Tom Bischof gave a spirited interview after the victory in Wolfsburg, which did not meet with his coach’s approval. Not at all.
After their Champions League exit against PSG, FC Bayern needed an outstanding goalkeeper in Wolfsburg to avoid falling behind and ultimately secure a win. Youngster Tom Bischof subsequently criticized the performance of the Munich team and was promptly corrected by coach Vincent Kompany.
«It’s always bad when you concede so many goals and chances,» Bischof told Sky. «Unfortunately, I’ve watched a few games from the sidelines recently: we’ve been lacking the basics of counter-pressing, the immediate pressure after losing the ball.»
Bischof could not say whether this was a matter of fatigue at the end of a strenuous season. «It just struck me from the outside. That’s why we often have to cover unnecessarily long distances,» said the 20-year-old, who played the full 90 minutes in Wolfsburg. «When we have quick counter-pressing, we score a brutal amount of goals. Unfortunately, we’ve conceded many goals lately.»
Vincent Kompany explains why Bischof is not entirely correct
Bischof had a point regarding the goals conceded, as the record champions had recently let in five goals in Paris and three each in Mainz and in the home game against Heidenheim. However, his assessment of the pressing prompted his coach to intervene, who vehemently disagreed.
«No, of course not,» Kompany began his conversation with Sky when asked if Bischof was right in his assessment. «He’s a young player and he made a mistake in this interview.»
The 40-year-old then explained his criticism of Bischof by referencing the first half in Wolfsburg, where the hosts had dominated Bayern in numerous categories: «You can’t counter-press a hundred times if you constantly lose the ball quickly. The problem isn’t a lack of desire to counter-press; you can’t win games that way. It’s about not having to decide games in the first ten, fifteen minutes. You can counter-press once, twice, or three times, but eventually, your legs will feel it.»
In the second half, Bayern looked much more like themselves again and dominated the opponent – and that «was due to our behavior in possession,» said Kompany.
Kompany not angry with Bischof: «Tom is a great kid»
The 40-year-old coach was by no means angry with Bischof; rather, he commented on his statements with a twinkle in his eye. «Tom is a great kid. But it’s right after the game, and I had a bit more perspective,» Kompany said.
Despite Harry Kane’s first missed penalty in the Bundesliga after 24 successful attempts, Bayern won 1-0 in Wolfsburg with a dream goal from Michael Olise.
On the final matchday of the season, the Munich team will face promoted side 1. FC Köln next Saturday. A week later, they will compete for the DFB-Pokal in Berlin against defending champions VfB Stuttgart.
FC Bayern in Wolfsburg: Two different halves
Wolfsburg dominated the first half offensively, while Bayern turned the tables after the break (Data: flashscore).
| Half 1 | Half 2 | |
| Shots | 15:5 | 2:11 |
| Shots on target | 5:1 | 0:8 |
| Big chances | 4:1 | 1:1 |
| xG | 2.32:0.94 | 0.75:0.92 |