“He was just unlucky” – Kompany backs Karl after stepover blooper goes viral

Vincent Kompany has played down criticism of Lennart Karl after footage of the 17-year-old failing a dribble circulated widely online.

After Bayern Munich’s 5-1 win over Hoffenheim, a clip of Lennart Karl failing a double stepover went viral.

Some argued the 17-year-old was being unsporting by showboating with the Bavarians already several goals ahead, but Bayern coach Vincent Kompany brushed off the criticism at a press conference on Tuesday.

“I didn’t even look at it – I don’t know what happened on the internet,” Kompany said.

“If something annoys me, I will 100 percent say it. But in that moment, he simply missed a stepover. That’s it. I’m not going to start punishing my attacking players for trying stepovers – because then what am I going to tell Michael Olise and ‘Lucho’ Diaz? A lot of people come to the stadium for this.”

He added that when attackers attempt dribbles and fail, the consequences are far less severe than when defenders make mistakes.

“It’s easier for wingers than for defenders or goalkeepers, because for them, if you make a mistake, the ball ends up in your own net. He missed something and it went out for a goal kick. That’s why attacking players can try a bit more than defensive players – and I encourage them to do that,” Kompany said.

“If I see a sign of arrogance or disrespect towards the opposition, I will say something. But that’s not what I felt in that moment. He was just unlucky. They’ve probably shown every goal he’s scored 250,000 times on social media. It goes both ways – we can’t escape it.”

Bayern’s next task is Wednesday’s DFB-Pokal quarter-final clash with RB Leipzig.