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Analysis: Why Vincent Kompany’s appointment does makes sense for Bayern Munich

Analysis: Why Vincent Kompany’s appointment does makes sense for Bayern Munich

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Bayern Munich’s long-drawn out quest for a new head coach finally ended with the appointment of Vincent Kompany, which has not exactly been met with an overwhelmingly positive reaction. Fans and casual observers alike have been surprised by the record German champions’ decision to bring in a man who suffered relegation from the Premier League with Burnley, but a closer look at the situation should lead to a different conclusion.

By Neel Shelat

This summer is set to be one of the busiest in living memory in the world of football. Besides the major international tournaments such as the Euros, Copa América and the Olympics, the transfer market is set to keep everyone up at all times. Not only will we see more blockbuster moves like Kylian Mbappé to Real Madrid, but the head coach market is also going to see quite a lot of movement as a number of major positions are, or soon will be open.

A few big moves have already been made as top clubs look to establish some stability before preparing for the 2024/25 season. The most interesting of the lot has arguably been Bayern Munich’s appointment of Vincent Kompany.

The record Bundesliga champions might have regretted their decision to point Thomas Tuchel towards the exit door at the end of the season having been rejected by all of their top choices. The lack of continuity and trust afforded by the board to previous coaches besides Tuchel, such as Julian Nagelsmann, as well as the reportedly toxic work environment were cited as the reasons for these snubs, leading to a point where Bayern reportedly tried to reverse their decision and convince Tuchel to stay for another season.

The ex-Chelsea boss did not make the u-turn, though, forcing his employers to dig deeper in their search for his successor. Clearly, Kompany was far from their first choice, but in the circumstances, he could turn out to be a pretty good appointment.

Record at Anderlecht and in the Championship

Having made his name as one of the world’s best defenders during his peak at Manchester City, Kompany ended his playing career in the 2019/20 season with Anderlecht. He initially joined as a player-manager but decided to focus on just one thing after a dismal start to the season, taking over coaching responsibilities after hanging up his boots in 2020.

Bayern Munich fans might not be overjoyed when they see his record of leading Belgium’s most successful club to fourth and third-placed finishes in his two full seasons in charge, but it is important to note that they were suffering significant financial difficulties during his tenure owing to mismanagement on the part of those above him. As a result, Anderlecht spent under €20 million on transfer fees in the two seasons when Kompany was in charge while selling players for over three times as much.

With that context in mind, it is easier to appreciate the work Kompany did in Belgium. He perhaps retrospectively earned the amount of credit he deserved for back-to-back top-four finishes as Anderlecht wound up a lowly 11th in the season following his departure, but the style of play he employed was arguably even more impressive as he set the Mauves up to dominate possession and tire their opponents with constant passing. At the same time, his team did not knock the ball around aimlessly, as they were the league leaders both in terms of passes and goals in 2021/22.

This was surely what Burnley saw when they made the move to appoint Kompany as their head coach immediately after they last suffered relegation from the Premier League. His task was to ensure they bounced right back up, and he did just that in thoroughly dominant fashion as Turf Moor was treated to a 100-point Championship season in which Burnley topped all relevant metrics besides the league standings.

Why Burnley’s relegation should not concern Bayern

Of course, Kompany attracted the most attention when he reached the Premier League with Burnley. As a result, he has not gotten as much credit as he deserves for his past achievements and is being wrongly painted as a head coach who failed to keep his side in the Premier League.

Hopes were undoubtedly high when Burnely immediately and emphatically returned to the big time, and they solidified their ambitions of staying there with a nine-digit net spend in the transfer window. Their relegation – and especially the margin behind it – must be considered a disappointment then, but it should not have come as too much of a surprise all the same.

Despite their business in the transfer window, Burnley’s aggregate squad player value put them among the bottom three in the Premier League. That, as well as the fact that all three promoted sides ended up being relegated should underscore the ever-increasing disparity between England’s top-two tiers that makes it incredibly difficult for newly-promoted sides to stay up.

With that being said, Kompany certainly should not be completely without blame for Burnley’s relegation. His attempts to preserve his possession-dominant style of play against significantly stronger opposition in the Premier League proved naive, ultimately leading him to switch to a more compact defence-oriented approach in a 4-4-2 formation. However, that proved to be too little and too late.

Regardless, Bayern Munich should not be too fussed about Burnley’s relegation under Kompany. It only showed that the Belgian tactician is not best-suited to relegation battles, but it does not change the fact that he has more than matched expectations when placed in charge of a top-four or title-challenging club.

