Jürgen Klopp caused a stir with his criticism of FC Bayern’s style of play. During the 2-2 draw against Arsenal, the German national team coach appeared particularly irritated by Munich’s defensive approach. At the press conference following the Champions League match, Vincent Kompany was confronted with these remarks. The Bayern coach, however, initially showed little interest in engaging in a public discussion of tactics.

Klopp had commentated on Wednesday night’s match as an expert for DAZN and had already raised some questions about the German record champions’ pressing during halftime. The 59-year-old seemed particularly concerned about the team’s shifting defensive assignments when outnumbered.

“To this day, I still haven’t fully understood what Bayern does when they’re defending. But I just want to keep learning,” Klopp explained. He then added: “Sometimes it’s hybrid, then man-to-man, then not man-to-man. I’m still learning.”

Kompany deflects question about Klopp

After the final whistle, Kompany was directly confronted with the German national team coach’s assessment at the press conference.

The Belgian responded with a smile but declined to comment further on the remarks. “Yes, I’m not saying anything about that. Next question,” the 40-year-old replied curtly.

However, the press conference wasn’t entirely devoid of tactical analysis. In particular, Harry Kane’s unusual role subsequently took center stage.

Under Kompany, the English striker regularly drops deep and contributes to both building up play and defensive work.

For his coach, this freedom of movement is one of the 33-year-old’s greatest strengths. “What Harry does very well—I’ve often had to defend against him myself—is that sometimes he’s there, sometimes he’s not, but he’s always coming,” Kompany explained.

Kane covers the entire field and “makes the right decisions incredibly often,” Kompany added.

Kane admits to having trouble with Bayern’s pressing

Against Arsenal, this unique role of the forward was once again clearly evident.

When Alphonso Davies tied the game at 1-1, Kane set up the goal with a strong pass from deep. After halftime, he even put Munich ahead 2-1 with a penalty kick.

Nevertheless, the record champions were unable to hold on to their lead. Declan Rice scored the equalizer for the Londoners in the closing minutes.

Interestingly, Kane himself admitted after the game that Munich hadn’t always found the right solutions when defending. “Normally, it’s pretty clear who we’re pressing. But we were a bit confused by the way they moved,” explained the Bayern star.

The Arsenal players’ unusual movements forced the team to drop back further than originally planned at times.

In doing so, Kane confirmed—at least indirectly—that Munich’s pressing against the English champions did not work as planned throughout the match.

So while Klopp continues to have questions about Bayern’s defensive organization, Kompany is sticking to his tactical approach. However, the match against Arsenal also showed that his system still has room for improvement, particularly against top European teams.

This article was translated into English by AI. You can read the original version here https://fcbinside.de/2026/10/22/bayern-spielweise-in-der-kritik-kompany-reagiert-auf-klopp-aussagen/.