Vincent Kompany on Burnley's clash with title chasing Arsenal
Category
🥇
SportsTranscript
00:00 Vinny, first of all, we'll start with potential availability,
00:03 Bayer, Taylor, Foster, either of those three back?
00:06 Goodness.
00:10 No, but let's just name the one and then the rest,
00:14 we'll see.
00:16 In terms of Lafosse, he won't be available yet.
00:19 Surgery on a chronic issue that needed resolving.
00:23 So it's not season over, but he'll certainly miss out
00:29 for a period of time.
00:30 Are you able to give any details of the injuries?
00:32 No, I think that's enough, but just so we...
00:36 because he'll ask the next week and the week after that.
00:39 Bayer, how far away is he?
00:41 No, look, Jordan is progressing and everything's going well.
00:47 But in terms of when he's going to be back for which game,
00:50 you know, it still depends on a number of factors.
00:53 And Charlie?
00:54 Charlie was close for the Liverpool game.
00:59 So if he carries on with having a good week,
01:04 then he should be available.
01:05 If he is available, it would be his 150th Premier League appearance.
01:08 I just wonder what difference experience like that can make in your back line.
01:12 Yeah, but it's especially its quality, you know, he's a quality player.
01:19 Like I said, the biggest thing you can't underestimate in this league
01:24 is experience is one thing, but more important is the profile,
01:27 the level of athleticism.
01:29 And of course, he has that.
01:35 So the combination of experience is always important,
01:38 but just experience is not enough.
01:40 Different experience for you this week.
01:43 Obviously, you'll be in the stands rather than on the touchline.
01:45 Does it impact you too much?
01:46 I don't know.
01:49 I guess I'll just have to deal with it.
01:51 And I'm still sorting out logistics,
01:54 but hopefully the team is prepared and believes in the fact that
01:59 a game at Turf Moor can be a good game for us.
02:02 In the grand scheme of things, is a punishment like that warranted, do you feel?
02:05 I've given up on trying to figure out.
02:11 I guess you get a punishment, you take the punishment.
02:14 That's kind of how I look at it.
02:19 And in the end, I'm too focused now on the squad, on the team.
02:23 I said I don't prioritise the individual right now.
02:26 We have to prioritise the team and the collective.
02:28 And therefore, I can't dwell on it too much.
02:33 We move on.
02:34 I think it was Jürgen who said after the game last week,
02:36 if blue cards were introduced,
02:38 could you imagine what it would have been like as well?
02:39 Yeah, me and him would have sat in that dugout together at some point.
02:45 But it's...
02:47 Do you know what?
02:49 The only thing I'll always mention is consistency.
02:52 If you guys look back across the whole season and you see consistency,
02:55 then I have no complaint.
02:57 If you look back throughout the whole season and there's a lack of consistency,
02:59 then that needs to be fixed.
03:02 When you look at the performances,
03:04 and I think you've highlighted performance against Liverpool and Manchester City as well,
03:08 you're seeing signs that you could pull what would many see as a surprise result against Arsenal.
03:13 What is it that you see?
03:14 But the thing is, obviously,
03:17 we get to a point in the stage of the season where Arsenal was probably
03:20 one of those turnaround performances away at the Emirates.
03:23 And since that game,
03:25 I don't think we've sat here discussing performances too much.
03:28 Yes, we can speak about the first half performance against Fulham,
03:31 but then the second half performance against Fulham was really good.
03:33 So we've been in every game since that game.
03:37 So it's about results now and about getting it over the line
03:42 and keeping it out of the net.
03:44 There's not much more to it than that at the moment for us,
03:47 because the games have been good, but it's not enough.
03:50 So how do you go about stopping Arsenal?
03:52 I know you focus on yourselves,
03:53 but at the same time, four straight wins, 16 goals,
03:56 three past Liverpool, five past Palace, six past West Ham.
03:59 It just speaks about the kind of form that they're in at the moment.
04:02 Yes, they're top teams.
04:03 And it doesn't change from when we played Spurs,
04:07 when we played Liverpool, when we played City not long ago.
04:09 You need a few things to go your way.
04:12 You need exceptional performances.
04:14 And then at the end,
04:15 these teams have always got tools to hurt you,
04:20 but you need to make the most of your moments.
04:23 And we certainly had enough moments across all of those games,
04:28 but we didn't make the most of it.
