Everyone says that Vincent Kompany's arrival at Bayern is a joke, an absurd move, and the worst decision ever! But they are all WRONG, and we will reveal the REAL reasons why the Bavarians chose Kompany and why this shocking appointment will actually work!
Bayern Munich choose Kompany as their new coach
No one expected it, but it's now official: Vincent Kompany is the new coach of Bayern Munich! Die Roten have penned a contract with the manager of Burnley until 2027 and paid the Clarets between 10 and 12 million euros in compensation fees for the Belgian manager's services!
From the English Premier League relegation with Burnley to working at Bayern Munich, one of the world's biggest clubs - Kompany went from a Toyota to a Bugatti real quick! And we're certainly not going to claim that Munich wanted Vincent from the very start.
You see, after the German side announced Thomas Tuchel's departure in February, the search for a new manager came to nothing! Xabi Alonso, Julian Nagelsmann, Hansi Flick, Ralf Rangnick, Unai Emery, Erik ten Hag, Oliver Glasner, Roberto De Zerbi - all of the mentioned candidates turned down the job!
Later on, the Bundesliga giants even changed their mind about Tuchel and opened talks with him regarding a contract renewal, but things didn't work out either - Thomas had already decided to quit Munich.
Therefore, Kompany is not a plan A, B, or even C. It's more like a plan K! Vincent is clearly not what the fans were expecting, but he is exactly the kind of coach wanted by two pretty important members of the Bayern board whose votes made the difference...
Who chose Kompany and why?
Max Eberl and Christoph Freund, the sporting directors of Bayern Munich, convinced the club's president Herbert Hainer to ink a contract with Kompany. Why? Simply put, Eberl and Freund "were impressed by the Belgian's approach to the game”, which became a key factor.
Sky Sport Germany journalist Florian Plettenberg explains: “Max Eberl sees something in Kompany. Perhaps he sees him as the new Xabi Alonso and his opinion prevailed on Bayern's board. Uli Hoeneß was in favor of Hansi Flick's return but Max Eberl rejected his return and said: “No. Believe me, I see something in Vincent Kompany”
But what exactly do they see at Bayern that the rest of the football world cannot notice
What kind of football does Kompany play
As a matter of fact, Kompany's style of play is a perfect fit for Die Roten, because wherever Vincent has worked, he always played attacking football based on dominance, ball possession, and aggressive pressing
Right in his first season with the Clarets, Kompany repeatedly demonstrated his tactical flexibility. While in the Championship, his Burnley team usually used a 4-2-3-1 formation, Bayern's favorite one, as well as a 4-3-3, which sometimes turned into a 2-3-5, 3-2-5, 2-2-6, or 3-1-6
Here's a simple example: when changing from a 4-3-3 to a 3-2-5 in Kompany's system, the four defenders turned into three during attacking build-ups. There were constant “ switches ” between fullbacks: the right one remained in the back, and the left one would become a winger, or vice versa. The back three, not to mention the defensive midfielder and left central midfielder, formed a tight group that moved vertically up or down, depending on the opponents' actions
The nominal left midfielder made enough space for the left-back and moved to the “half-wing” behind the centre-forward, similar to the right-central midfielder, who also moved to the “half-wing” to form “triangles” with the right-back and the midfield player. The right midfielder operated widely, supported by the full-back behind him. Thus, the five-man attacking press was formed up front
Believe it or not, but Kompany's tactics in the defensive phase were equally well-coordinated: the right winger returned to the role of right central midfielder, the left-back dropped down, the left winger followed him to return to the left midfielder role once again, while the centre-forward was again alone up front and the first player to go for pressing
What we just described is just one of many simple tactical adjustments Burnley made under Kompany's guidance, which he will soon bring into Bayern's game. Sure thing, his football has plenty of other nuances, too
So, this is how the Clarets constantly dominated the ball possession in the Championship, pressing better than any other squad and scoring loads of goals against their competitors! Kompany often gave his players individualized instructions instead of tying them to positions. Consequently, Burnley could become extremely unpredictable - to the point that Kompany's men tore apart the English second-tier in the 2022/23 campaign
They registered 29 wins, netted 87 and conceded only 35 goals! Thanks to Vincent's ideas, the English side secured their Premier League promotion and became the first team since the 2014/15 season to break the +100 points mark in a single season in the Championship
28 май 2024
