Bayern Munich Coach Kompany Praises Kim Min-jae's Work Ethic Amid Competition

By Yoo Jee-ho

SEOUL, Aug. 3 (Yonhap) -- Bayern Munich head coach Vincent Kompany expressed his appreciation for the work ethic of his South Korean defender Kim Min-jae on Monday, saying the center back inspires his teammates to compete just as hard.

Kompany has brought his German champions to South Korea for their Asian summer tour. The trip will kick off with a match against the South Korean side Jeju SK FC at 8 p.m. Tuesday at Jeju World Cup Stadium on the southern resort island of Jeju. It will be followed by a match against Aston Villa in Hong Kong on Friday.

Kim, a longtime South Korean international, is one of the most beloved football players in his homeland. With Bayern, however, Kim has gradually lost playing time to fellow center backs Dayot Upamecano and Jonathan Tah.

While Kim should get plenty of action Tuesday before the South Korean crowd, it is not yet clear if he will reestablish himself as the main center back for Kompany in the upcoming season. When asked about Kim's potential role going forward, with a reporter slotting him behind Upamecano and Tah on the depth chart, Kompany said, "Let's not make everything so absolute.

"We have always talked about competition is something that I like personally. It is something that I have known, is something that I have experienced," said Kompany, a former Belgium defender who starred for Manchester City. "I have been in the position of Min-jae, Upa and Tah, all in one cycle when I was at Manchester City myself as a defender. The main thing is to have the quality and then afterwards for them to compete to prove on the pitch. What I will give a compliment to Min-jae (about) is that no matter what, he keeps the focus, and he does the talking on the pitch.

"In every situation, he has had the right response. His performances have been really good last season for us," Kompany added. "You can decide who is one, two, three and four. People always make these rankings, but for me, more importantly, because he performs how he does, everybody else in the position has to be good as well. And that is what I want to maintain in the team, not just in the center back position but in every position, if possible."

Kim, for his part, said he is happy to be with Bayern, and he is not going anywhere.

"As a player, just to be with a team like Bayern Munich is a blessing," Kim said. "Last season, I thought I played a lot of matches. I am competing as the third defender (behind Upamecano and Tah), and I know I have no choice but to work hard. I think the coach will give me a lot of opportunities, and I think I will stay put."

Kim added he enjoys competing with Upamecano and Tah and said, "I have good relationships with them, and I learn a great deal from them."

Kompany said he has called on his squad to take their upcoming Asian matches seriously, despite their marketing-driven nature with a series of media and commercial obligations along the way.

"We cannot forget that it is preseason so we have to train seriously. We have to do everything we would do normally on a training pitch in Munich or somewhere else," the coach said. "And I think we can take a lot out of this week physically, so I think we can have a positive week physically. You need the mindset that (this) is really important because in the end, the week is different than how we would have it in back in Munich, but we are used to it as well."