04:30 Is that the kind of message then you're repeating to the lads?
04:33 It's make the most of those moments,
04:35 almost have that belief to make the most of those moments?
04:37 Yes, and it's practice and belief,
04:40 because in the end you have to believe that when you get into this situation,
04:44 the next time it's in the back of the net.
04:46 How much are you looking forward to seeing Michal again as well?
04:49 Or, I don't know, how much you'll be able to get to see him as you're not on the touchline next to him?
04:53 Look, it's,
04:55 you know, like you said, you have to play them all, right?
05:01 So we play a top team and twice a season is enough, right?
05:05 But in general, you know, we share memories and experiences together,
05:12 playing against each other, but also working together.
05:14 And so we have a common history and that's always something that remains.
05:21 Do you have much contact at all? Are you close at all?
05:23 Every now and then, yes.
05:24 It just might be for random things or it might be for player-related discussions,
05:31 but we're all very, very busy and he is, of course.
05:37 And it's seasonal, let's put it this way.
05:41 You mentioned making the most of those moments.
05:47 Obviously, the team performed well against Liverpool, despite the scoreline.
05:50 What do you want the players to carry forward into another big game against title contenders?
05:55 I put at the forefront now, it's belief.
06:01 It has to be.
06:02 There's no magic recipe to approach this game.
06:06 We can have a debate about what tactics and what battles will happen in a game.
06:11 But for them, they have incredible players in every position that can make the difference.
06:16 And we have a team that at all times is a difficult team to play against.
06:20 And those are our strengths and that's what we need to make use of.
06:26 But much more than that, it's about the way you show yourself on the day.
06:31 Obviously, you've spoken about Mikel Arteta there.
06:34 He said that he noticed quite early on when you were a player that you had that coach within you already.
06:40 What signs did he show either when you played against him or when you worked with him
06:44 that he would go on to be the coach that he is today?
06:48 Passionate. Passionate.
06:50 I think I liked how he handled it as well.
06:55 I mean, it's not for me to judge.
06:57 I'm not saying it in any different way than anybody who's just observing, right?
07:02 And how he handled his first season with Arsenal, the complexities of that and the change.
07:10 Change of really important players and then also working with a very young group
07:17 and then gradually growing and improving his team.
07:20 And it takes in a high-pressure environment, it takes a lot of resilience to do that.
07:25 So on top of knowing his stuff, on top of having been a leader in his career, being captain and stuff,
07:32 he showed resilience and clarity.
07:35 And those are good ingredients.
07:37 Time you don't always get, but consistency gives you a chance.
07:42 On that first season, he was obviously showing a lot of patience from Arsenal.
07:47 Early on, do you see him as a good example of when you have the right backing,
07:50 things can come really good?
07:52 Look, I won't be the one naive guy that makes a statement that this is how football should be run.
08:01 I know what the environment is like, but it's also common sense, right?
08:07 It is actually common sense.
08:10 Anywhere else in any other industry, that's how you would approach the matter.
08:15 But common sense doesn't always apply to our job.
08:20 But it makes sense.
08:22 He's a talented person.
08:23 He had a clarity of ideas and thoughts.
08:29 And eventually, these guys always rise to the top.
08:32 Unfortunately, not always in the same club, but he was able to do it in the same club.
08:36 Seven home games to go, Vinny.
08:43 Realistically, how much has your home form hampered your chances this season?
08:46 Yeah, home form.
08:48 Do you know why?
08:49 It's just results all over.
08:51 It doesn't matter home or away.
08:52 It's the results side of things.
08:54 Plenty of good games to look back on this season, plenty of good performances.
08:59 But in the end, we can't feel sorry for ourselves.
09:05 It's just been a reality for us.
09:07 And that's what every single day we're looking to improve.
09:11 And every game is a new beginning.
09:15 Let's never forget that.
09:16 You talk often about belief.
09:19 The facts are that you've got 13 points out of 72 available.
09:23 What gives you the belief that you can get another 20-odd from the 42 that you've got left?
09:29 Past experiences.
09:31 Past experiences having been in this industry.
09:34 Someone mentioned to me, I think it was the Opta statistics, about our chances of going up.
09:39 And of course, if you read the numbers, it's not great.
09:43 But I don't know.
09:45 I experienced a moment in my life where we had to score two goals in three minutes to win the league.
09:50 What are the statistics of that happening?
09:53 What are the odds of that happening?