What should Bayern Munich expect from Kompany?

Despite their disappointing third-placed finish this term, Bayern Munich will undoubtedly expect to put up a serious title challenge next term and be satisfied with nothing short of the Bundesliga title. Based on his track record so far, there is nothing to suggest that Kompany cannot deliver.

He will take over what is still the strongest squad in Germany at a club whose decade-long title-winning streak was only broken by a once-in-a-blue-moon invincible campaign on Bayer Leverkusen’s part. Lady luck certainly was in favour of Xabi Alonso’s side, to the point that our Expected Points model still suggests Bayern did enough to win the title in a normal season.

In his seasons in charge of top-of-the-table sides at Anderlecht, and Burnley in the Championship, Kompany not only showed that he could employ the necessary style of play to enable his side to impose themselves on opponents but also showed a good understanding of player profiles. He did not rigidly stick to any one formation but sensibly adapted his side’s shape to get the best out of the XI while maintaining a very good balance between attack and defence. As a result, players such as Lukas Nmecha, Joshua Zirkzee and Sergio Gomez performed wonders for Company at Anderlecht, and Nathan Tella and Ian Maatsen did the same at Burnley.

Especially at Anderlecht, Kompany also showed himself to be a good facilitator of youth development thanks to their renowned academy, having risen through its ranks himself many years ago. He gave debuts to talented youngsters such as Zeno Debast and Mario Stroeykens who have gone on to become key players for the club, as well as making then-20-year-old Albert Sambi Lokonga his captain.

That should be good news for Bayern’s best youngsters such as Mathys Tel and Aleksandar Pavlović, but all the players should be looking forward to working with Kompany. The 38-year-old head coach may not have accumulated a great deal of experience in the job so far and will likely face some challenges after stepping up to the very elite level for the first time at an incredibly demanding club, but he seems to have all the tools to rise to the task – on paper at least.

Kompany, of course, will be happy to get such a big move so early on in his career after a setback, Burnley should be content with an eight-digit transfer fee to part with him, and Bayern Munich too should be happy to get a coach of his calibre and suitability given their repeated failures in securing a candidate before him. All being well, this could be a win-win appointment for all involved.

(Cover image from IMAGO)

You can follow every Bayern game live with FotMob — featuring deep stats coverage including xG, shot maps, and player ratings. Download the free app here.

Analysis: Why Vincent Kompany’s appointment does makes sense for Bayern Munich

Bayern Munich’s long-drawn out quest for a new head coach finally ended with the appointment of Vincent Kompany, which has not exactly been met with an overwhelmingly positive reaction. Fans and casual observers alike have been surprised by the record German champions’ decision to bring in a man who suffered relegation from the Premier League with Burnley, but a closer look at the situation should lead to a different conclusion.

By Neel Shelat

This summer is set to be one of the busiest in living memory in the world of football. Besides the major international tournaments such as the Euros, Copa América and the Olympics, the transfer market is set to keep everyone up at all times. Not only will we see more blockbuster moves like Kylian Mbappé to Real Madrid, but the head coach market is also going to see quite a lot of movement as a number of major positions are, or soon will be open.

A few big moves have already been made as top clubs look to establish some stability before preparing for the 2024/25 season. The most interesting of the lot has arguably been Bayern Munich’s appointment of Vincent Kompany.

The record Bundesliga champions might have regretted their decision to point Thomas Tuchel towards the exit door at the end of the season having been rejected by all of their top choices. The lack of continuity and trust afforded by the board to previous coaches besides Tuchel, such as Julian Nagelsmann, as well as the reportedly toxic work environment were cited as the reasons for these snubs, leading to a point where Bayern reportedly tried to reverse their decision and convince Tuchel to stay for another season.

The ex-Chelsea boss did not make the u-turn, though, forcing his employers to dig deeper in their search for his successor. Clearly, Kompany was far from their first choice, but in the circumstances, he could turn out to be a pretty good appointment.

Record at Anderlecht and in the Championship

Having made his name as one of the world’s best defenders during his peak at Manchester City, Kompany ended his playing career in the 2019/20 season with Anderlecht. He initially joined as a player-manager but decided to focus on just one thing after a dismal start to the season, taking over coaching responsibilities after hanging up his boots in 2020.

Bayern Munich fans might not be overjoyed when they see his record of leading Belgium’s most successful club to fourth and third-placed finishes in his two full seasons in charge, but it is important to note that they were suffering significant financial difficulties during his tenure owing to mismanagement on the part of those above him. As a result, Anderlecht spent under €20 million on transfer fees in the two seasons when Kompany was in charge while selling players for over three times as much.

