Vincent Kompany achieved a lot as a participant at Manchester City that he has a statue outdoors Etihad Stadium. With Bayern Munich, he’s striving for greatness once more.
His appointment as Bayern boss in May 2024 raised eyebrows. He had, after all, simply taken Burnley all the way down to the Championship.
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But the transfer seems to have been a masterstroke. Under his steering, Bayern gained the Bundesliga final season. They are heading in the right direction to retain their title, sitting 12 factors clear at the highest. And they maintain a 2-1 lead over Real Madrid going into the house leg of their Champions League quarter-final on Wednesday.
As hypothesis continues over Pep Guardiola’s future, Kompany’s ties to Manchester City make him a potential future possibility for that job.
In the meantime, he’s imposing his personal fashion at Bayern, on and off the pitch.
Kompany spent 11 years as a participant at Manchester City, captaining them for eight of these seasons [Getty Images]
There have been issues amongst followers this season that the sport’s prime groups, confronted with cussed man-to-man defensive set-ups, are taking a much less dangerous strategy in assault.
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But Kompany’s Bayern lean into that threat, enjoying freely each out and in of possession. They typically dominate, and are thrilling to observe – an strategy that includes all 11 gamers and begins proper from the again.
In the Champions League final 16, Bayern confronted an Atalanta aspect who opted to man-mark throughout the pitch. So Kompany rotated his gamers round, dragging opposition defenders out of place.
For occasion, attacking midfielder Serge Gnabry ceaselessly dropped into centre-back positions to get on the ball. His Atalanta marker adopted him. That opened up area for Gnabry’s team-mates. As a outcome, Atalanta ended up with attackers in defence and defenders in assault. Bayern Munich gained 10-2 on combination.
Juventus head coach Luciano Spalletti was notably impressed, noting Bayern’s fluidity. In his phrases: “They showed us a whole encyclopedia of movement and positioning in football.”
Serge Gnabry drops into a centre-back place towards Atalanta’s man-to-man press. Their left centre-back Sead Kolasinac follows him, turning into Atalanta’s furthest participant up the pitch [BBC]
Guardiola has used pure midfield gamers in defence throughout build-up to assist Manchester City stand up the pitch this season. This instance exhibits each Rodri and Bernardo SIlva as ‘centre-backs’ from a aim kick towards Leeds. [BBC]
If there may be one concept that epitomises Kompany’s Bayern, it’s arguably motion off the ball.
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As Bayern obtained into settled possession towards Real Madrid within the first leg of their quarter-final, the again 4 of their 4-2-3-1 formation modified positions in a approach that troubled their opponents.
Against Madrid’s entrance two of Vinicius Jr and Kylian Mbappe, midfielder Joshua Kimmich dropped deep, forming a again three with the 2 centre-backs. This gave Munich a three-against-two overload.
Full-backs Josip Stanisic and Konrad Laimer then moved into narrower positions excessive up the pitch. Madrid defended in a slender 4-4-2 and their extensive midfielders, Arda Guler and Federico Valverde, have been dragged to the centre of the pitch when marking Bayern’s full-backs.
This opened up a direct passing lane for Bayern from the centre-backs to the wingers. Michael Olise typically burst in direction of the ball, receiving it underneath minimal strain, in a position to flip and drive at the guts of the defence with momentum.
In yellow, Bayern’s two full-backs and two attackers occupy Madrid’s midfield 4. Joshua Kimmich has dropped in to kind a the again three for Bayern. Olise, on the proper wing, sprints deeper to obtain the cross underneath no strain [BBC]
These direct dribbles, paired with relentless working off the ball in behind a defence, naturally drive opposing groups again in direction of their very own aim.
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And when that occurs, Bayern are in a position to exploit the gaps in entrance of an opposing defence too.
For Bayern’s second aim towards Madrid, Olise’s direct dribble, with Gnabry and Luis Diaz working in behind, pushed Real Madrid again. This opened up area for Harry Kane to take a deeper place – simply as he has carried out many instances all through his profession – earlier than capturing unmarked at the sting of the field.
Bayern’s strategy works as a result of the entrance three have abilities that complement one another: Olise is a creator, Diaz is a runner, Kane is a powerful striker of the ball who can drop deep or assault the field.
It mirrors the dynamics of Barcelona’s profitable assault, that includes former Bayern striker Robert Lewandowski and wingers Lamine Yamal and Raphinha.
Olise cuts inside and drives at Madrid’s defence. Diaz and Gnabry’s runs drag their defenders away, leaving Kane in area to shoot and rating [BBC]
Off the ball, Bayern look to press man-to-man excessive up the pitch. The distinction between their strategy and the one which failed Atalanta is a capability to change seamlessly between a man-marking set-up and a zonal strategy.
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Against Madrid, Bayern set as much as man-to-man from opposition goal-kicks. And now and again, Bayern regarded to funnel Madrid down their proper. In nullifying Madrid’s build-up, Diaz’s means to leap aggressively to press Trent Alexander-Arnold stood out.
Bayern pressed man-to-man towards Madrid [BBC]
But when Madrid obtained into Bayern’s half, we noticed this man-to-man tactic shift into a extra structured defensive form that moved between 4-4-2 and 5-2-3.
Yet even with this extra standard set-up, if Real Madrid’s attackers dropped deep, Bayern defenders typically adopted to cease them getting time on the ball.
When this occurred, their Bayern team-mates would transfer into the back-line to take care of a stable defensive form. Diaz typically dropped again to assist kind a short-term again 5, maintaining a tally of Alexander-Arnold, who performed excessive and extensive.
Bayern Munich’s 4-4-2 defensive block is seen right here. Although it’s a structured form, central defender Dayot Upamecano stepped into midfield to press Arda Guler. Recognising this, midfielder Joshua Kimmich dropped into central defence selecting up Madrid’s quantity eight, Federico Valverde [BBC]
Kompany’s season with Burnley within the Championship – in 2022-23 – proved his concepts labored with gamers of a greater high quality than their opponents.
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It may appear as if a workforce with higher gamers ought to at all times succeed. But thriving in a complicated atmosphere of excessive performers is a problem many coaches have struggled with – personally and tactically – when taking the step up.
An achieved coach corresponding to Thomas Frank, for instance, appeared higher suited to main an underdog Brentford aspect extra prepared to play his pragmatic fashion of football than the Tottenham workforce he managed this season.
In his debut season at Turf Moor, Kompany guided Burnley to the Championship title with a file 101 factors [Getty Images]
Kompany, although, instructions respect from gamers given his achieved enjoying profession – and he’s additionally well-known for talking clearly and pondering intelligently.
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Speaking on The Athletic FC podcast, journalist Carl Anka recalled receiving a ebook advice from Kompany. When he turned City captain, the Belgian had learn Richard Lewis’ enterprise management ebook When Teams Collide: Managing the International Team Successfully.
Even then, Kompany welcomed taking accountability for the success of these round him.
Kompany has solely simply turned 40. With his tactical acumen and management abilities, he may have a nice managerial profession – whether or not that includes constructing a legacy in Germany or shifting again to England.