A reporter asked the Bayern Munich head coach about Tom Bischof. Vincent Kompany heard it as a question about Joshua Kimmich.

He said as much, out loud, before setting off on a monologue that German broadcaster Sportschau clocked at around three and a half minutes. The detour ran through Kompany’s own time with Belgium at Hamburger SV, where his Dutch team-mates Rafael van der Vaart and Nigel de Jong were waiting for him in the dressing-room jacuzzi after an international break.

“We always lost 0-2 or 0-3 to Kazakhstan, Armenia or Azerbaijan. Then you come back with such a bad feeling, and there you have the Dutch: Nigel de Jong, van der Vaart. They are sitting in the jacuzzi,” he said.

“Hm? So, what was wrong with Belgium?”

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The point of the detour, Kompany told reporters, was that selection at a club does not swing on what a player does for his country.

“I often try to stay out of these mini-debates because that’s all they are: mini-debates,” he said.

“And no, I’m not influenced by what happens with the national team. I think it’s the other way around, the national team is influenced by what happens at the club.”

Kimmich kept his place

The context is uncomfortable only if Kompany lets it be. Bischof and Aleksandar Pavlovic lined up as Germany’s defensive midfield pair in last week’s win over Serbia and the goalless draw in Greece, the Abendzeitung noted, and the obvious inference back in Munich is that one of them should push Kimmich out of the starting XI.

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Kompany dealt with that inference by naming the matches rather than the player.

“I haven’t forgotten who played well against Union Berlin, I haven’t forgotten who played well against Bodö/Glimt,” he said.

Bayern beat Union Berlin 7-0 and have added wins in the Champions League against Bodö/Glimt and the Supercup over Borussia Dortmund in the stretch Kompany reached for. Kimmich featured through all of them.

Augsburg is next

Saturday brings a Bundesliga trip to FC Augsburg, the only side to beat Bayern in the league last season.

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“We lost just one Bundesliga game last season, and that was against Augsburg. It’s a very important game,” Kompany said.

Jamal Musiala’s muscle setback aside, the squad returned from the international break intact, with Thursday the first full training session back together.

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