Kompany Praises Bayern’s Tom Bischof, Kimmich Sees Himself in Youngster

Ahead of the Champions League quarter-final first leg against Real Madrid, Tom Bischof received special praise from coach Vincent Kompany, also evoking particular memories for Joshua Kimmich.

During an FC Bayern Munich press conference, an interesting moment occurred when Kompany, asked about the match-winner in the narrow 3-2 comeback victory against SC Freiburg, suddenly pointed his finger at press spokesman Dieter Nickles.

«Last topic,» Kompany stated after a lengthy reply concerning Bischof’s brace, before elaborating: «At the start of the season, there was much talk about our small squad. That’s understandable if you can’t properly assess Bischof at the beginning of the season. Or if you can’t properly assess Lennart Karl. When these two show this level, suddenly you have a squad that looks bigger. This has all happened organically, and it has helped us a lot.»

It’s worth recalling that over the summer, a debate arose regarding Bayern’s potential lack of squad depth in critical situations. However, this is no longer an issue, partly because the results are excellent and records are tumbling. But also because Kompany has placed his trust in numerous talents and homegrown players, who have also contained injury concerns and consistently impressed.

Kompany: «We were lucky that everything clicked with Tom and Lenny.»

Immediately before his pointed gesture, Kompany had already sung praises for Bischof and Karl. The Bayern coach first highlighted the excellent work of sporting director Max Eberl and Christoph Freund, who signed Bischof on a free transfer from TSG 1899 Hoffenheim in the summer and showed confidence in Karl, who definitively made the jump from the FCB campus to the senior squad this season. «It’s not easy, because you need a lot of talent. You don’t just need the talent, but also the patience and intelligence to understand what your role is and how to grow within it,» Kompany explained. «We were lucky that everything clicked with Tom and Lenny. Not just in terms of quality, but also mentality.»

Kompany is convinced that Bischof will prove his value to the club and «write his own story» in the coming «months and years.» At the same time, he conceded: «For now, I’m staying calm, but I consider this a positive story for our squad.»

Bischof Reminds Kimmich of His Own Start at FC Bayern

Minutes earlier, Joshua Kimmich, also present at the press conference in the Bernabéu, had only words of praise for Bischof. «Generally, Tom’s situation reminds me a bit of my own eleven years ago,» said the captain of the German national team, who moved from VfB Stuttgart to Bayern in 2015 after gaining experience with loan club RB Leipzig in the 3rd and 2nd leagues. «Intuitively, nobody expected you before the season to be important for a team like Bayern Munich. With Tom, you noticed early on that he has a good mindset, a good mentality. That he is willing to learn and develop. You see that in him every day in training.»

While Bischof had already gathered Bundesliga experience in Sinsheim before his move to Bayern, the main parallel to Kimmich’s arrival lies in the allocation of roles: The 31-year-old was primarily deployed as a right-back under Pep Guardiola, only later transitioning to midfield. Bischof, however, frequently has to help out at left-back, as was the case against Freiburg.

Kimmich enthused: «He is ready for any position. That is also very important. Some other players would say: ‘Oh, I’m actually a number six. I want to play in midfield.’ But Tom accepts the left-back position and tries to bring his strengths to the pitch there too.»

Kimmich Praises Bischof: «Best Shot Alongside Kane»

After his two long-range goals on Saturday, Bischof revealed that Kimmich had encouraged him to shoot at goal despite his role. «Jo said to me: ‘Can you please finally shoot at the box now?’ Because I always do it in training – in the game, I don’t find the situation, don’t get into it, or miss the moment. And today I just did it. It felt great and, of course, good to help the lads to victory.»

Kimmich confirmed the conversation and delivered another compliment. «Alongside Harry (Kane; editor’s note), Tom definitely has the best shot in the team. Left or right-footed – and he hadn’t managed to slot one in for us yet. That’s why he brought up the topic, and I said: ‘You also have to have the confidence that we’ll get you into position, or you get yourself into position, to then also take a shot at goal.'»

Kimmich also emphasized the importance of the victory, which was likely rather insignificant for the outcome of the championship. «It helped us a lot that he did that twice. Because, of course, that changes the momentum. Perhaps not much would have happened if we had lost 0-2. Then everyone would have said: ‘Their heads are already in Madrid.’ Maybe not much would have changed in our approach for tomorrow. But it still shows us as a team: Even if we have a game that isn’t going well, we always have the mentality to win such games,» he stressed, adding: «It’s not just Harry Kane or other offensive players like Michael or Lucho. We also have other players who can decide the game – and in this case, it was Tom. That is very important for us, for believing in our own strengths.»

Against Real, however, Bischof is expected to start on the bench. Konrad Laimer will likely play left-back, facing Kylian Mbappe, Vinicius Junior, and co. In midfield, Leon Goretzka or Aleksandar Pavlovic will start alongside Kimmich. Nevertheless, Bischof cannot complain about his playing time in his first Bayern season. He has appeared 33 times this season, contributing two goals and three assists, 17 of which were as a left-back.

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