09:55 It's happened consistently in my life.
09:57 So what's the odds of a young kid from Brussels, from diverse backgrounds,
10:03 making it into the most difficult league in the world and lifting trophies in Manchester?
10:08 So the odds, what are the odds of that?
10:10 So the consistent message is belief.
10:13 It's absolutely there.
10:14 One thing you're guaranteed is if you give up, you get nothing.
10:17 OK, this year you get something maybe if you believe.
10:21 And maybe the next year, for sure, you'll get something somewhere down the line.
10:24 And that's a consistency that I will always carry.
10:27 Defensively this season, there have been some problems for you.
10:33 Given that you're regarded as one of the greatest defenders ever to grace the Premier League era.
10:39 Don't give me a compliment before you go.
10:41 You've been here before.
10:44 Just how frustrating is it for you then?
10:47 No, look, I find it tough sometimes on the lads because I see the work they put in.
10:55 I see the integrity there is to the job.
10:59 There's nobody's throwing it away.
11:01 Nobody's and they really, really try and they don't always get punished in the most obvious ways.
11:12 You know, it's been a number of issues we've had in terms of how we've conceded goals.
11:18 But I have to say to them again, tomorrow is a new beginning.
11:24 So everything that's happened beforehand, don't let that be what defines you in the next games.
11:30 No way.
11:31 You signed for Fafana in the window.
11:35 How much more of a threat do you think he gives you?
11:37 What does he give you that you didn't already have?
11:39 Well, just I don't know.
11:43 Sometimes when you look at Lyle being out again for a period of time,
11:49 I think the timing was important for us to have someone to still give us that threat in behind.
11:56 And also, you know, so that we keep at least two strikers in the building who have experience of
12:01 playing in this position.
12:02 And I think David, I think, is someone that will grow on the fans quite quickly.
12:10 I think he's unpredictable.
12:11 It's difficult to play against.
12:13 I think even for myself, if I would have played against him, I would have had to think about
12:19 what he's actually up to because he's quite unpredictable.
12:23 And he had again two or three massive, massive chances against Liverpool.
12:27 So he's always in the right space and hopefully he can continue that until the end of the season.
12:31 We'll need it.
12:31 When you see your players getting criticised on one of the Premier Football highlights
12:39 shows in the country, how does that make you feel?
12:42 Are you looking to try to protect, support?
12:44 How do you react to that?
12:46 Deal with it.
12:46 I've been there.
12:47 One day you get criticised, the other day you're lifting trophies.
12:52 It's life.
12:53 But for young players, that can be quite damaging, can't it?
12:55 No, but it's part of the learning.
12:57 It's part of the learning.
12:59 And sometimes you've just got to tune out.
13:03 You've got to focus on the things you can control.
13:05 The past performance is not something you can affect anymore.
13:09 And guess what?
13:10 You could give a million reasons why there's also a logic to us not running away with it
13:16 in the Premier League.
13:17 You know what I mean?
13:17 So there's a million reasons why there's a logical...
13:20 There's logic to the fact that it's not easy for us.
13:28 But in those times, it's also when you learn the most.
13:31 In those times, it's when you become better.
13:33 And I monitor that.
13:36 That's the main thing for me.
13:37 I monitor those habits in those moments.
13:39 Just finally from me then, we're all still waiting on the Premier League verdicts for
13:43 Nottingham Forest and Everton and Everton's appeal.
13:46 And as a team down there with them, have you any indication when you might get some news
13:50 on that?
13:50 And how important is it to get answers quickly?
13:53 Because it might impact your situation.
13:54 It's not a question I can answer.
13:57 It doesn't even take a second out of my day where I'm thinking about this.
14:03 Just focus on what I can do, which is next weekend.
14:07 Hi Vinny, just one from me.
14:14 There's been some comments coming out this week from South Africa about Lafoster.
14:17 Seem like they're confused why he's played regularly for Burnley up until last week,
14:21 obviously.
14:22 I can explain it again.
14:23 Is that frustrating for you?
14:24 Because at the time you did explain what the situation was.
14:27 No, it's not frustrating.
14:29 It's expected.
14:29 And part of it is, I'll explain it again very calmly, you know, physical fitness and mental
14:38 fitness are two very different things.
14:41 You can be physically fit, but you can be also mentally in a position where it's not
14:45 a possibility for you to go away for a tournament for a month.
