Jürgen Klopp’s comments on Bayern’s system sparked debate. Former FCB pro Markus Babbel defends the national team coach—and interprets them differently.

Jürgen Klopp’s comments on FC Bayern’s style of play sparked a lot of discussion following the 2-2 draw against Arsenal. During his analysis on DAZN, the national team coach openly admitted that he still couldn’t fully understand certain aspects of Munich’s pressing game. Former Bayern pro Markus Babbel, however, doesn’t see this as criticism of Vincent Kompany.

In an interview with ran, Babbel was asked whether Klopp’s comments were meant to be lighthearted or should be taken as a dig at the Bayern coach. His answer was unequivocal: “Well, I didn’t take it as criticism.”

Babbel interprets Klopp’s remarks instead as an expression of curiosity. The German national team coach deliberately wants to watch games at the stadium to better understand tactical details that aren’t always visible on TV: “I understood Klopp to mean that he’s simply eager to learn, because, among other things, he still hasn’t fully grasped FC Bayern’s pressing style. That’s why I actually found it to be a very honest and authentic statement from Jürgen Klopp.”

Babbel, too, is puzzled by Kompany’s Bayern

After the Arsenal game, Klopp explained that he hadn’t yet fully deciphered Munich’s defensive mechanisms. In particular, the shifting defensive assignments and Harry Kane’s unusually deep role left him puzzled.

Babbel expressed understanding for this assessment—partly because he feels the same way himself. When asked whether, as a former coach, he understood FC Bayern’s pressing, the 54-year-old replied: “No, I’d be lying if I said right now that I understand everything Kompany does. It’s a mystery to me time and time again.”



At the same time, Babbel made it clear that this confusion in no way detracts from the quality of Kompany’s work. On the contrary: performances like the one against RB Leipzig had particularly impressed him: “The way Bayern played out of defense was simply extraordinary. You got the feeling they had an extra man on the field.”

In the end, Babbel expressed his amazement with a wink: “Maybe I should meet up with Vincent Kompany sometime and have him explain it to me.”

This article was translated into English by AI. You can read the original version here https://fcbinside.de/2026/10/24/bayern-kritik-von-klopp-ehrliche-und-authentische-aussage/.