With that context in mind, it is easier to appreciate the work Kompany did in Belgium. He perhaps retrospectively earned the amount of credit he deserved for back-to-back top-four finishes as Anderlecht wound up a lowly 11th in the season following his departure, but the style of play he employed was arguably even more impressive as he set the Mauves up to dominate possession and tire their opponents with constant passing. At the same time, his team did not knock the ball around aimlessly, as they were the league leaders both in terms of passes and goals in 2021/22.

This was surely what Burnley saw when they made the move to appoint Kompany as their head coach immediately after they last suffered relegation from the Premier League. His task was to ensure they bounced right back up, and he did just that in thoroughly dominant fashion as Turf Moor was treated to a 100-point Championship season in which Burnley topped all relevant metrics besides the league standings.

Why Burnley’s relegation should not concern Bayern

Of course, Kompany attracted the most attention when he reached the Premier League with Burnley. As a result, he has not gotten as much credit as he deserves for his past achievements and is being wrongly painted as a head coach who failed to keep his side in the Premier League.

Hopes were undoubtedly high when Burnely immediately and emphatically returned to the big time, and they solidified their ambitions of staying there with a nine-digit net spend in the transfer window. Their relegation – and especially the margin behind it – must be considered a disappointment then, but it should not have come as too much of a surprise all the same.

Despite their business in the transfer window, Burnley’s aggregate squad player value put them among the bottom three in the Premier League. That, as well as the fact that all three promoted sides ended up being relegated should underscore the ever-increasing disparity between England’s top-two tiers that makes it incredibly difficult for newly-promoted sides to stay up.

With that being said, Kompany certainly should not be completely without blame for Burnley’s relegation. His attempts to preserve his possession-dominant style of play against significantly stronger opposition in the Premier League proved naive, ultimately leading him to switch to a more compact defence-oriented approach in a 4-4-2 formation. However, that proved to be too little and too late.

Regardless, Bayern Munich should not be too fussed about Burnley’s relegation under Kompany. It only showed that the Belgian tactician is not best-suited to relegation battles, but it does not change the fact that he has more than matched expectations when placed in charge of a top-four or title-challenging club.

What should Bayern Munich expect from Kompany?

Despite their disappointing third-placed finish this term, Bayern Munich will undoubtedly expect to put up a serious title challenge next term and be satisfied with nothing short of the Bundesliga title. Based on his track record so far, there is nothing to suggest that Kompany cannot deliver.

He will take over what is still the strongest squad in Germany at a club whose decade-long title-winning streak was only broken by a once-in-a-blue-moon invincible campaign on Bayer Leverkusen’s part. Lady luck certainly was in favour of Xabi Alonso’s side, to the point that our Expected Points model still suggests Bayern did enough to win the title in a normal season.

In his seasons in charge of top-of-the-table sides at Anderlecht, and Burnley in the Championship, Kompany not only showed that he could employ the necessary style of play to enable his side to impose themselves on opponents but also showed a good understanding of player profiles. He did not rigidly stick to any one formation but sensibly adapted his side’s shape to get the best out of the XI while maintaining a very good balance between attack and defence. As a result, players such as Lukas Nmecha, Joshua Zirkzee and Sergio Gomez performed wonders for Company at Anderlecht, and Nathan Tella and Ian Maatsen did the same at Burnley.

Especially at Anderlecht, Kompany also showed himself to be a good facilitator of youth development thanks to their renowned academy, having risen through its ranks himself many years ago. He gave debuts to talented youngsters such as Zeno Debast and Mario Stroeykens who have gone on to become key players for the club, as well as making then-20-year-old Albert Sambi Lokonga his captain.

That should be good news for Bayern’s best youngsters such as Mathys Tel and Aleksandar Pavlović, but all the players should be looking forward to working with Kompany. The 38-year-old head coach may not have accumulated a great deal of experience in the job so far and will likely face some challenges after stepping up to the very elite level for the first time at an incredibly demanding club, but he seems to have all the tools to rise to the task – on paper at least.

Kompany, of course, will be happy to get such a big move so early on in his career after a setback, Burnley should be content with an eight-digit transfer fee to part with him, and Bayern Munich too should be happy to get a coach of his calibre and suitability given their repeated failures in securing a candidate before him. All being well, this could be a win-win appointment for all involved.

(Cover image from IMAGO)

You can follow every Bayern game live with FotMob — featuring deep stats coverage including xG, shot maps, and player ratings. Download the free app here.