14:49 You know, you're not in a headspace.
14:51 You don't have the capacity to deal with that.
14:53 We've been very open about it.
14:56 You come out of a rehab clinic, you're dealing with a problem that is beyond football.
15:05 It's just, it's life.
15:10 We were just part of his rehabilitation plan.
15:14 It's his environment.
15:15 He comes in through the doors.
15:17 He's there with people of his age, friends as well, not just colleagues, friends, people.
15:23 It's his, he doesn't have friends outside of the club.
15:25 These guys come from abroad.
15:27 Their social support system is the club.
15:30 And the timing of him returning to play or not is absolutely not a valid decision.
15:39 It's kind of seeing what happens, seeing if he feels ready to do it.
15:43 Again, we, first thing we did is we removed him completely out of first team football.
15:52 We got care for him.
15:54 You know, we took a hit for it.
15:55 It doesn't matter we took a hit actually for it, but in a period where we could have used
16:00 him and if he would have said he needs another month, another two months, another three months,
16:05 we would have gone along with that.
16:06 But we are part of his rehabilitation, where his support system.
16:10 So I can explain it again and again and again.
16:14 And I will do, by the way, because I expect this question to go again.
16:17 Like we send, I believe we did send documentation, but we have documentation available for anybody
16:25 that has the authority to look into it.
16:27 We can share that.
16:27 It's not a problem.
16:29 Everything is documented.
16:32 We went through great length to try and explain the situation to all the governing bodies,
16:38 FIFA, Premier League, FIFPro, PFA, South African FA.
16:44 We tried to explain the coach, the manager himself.
16:48 But I expect I have to explain again.
16:51 So I'll explain again in a couple of months and then again and again until people understand.
16:55 You mentioned the manager, Hugo Bruce.
16:57 Have you spoken to him since AFCON?
17:00 No, I get it.
17:02 I have explained it three or four times, but it's fine.
17:07 I expect that I have to explain it again.
17:11 People have a different way to look at these things still in various parts of the world.
17:20 That's the reality of it.
17:21 And I respect that as well.
17:22 I really respect that.
17:26 But if your starting position is from the care of the player,
17:33 then you find the right answers.
17:37 That's the only thing we did.
17:39 Thank you, Mark.
17:41 We'll go to Sonny and then we'll finish with Nazeera.
17:44 Hi, Vinny.
17:46 With Arsenal next, obviously afterwards you've got Palace, Bournemouth, West Ham and Brentford.
17:51 Is there a tendency to look past this fixture and focus on those?
17:55 Or do you kind of just take every game?
17:58 Every game, you can't.
17:59 We've been too close in those big games so far to think that we can't do something.
18:07 We can't create a moment for us.
18:10 And you can't wait for momentum because it's going to be about momentum.
18:16 You've mentioned a lot of games there, but the key thing is to build your momentum throughout.
18:21 And you can't wait for it to happen.
18:23 You have to go and get it.
18:25 And you mentioned the home form as well.
18:27 You've been unbeaten in the last couple of games.
18:30 It was mentioned by one of your co-leads.
18:32 But is there a sign that there is something there in front of your home fans
18:37 over the past couple of games after getting results?
18:39 That's all we want to do.
18:40 Last year was one massive party every home game.
18:45 And this year we've had to come through tough times.
18:47 But it's not been for a lack of desire to make it a fortress,
18:53 desire to make it our home.
18:57 But like I said, I can't go back and say I feel sorry for ourselves.
19:02 And we've played good games.
19:03 We've not won.
19:04 So we've got to win.
19:06 And I'm not speaking just about the Arsenal game specifically.
19:10 I'm speaking in general.
19:11 And obviously, Arsenal, Liverpool.
19:14 What are the preparations been like?
19:16 Are they similar going from one week to another when you're going into a game against a top six side?
19:23 I think you have to focus a lot as well on these type of games.
19:31 They get decided as well because they've got players who can make the difference.
19:36 So we have to have players who are ready to overachieve,
19:39 who are ready to surpass themselves.
19:41 And it's a mindset you have to create before the game.
19:44 But other than that, the preparation and consistency in how you prepare
19:49 is also something that we always build in.
19:52 Hi Vincent, do you think Arsenal have the capabilities of winning the Premier League title this season?
20:01 I don't know.
20:03 I'll tell you after the game.
20:04 We've played the big ones all in a row in succession now.
