Kompany credits Club World Cup for Bayern's form
Vincent Kompany believes Bayern Munich's new players have integrated quicker than usual because of the FIFA Club World Cup as his side enjoys a perfect start to the Bundesliga season.
Bayern visits Hoffenheim for the fourth game of its Bundesliga campaign on Sunday (AEST), having won its first three matches while scoring 14 goals and only conceding two.
It is the fourth consecutive season in which Bayern has won its first three Bundesliga matches – the longest run in Bundesiga history.
Only Bayern in 2022-2023, meanwhile, has scored more than 14 goals after three matches in the German top flight – it was 15 in that instance – and it also beat Chelsea 3-1 in the UEFA Champions League in midweek.
At his pre-match press conference, Kompany argued the FIFA Club World Cup – where Bayern reached the quarter-finals before losing to Paris Saint-Germain – served as an elongated pre-season of sorts.
"The [FIFA] Club World Cup helped in the integration of new players," Kompany said. "There is this feeling that players like Jonathan Tah and Tom Bischof have been here longer.
"Maybe it has to do with the fact that we were living together for an entire month.
"We don't really know how the [FIFA] Club World Cup will influence the season, but we stayed together for a month and that is rare for a club. If we can use that, then we will.
"To grow more together we have to win against Hoffenheim. We are playing well, scoring goals and have worked hard to deserve this momentum. We have to keep working in order to maintain this."
Bayern lost full-back Josip Stanisic to a knee injury during its midweek win over Chelsea, during which Harry Kane scored twice, becoming only the third player to score 20 or more UEFA Champions League goals for two different clubs – 21 for Bayern, 21 for Tottenham hotspur – after Cristiano Ronaldo and Neymar.
WHile Stanisic, who has been an ever-present this season, is not expected to return until the October international break, Kompany expects his team to cope without him.
"Whoever plays tomorrow, I won't expect one per cent less from the team," Kompany said. "I have confidence in all the players.
"We have to solve it again with the boys we have. I just want to see how the boys got through Wednesday and what is left in their legs from the last game."
Hoffenheim is sixth on the table after a positive start of its own, beating Bayer Leverkusen and Union Berlin either side of a defeat to Eintracht Frankfurt.
