While the national players are slowly packing their bags again, Vincent Kompany is looking at Borussia Dortmund. With a mixed bunch of players.
In his nearly 20-year career as a professional soccer player, Manuel Neuer has rarely been granted a week’s vacation in the middle of the season. But the FC Bayern captain took advantage of the past one, while Joshua Kimmich, the captain of the German national team, and twelve other teammates stayed with their national associations.
Neuer, for example, visited his former Schalke teammate Ivan Rakitic in Split, Croatia, with his former goalkeeping coach and close friend Toni Tapalovic, before returning to Säbener Straße on Monday.
There, preparations are now underway for the so-called Klassiker against Borussia Dortmund. With a home win against their archrivals, Bayern want to extend their record start of ten wins from ten competitive games and at the same time ensure what feels like a decisive victory at the top of the Bundesliga.
A 17-year-old Brazilian gets his chance to impress Kompany
Coach Vincent Kompany is used to the fact that several national team players, such as Harry Kane, who is still playing for England in Latvia on Tuesday evening, will arrive later. He knows how professional his striker and his teammates are, who have made it through the first few weeks of the season without any major injuries.
In the meantime, numerous youngsters and amateur players are filling the training ground, while veterans such as Neuer are setting the pace. The squad includes familiar talents such as Lennart Karl, Wisdom Mike, and Cassiano Kiala, but also rarer guests such as 18-year-old offensive player Adin Licina (who has already participated in training camps) and 18-year-old full-back Magnus Dalpiaz (who played for the pros for the first time in the test match against Zurich). Or Starnberg-born Max Mergner (19), who has been a permanent member of the regional league squad since this season.
Particularly exciting: Brazilian Maycon Douglas Cardozo, who earned a place in the U-19 team via the FC Bayern World Squad. Cardozoco only turned 17 on Friday and had already been allowed to train with the pros before.
Another piece of good news for Bayern: goalkeeper Jonas Urbig has returned after suffering a torn muscle fiber in his adductor. He is set to play in the DFB Cup against his former club Cologne in around two weeks’ time, as Neuer will then have to serve the last game of his red card suspension from last season.
