Vincent Kompany believes Bayern Munich's players are "showing a lot of hunger" in keeping with club traditions as they look to bounce back from a disappointing 2023-24 season.
The Belgian was appointed as Thomas Tuchel's successor in May following a rare trophyless campaign at the Allianz Arena.
Bayern surrendered their 11-year grip on the Bundesliga title to Xabi Alonso's unbeaten Bayer Leverkusen, while Real Madrid defeated them in the Champions League semi-finals.
Several players are linked with moves away, with Kompany quizzed by reporters at the club's pre-season training camp in Tegernsee.
However, the new head coach insists a collective team spirit will be fundamental as he targets a response in the 2024-25 campaign, highlighting his learnings from a recent visit to the FC Bayern Museum.
"They explained everything that has made Bayern so successful," he said.
"I learned a lot about Karl-Heinz Rummenigge, Uli Hoeness, Franz Beckenbauer, Gerd Muller - the big names. They all had one thing in common: they always kept going, even after success. That has always characterised the club.
"We're making such a mistake talking about individuals. None of the history of this club shows that; it's been about hard work and resilience.
"We've worked hard in the last weeks. Every player in the team has a lot of talent. It's about the future. I don't want to talk much about the past. I want to work with the lads. I feel like everyone is showing a lot of hunger.
"I don't want to look back too much. What I can say is that players like the ones we have always show a reaction. It's important that we show a reaction together. We don't need to make big speeches. It's important for me that we show that we're up for it.
"We have to win and to celebrate, but we also have to keep going. It's about the club, the next step - how can we get better? We can be proud of the past, but we are successful because we think about the future."
Maatsen looking forward to working with 'brilliant' Emery at Aston Villa
Ian Maatsen labelled Aston Villa head coach as "brilliant" as he prepares for the club's maiden appearance in this season's Champions League.
Maatsen completed his £37.5million switch from Chelsea while on international duty with the Netherlands at Euro 2024.
The 22-year-old, who did not feature for Ronald Koeman's side in Germany, signed a six-year deal at Villa Park following an impressive loan spell with Borussia Dortmund last season.
Maatsen made 16 Bundesliga appearances, scoring two goals and helping Die Schwarzgelben reach the Champions League final, playing the full duration of their 2-0 defeat to Real Madrid at Wembley.
Emery led Villa to a fourth place finish in the Premier League, and has become well known for his success on the European stage during his time in Spain.
The Spaniard has won the Europa League on four different ocassions, while also guiding Villa to the semi-finals of the Europa Conference League last term.
"Last season they did very well and the coach obviously is a brilliant coach with a lot of experience in Europe," Maatsen told Aston Villa's official club website.
"They are playing Champions League football this season so it is exciting. "He is a manager who loves to play football and win trophies.
"That was the challenge for me to come here and show the people that I am capable of doing these things at the highest level."
Maatsen made his Champions League debut in Dortmund's last 16 fixture against PSV Eindhoven, going on to make seven appearances in the competition.
And while many predict Emery's side to follow Newcastle after trying to juggle league and European commitments, the defender insisted that he is confident that Villa can become regulars in Europe's elite club competition.
"It's good because obviously we are here now to earn a spot in the Champions League every year - it's such a great competition."
Maatsen is one of seven new arrivals at Villa Park, with Emery taking his spending this transfer window to £140million after the arrival of Amadou Onana from Everton was confirmed on Monday.
Villa begin the 2024-25 season away to West Ham on August 17, a side they have failed to beat away from home in the league since a 2-1 victory at Upton Park back in April 2011.
Yoro relishing Premier League challenge with Manchester United
Leny Yoro is relishing the opportunity to play in the Premier League for Manchester United, a division he described as "the biggest in the world".
Yoro completed his £52million move to Old Trafford from Lille last week, signing a five-year contract with the option of a further year.
The 18-year-old became United's second signing of the transfer window following the arrival of Joshua Zirkzee from Bologna four days prior.
Yoro was thrust straight into Erik ten Hag's starting line-up for their 2-0 win over Rangers in their pre-season friendly on Saturday and impressed on his debut.
The French defender had the most touches (51), completed passes (44) and completed long passes (four) of anyone in the United side and is looking forward to showcasing his talents in the Premier League.
"Yeah, for me, this is the biggest championship in the world," Yoro said in his first interview with United. "For me, the Premier League, this is where the football fully exists.
"So the fans, the level – because the level is crazy there, there is not an easy game - and, for me, the Premier League is the biggest in the world."
Yoro had long been expected to complete a move to Real Madrid after keeping 15 clean sheets in his 32 league appearances, earning him a place in the Ligue 1 team of the year last season.
However, the 18-year-old revealed that a conversation with six-time Premier League winner Rio Ferdinand played a pivotal role in United securing his services.
"This is Rio Ferdinand, this is a legend in Man United, so for me this is an honour," Yoro said. "This is a big defender, a legend, so yeah, big honour for me.
"It was like two weeks ago. He called me, so first of all I was really impressed to speak with him and yeah, we spoke like 10 minutes about Man United, so he helped me a lot to make my choice.
"He spoke to me about the club, and [that] this is a historic club with a big story, and if I go there I need to fight for the club, to be ready, because this is the biggest club in the world."
United fans will be able to see Yoro in action again this Saturday when they face Arsenal in the first game of their pre-season tour of the United States.
Ten Hag's side will also play against Real Betis and Liverpool, before turning their attentions to their Community Shield encounter with Manchester City on August 10.
Under-20 Reggae Boyz skipper Adrian Reid Jr says team needs to learn quickly from mistakes ahead of crucial Costa Rica clash at CONCACAF U-20 Championship
Jamaica Under-20 Reggae Boyz captain Adrian Reid Jr says the team will have to quickly learn from their mistakes ahead of their second game in the CONCACAF U-20 Championship against Costa Rica on Monday.
The young Jamaicans opened up their campaign with a disappointing 0-9 loss to the USA at the Miguel Aleman Valdez Stadium in Celaya, Mexico on Friday.
“We didn’t get the result we wanted, obviously. It was a disappointing result. We didn’t show our quality or enough character,” Reid said in an interview with JFF Live on Sunday.
The Cavalier SC defender, who recently got called up to the Senior Reggae Boyz squad for the first time for a World Cup Qualifying fixture against the Dominican Republic last month, says hos team will have to put Friday’s performance behind them ahead of Monday’s game.
“We just have to put that game behind us and learn from our mistakes. We go back to the drawing board and go back to training, see where we went wrong and try to fix our mistakes,” he said.
Despite the heavy loss, Reid Jr seemed encouraged by the mood in the camp, noting how everyone was taking responsibility.
“After the game, you could see everyone taking responsibility, owning up to everything that was done. Everyone was coming together to try to find solutions so it’s been a good mood in the camp,” he said.
Jamaica are competing alongside the USA, Cuba and Costa Rica in Group A of the 12-team tournament.
Cuba and Costa Rica played out a 1-1 draw at the same venue on Friday to sit second and third in the group.
The top two teams from all three groups will advance to quarterfinals alongside the two best third-place teams.
The winners of those quarterfinals will all qualify for the 2025 FIFA Under-20 World Cup in Chile.
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