruits to the Saudi Pro League, after leaving Premier League team Chelsea to join the Riyadh club and he said he has witnessed rapid growth in the league. "I was there at the beginning and I see today it is very tough. We saw it last year and next year it will be tougher as more players are coming. The Saudi league is taking a nice place in the football world and we are happy because we are part of a very nice project and want to show all the world that the football is improving," he said. Inzaghi, who left Inter Milan and took charge of the team shortly before the tournament began, says he has been impressed with what he has seen from his players so far. "Clearly, for me and my staff, it was very important to be able to play in this World Cup. We realised what kind of team we have, the quality of our players, the pleasure with which they work every day. Now we are looking forward to a great season," he said. Find more details on group standings, match schedules, and competition statistics (For more sports news and updates, follow Ahram Online Sports on Twitter at @AO_Sports and on Facebook at AhramOnlineSports.) Short link:
Al-Ahram Weekly
6 hours ago
- Al-Ahram Weekly
Bayern Club World Cup clash with PSG a 'perfect storm': Kompany
Both Luis Enrique's PSG and Kompany's Bayern, champions of the French and German leagues respectively, like to dominate the ball, press high and play attacking football. "You have teams who are able to make a lot of good use of the ball in nearly every game, against deep blocks, high presses, everything," Kompany told a news conference Friday. "That creates a sort of, what we've seen here a lot, thunderstorm, right? It's a perfect storm. These games are always interesting, and... I would pay to watch it." Bayern and PSG can rest easy on Saturday because of the roof at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta which means there will be no storm disruption, and Kompany said the match would be one to savour. "If I was a neutral, I would come to see this game, for sure," he said. "Both teams have quite 'extreme' principles, which is why it's usually an interesting game." Despite the obvious strength of the Champions League winners, Kompany said there was no side he would rather face than the Parisians. "There's no reason to think that they're not going to be absolutely at their best tomorrow, but I think it's the type of challenge you like," he explained. "If I could pick one team to face, as a professional athlete, as a competitor, it's always the winners, and they are the winners, so we get a chance to play against them. "It's tough, it's the toughest game, maybe, but that's why we're here, so I wouldn't have it any other way." 'Completely over the top' The Belgian coach also hailed his PSG counterpart Luis Enrique, who won the treble with the French side. In November PSG lost 1-0 against Bayern but Kompany said criticism of the Spaniard at the time was greatly overblown. "I could follow (his press conference) on one of the big screens and all the questions that were asked to him were completely over the top," said Kompany. "Really tough questions, big statements, everything is over, you failed in your job, you can do nothing -- all these big statements. "But I remember watching his team before we played them, most games they should have won 5-0 but somehow it was 1-1 or they lost, so it wasn't reflective of the spirit of the team... (or) of the dominance they had in every game." Kompany said he was happy to see Luis Enrique's determination rewarded. "It's nice to see that in those moments consistency paid off for him, but most importantly that he was strong enough to continue," said the coach. "It's not a compliment I'm giving, it's just a fact... it's just interesting to do this (rematch) six months fast forward, and to see how much things can change." Find more details on group standings, match schedules, and competition statistics (For more sports news and updates, follow Ahram Online Sports on Twitter at @AO_Sports and on Facebook at AhramOnlineSports.) Short link:
Al-Ahram Weekly
6 hours ago
- Al-Ahram Weekly
PSG 'dead' unless they keep improving: Luis Enrique
The European champions face German giants Bayern Munich on Saturday in the Club World Cup quarter-finals in Atlanta and the Spanish coach said they will not keep relying on the same system. PSG played an entertaining attacking style with three forwards on their way to Champions League glory, but Luis Enrique said one day he would diverge. "We will change it because teams adapt -- in football there is nothing magical," Luis Enrique told reporters. "When you overcome the press, your opponent adapts, when you create superiority in an area, your opponent adapts, there is no magic formula. "There is no coach who has a system or a move, and that's it, that's the difficulty of modern football, all coaches are prepared, all players are better physically and technically than ever." "So, you adapt, you improvise, and you become unpredictable for your opponent, or you are dead." Luis Enrique said playing the same way that led PSG to a first treble this season would not suffice going forward. "It's not enough to do what we've done this past season in the next, we have to change, we have to improve things," added Luis Enrique. Bayern Munich beat PSG 1-0 in November in the Champions League group stage, before the French side found their stride and went on to triumph in the competition for the first time. "We have a little bit of revenge to take, we know they're a tough team, but we're much stronger than in November," said Ousmane Dembele, who was sent off in Munich. "A lot has changed -- the players have clearly raised their level, I've raised my level too, and we have a lot of confidence. We know what we need to do on the field, we can beat any team." The 28-year-old is a leading Ballon d'Or contender after a superb campaign, although has only made a brief cameo as a substitute in the Club World Cup thus far. Dembele suffered a quadriceps injury during the Nations League at the start of June and came on in PSG's 4-0 romp against Lionel Messi's Inter Miami. The forward said he is now "100 percent" fit but it is up to Luis Enrique whether he starts against Bayern at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium. "It's not the time to give information to my opponent -- we'll see tomorrow," said Luis Enrique. Find more details on group standings, match schedules, and competition statistics (For more sports news and updates, follow Ahram Online Sports on Twitter at @AO_Sports and on Facebook at AhramOnlineSports.) Short link:
