Bayern Munich strolled to a 10-0 win over Auckland City in their Club World Cup opener, but there will be no room for complacency when they face Argentina's Boca Juniors in their second Group C match, the German club's coach Vincent Kompany said on Thursday. Catch all the action live on SuperSport.
Boca came close to winning their opener against Benfica but let a two-goal lead slip away in a 2-2 draw with the Portuguese side, and Kompany said they presented a real threat on the transition.
"We know the quality of the tournament... every team taking part here is a winning team," Kompany told reporters ahead of Friday's game, with Bayern looking to win their third Club World Cup title.
"Boca are a very dangerous team in the transition game. They believe in their moments. The team spirit is good. We have respect for Boca. But we're looking at ourselves and want to bring our qualities to the game."
Kompany said they were familiar with the Argentine style of play, with many of the country's players plying their trade in Europe.
"We know a lot of Argentinian players from the European leagues. It's a football we understand very well," he added. "It might feel a bit like an away game. But we want to be Bayern Munich. We have to show the right emotion."
Kompany was happy to welcome attacking midfielder Jamal Musiala and centre back Dayot Upamecano back into the side after missing over two months with injuries.
Germany's Musiala, who scored 12 goals as Bayern secured their 34th German top-flight title, came off the bench to score a hat-trick against Auckland on Sunday.
"Jamal Musiala and Dayot Upamecano haven't played for a long time. We're very happy that they're back and fit. Integration is an important issue, and we have to look at it. Otherwise, everyone's 100% fit," Kompany said.
AUCKLAND CITY'S PARTICIPATION IS A PRIVILEGE WITH A PRICE
Adam Mitchell knows he is going to lose money this month.
The Auckland City defender left his job selling houses in New Zealand to take part in the Club World Cup, where the eventual champions will pocket a staggering $125 million, while his amateur team plays on for pride and an appearance fee still under negotiation.
"My business runs on a commission basis only," Mitchell told Reuters on Thursday after his side’s humbling 10-0 defeat to European giants Bayern Munich at the expanded Club World Cup.
"If I’m not back working, there's no income coming in. But a tournament like this, you have to be willing to make sacrifices, and that's what a lot of us have done."
The Club World Cup's new, lucrative format has attracted criticism for its schedule congestion at the end of a long European season.
Mitchell and his teammates, many of whom work as teachers, delivery drivers, and tradesmen, are effectively paying out of their own pockets for the privilege of competing on this stage.
It is not just Mitchell’s earnings that are taking a hit. New Zealand’s labour laws typically grant around four to five weeks of annual leave per year, most of which, for Auckland's players, was already used up during last year's Oceania qualifying tournament.
"The players that went to the qualification for this tournament, well, we played in the Solomon Islands. That was three weeks," Mitchell explained.
"Some people have run out of annual leave. People are kind of in negative days and taking unpaid leave. So, it's nice for people to know the sacrifices we make to be here."
While the tournament offers prize money tiers based on performance, Auckland City, representing one of football’s smallest confederations, will receive the lowest payout - a fraction of the $3.58 million meant for Oceania.
Even that amount, Mitchell noted, is still subject to ongoing negotiations between the club and New Zealand Football.
NO MERCY
On the pitch, the gulf between part-time amateurs and global superstars was on brutal display. Bayern Munich, ranked among the world’s elite, named a starting 11 packed with internationals, showing no mercy en route to a double-digit victory.
“Conceding 10 goals isn't a nice feeling,” Mitchell admitted. "But I think we have to realise the calibre of team and calibre of players we were up against.
"The fact that they did put their strongest team out and they didn't take the pedal off the metal at all. They just kept going and going and going, which, it's not great for us, but in a way that's a sign of respect."
The heavy defeat has not dampened spirits within the Auckland camp. With two more games to play in their group against Benfica and Boca Juniors, Mitchell said he and his teammates are determined to leave their mark.
"If you watched the (Bayern) game, you could see we never give up regardless of the scoreline," he said.
Back home, Mitchell juggles the demands of a commission-based real estate job with evening training sessions and coaching duties at the club. His typical day starts early, squeezing in gym sessions before work, and ends late at night after training.
"It’s not ideal for my wife," he joked.
"I don't get to see her that often, but she really respects the fact that this is a sacrifice that we have to make and she also has to make.
"(For her) just seeing myself and the whole team on the stage and obviously against the best players in the world, I think it's a really proud moment."
Mitchell admits that while the financial hit stings, the exposure could pay off in other ways.
"Maybe if someone was watching on TV and they realised I was in the industry, maybe they just want to have a chat and that's the way you can build some rapport," he said.
To the critics who have questioned the inclusion of Auckland City in a competition of this scale, Mitchell remains unapologetic.
"We don't bother too much about critics. We've earned the right to be here. People have to realise we are semi-professionals, but we do treat training, and we treat our club like a professional club, with the resources we have," said Mitchell, whose side face Benfica on Friday.
"We earned the right to be here and we're proud to be here, and we're going to give it all on the pitch."
IN-FORM KOLO MUANI WANTS TO STAY AT JUVENTUS
Elsewhere, on-loan France striker Randal Kolo Muani said he would like to stay at Juventus next season after a Man of the Match performance for the Italian team in their impressive Club World Cup opener.
Kolo Muani, who arrived at the club from Paris Saint Germain on a short-term deal in January, scored two goals as Juventus hammered Al-Ain 5-0 on Wednesday, taking his tally to five goals in his last six matches for the Italian club.
"Honestly, I feel very good here," the 26-year-old told Mediaset after the Group G match in Washington D.C.
"I can play well and score goals. I am happy, I hope to stay."
General manager Damien Comolli told reporters last week that Juventus had discussed another loan with PSG when negotiating an extension to Kolo Muani's existing deal for the Club World Cup.
"I'm optimistic that we can come to an agreement with PSG regarding a loan for the entire 25-26 season," he said.
"Paris Saint Germain have certainly not closed the door to a loan, and they know the player wants to stay with us."
Juventus coach Igor Tudor's optimistic response to Wednesday's victory might have been tempered by the knowledge that the two best performers in the game are only at the club on deals which expire after the tournament.
Portuguese winger Francisco Conceicao, who is on loan from Porto, also grabbed a brace of goals after terrorising the Al-Ain defence from both flanks at Audi Field.
Tudor has used the 22-year-old sparingly since taking over from Thiago Motta in March, suggesting Juventus might not be ready to trigger the 30 million euros ($34.57 million) buyout clause in his contract and keep him in Turin.
In the short term, however, Tudor has both players at his disposal for the Club World Cup, which continues for Juventus with games against Wydad Casablanca on Sunday and Manchester City next Thursday.
Kolo Muani, for one, is certainly buying into the Croatian's programme.
"He trusts me, he wants to attack and he wants to keep the defence strong," he told the post-match press conference.
"I'm very happy to play with my teammates, we are very happy and we play very strong."