Can Bayern already celebrate the championship title on Saturday? Coach Kompany's first priority is a successful revenge against Mainz. Special summer plans are underway in Munich.
26.04.2025, 08:00
26.04.2025, 08:58
dpa
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- FC Bayern could become champions early on Saturday. However, Vincent Kompany is not yet keen on the Bavarian ritual of a beer shower for a champion coach.
- If Munich win their game against Mainz and Leverkusen fail to beat Augsburg, the Bundesliga title will be wrapped up.
- "As a coach, you have the feeling that it's the players who have won the title," says coach Kompany, adding: "I would never say: my title. Every coach who says my title is lying a little bit."
Vincent Kompany is not yet keen on the Bavarian ritual of a beer shower for a champion coach. Even if the football coach smiled when the inevitable question came up. "All these scenarios aren't in my head yet," said the 39-year-old FC Bayern coach with a trusting look ahead of the home game against FSV Mainz 05: "All I care about is the game, what happens in the 90 minutes."
This Saturday at around 5.15 p.m., it could certainly be that time in the Bundesliga. On match day 31, Munich could celebrate their 34th league title in the sold-out Allianz Arena. The prerequisite: they win their match against Mainz - and the German champions and runners-up Bayer Leverkusen, who are on the verge of being relegated, do not win against FC Augsburg at the same time.
"My title?" That's not what makes Kompany tick
With an eight-point lead, the return of the championship trophy to Munich after twelve months in Leverkusen is now only a matter of time. And for Kompany, it would be the first major title win as a coach after the second division championship and promotion to the Premier League with Burnley FC in 2023. However, the ex-professional would never put himself in the spotlight.
"As a coach, you have the feeling that it's the players who have won the title," said Kompany, elaborating. "I would never say: my title. Every coach who says my title is lying a little bit. It's about the players, about the work they do." For 31-year-old goalscorer Harry Kane, it would finally be the first trophy he has won with a team. And for record champion Thomas Müller, it would be his 13th championship with FC Bayern.
Müller ahead of 500th Bundesliga match
And possibly in Müller's 500th Bundesliga match, which he could celebrate on Saturday after a few days of illness during the week. "Thomas' numbers are impressive. Games, goals, titles, simply unique," enthused sporting director Max Eberl about the club's record player.
Incidentally, without the injured goalscorer Kane, Bayern lost the first leg 2-1 at Mainz, who were fighting for a place in the European Cup. It was one of only two league defeats under Kompany, who derived a special motivation for the reunion in Munich from this negative experience: "We lost to Mainz - and we don't like that."
Vacation for Bayern pros before Club World Cup
At the same time as converting one of the four championship match balls, summer planning is underway at FC Bayern. Kompany revealed that after missing the Champions League final on May 31, he is already sending his professionals on vacation for up to two weeks after the last Bundesliga matchday (May 17).
"It's a special situation with the Club World Cup," he said with a view to the XXL tournament with 32 teams from June 15 to July 13 in the USA. "We can now make the best plan for the boys," said Kompany. "The important thing for us is that we are fit and ready to compete at this Club World Cup."
A lot is likely to happen with Bayern's personnel for the coming season before, during and after this financially lucrative Club World Cup. When it came to squad planning and publicly traded Munich sales lists with names ranging from Kingsley Coman to Minjae Kim and Sacha Boey, Eberl was admittedly a little annoyed on Friday and also a little louder in tone. "We will also think again about what we can do in the summer without radically changing this squad," said the sporting director: "What I always read: Out! Out! And then new! No! We have a very, very good squad." One that's good enough for the championship title.