20:08 So we'll have a pretty good idea.
20:10 But they're strong.
20:11 I watched them enough this season to really see that they're not going to lose many games.
20:19 Between now and the end of the season.
20:20 But that's what you have to do when you're at the top of the league.
20:22 One of the junior investors in the club was quoted at the Super Bowl this week or on Sunday.
20:48 Basically saying that, of course, you would have a plan if you go down in terms of the future.
20:55 Do you go along with that?
20:57 Do you have a plan?
20:58 I mean, I'm not expecting you to say, oh, you know, we're done.
21:01 We've lost 17 games.
21:02 We're done.
21:03 No manager would say that.
21:04 But at the same time, have you got a vision for the future of what Burnley will be like
21:09 and possibly having to come back again?
21:12 Look, it's really important to stress for me that these plans were made probably back
21:23 in the summer about what a scenario looks like if you stay up and what a scenario looks
21:29 like if you go down.
21:30 And you build around that.
21:31 Once the season starts, it just takes all your energy and focus and attention to just
21:37 be locked into like that belief doesn't come out of nowhere.
21:40 It's got to be you looking on the rocks and stones to find that little bit something that
21:44 gives you something special.
21:46 So right now, it's not a word I want to use, but we haven't shied away from it in the summer,
21:52 which is probably why the club is so calm still, which is probably why we have that
22:00 togetherness here and the players still show that as well.
22:03 But that was done long before this moment now.
22:10 Vinny, just going off on that point, there's great stability at this club.
22:15 If other clubs were in your position, they'd be panicking and they'd be, we'd be asking
22:19 you questions like, do you fear for your job?
22:21 But there's a calmness here.
22:23 There's a long-term plan.
22:24 Does that help you in terms of your planning that you can just focus on the pitch and the
22:29 players?
22:29 You're not having to look over your shoulder and think, oh, my God, this could be the
22:33 game that could be last.
22:34 You know, if they don't win.
22:36 I mean, look, I'm not going to lie.
22:39 I think I was lucky at 17, I started at Anderlecht.
22:44 So I mean, I've been in that environment for more than 20 years, you know, and I fully
22:50 understand that, you know, nothing gets given, you know, so even the calmness that we have,
22:58 it's not just given, you know, it's earned.
23:01 But I don't think either scenario would unsettle me more.
23:08 You know, it's more the effect we have on players is the effect we have on the next
23:11 game.
23:11 The goal should be to win the next game.
23:13 We should always be aligned to that.
23:15 The rest, which manager, who, what, it has personal implications, of course, but it's
23:22 not something I think about.
23:23 I really don't.
23:25 And, you know, if I say to my players that the next game can always be the one that defines
23:31 you more than any game you've played before, then look, Saturday.
23:36 And then if it's not Saturday, the game after that, it's really, it's a mindset.
23:41 And I've been in situations where there's more pressure, more, not on me, but on the
23:49 environments, on the surroundings.
23:50 I've been in environments like this one, where it's an example of how to go through
23:55 tough times together.
23:56 But I'm resilient for either scenarios.
24:02 My main focus is the team and the results.
24:04 Just looking at the progress at this club, if we put the results to one side, which is
24:10 a silly thing to say, because football is all about results.
24:13 But I mean, the big picture, Burnley.
24:15 It's a brave statement.
24:16 Let's put the results to one side.
24:18 But just where you are in terms of developing the football club and the squad, is that
24:25 happening?
24:25 Is that progressing?
24:26 Are Burnley better now than you were, say, at the start of the season?
24:30 I'm excited every day to come into work, work with these players.
24:34 Every game I'm seeing things in these players where I'm like, they will belong in the
24:41 Premier League.
24:42 But my concern is I want them to belong in this league right now.
24:47 So that's what all my attention goes to.
24:51 Many, many players where I'm like, I can see the progress.
24:56 You can name them yourselves.
24:58 And of course, bringing in some fresh faces in January helps as well.
25:01 So these guys are still going through that.
25:03 And OK, we have whatever amount of games left to play.
25:09 That's always going to be, any moment can be a turning point.
25:13 That's how they've been performing, is just the results.
25:16 And if you put the results aside, then you said it, not me.
25:20 Then I have to look at what these guys are also bringing, not just the things they're
25:27 doing wrong.
25:28 Good.
25:29 Thank you.
25:29 Thank you, everyone.