Kompany claims Bayern 'capable of winning' after Arsenal thriller
Vincent Kompany believes Bayern Munich should have beaten Arsenal after the two sides played out a 2-2 draw in the Champions League, with the Bayern head coach admitting his side had enough chances to take all three points.
Speaking after the match, Kompany was full of praise for the way Harry Kane operates as a focal point of his attack, drawing a direct comparison with how Arsenal's own forwards caused problems for his defence. “Harry Kane has a good sense of when to drop back and move into different areas of the pitch,” Kompany said. “I think Arsenal did something similar with their forwards today, and that makes it very difficult for defenders because they can't mark a specific player.”
The Friday Injury Tracker
Who's out, who's back and what it means for the next two games.
Kane's passing praised by Kompany
Kompany went into detail on how Kane's movement and distribution unlock defences once Bayern's centre backs step forward. “When the centre backs push forward and Harry gets some time on the ball, he can show his immense ability to deliver long and accurate passes, which allows us to penetrate the opponent's defense and create dangerous chances,” he explained.
On the match itself, Kompany described a contest that swung back and forth, with both sides pressing at high intensity for large spells. “Arsenal pressed with the same intensity that we did, and we were dangerous during those periods,” he said. “We didn't always manage to choose the right moment to reach the attacking third, but I believe we succeeded in getting into those situations a bit more than Arsenal, and in those moments, we posed a threat, as we had two or three chances when we had a numerical advantage.”
'A top class opponent'
Kompany was careful to credit Arsenal's own spells of control during the game, stopping short of claiming Bayern were the dominant side throughout. “We faced a top class opponent, and I won't say we had complete dominance, as Arsenal had periods where they were the better side,” he said. “Perhaps the result was fair, even if we had more chances to score.”
The Bayern boss also pointed to a congested fixture schedule as a factor in how quickly his squad must turn their attention to the next match, while reflecting on how the closing stages shaped the outcome. “It is unfortunate that we struggled during the last ten to fifteen minutes, as it affected our momentum,” Kompany said. “Nevertheless, we still felt that we were capable of winning the match, and perhaps we should have achieved that as well. However, we faced a strong opponent, and the match was never settled at any moment, so it was unfortunate to concede the equalizer at that moment.”
The draw leaves both sides with plenty to reflect on from a Champions League group stage encounter that lived up to its billing, with Kompany's comments, as relayed by ysscores.com, underlining just how fine the margins were at both ends of the pitch.
