Burnley to Bavaria: Why Kompany to Bayern makes more sense than you think
Spare a thought for Burnley fans. There were few things to celebrate during the 2023/24 Premier League season, with the Clarets immediately plummeting back down to the Championship.
There was optimism early on in the season, as manager Vincent Kompany committed to the club by signing a new five-year deal. This was received well, especially as he was being linked to a number of top jobs, including Tottenham and Chelsea.
The optimism didn’t last long. It became clear that Kompany was unwilling to adapt his offensive style in the Premier League, and Burnley rarely ventured out of the relegation zone in a very underwhelming campaign.
Kompany watches on as Burnley lose to Nottingham Forest
For many Burnley fans, the silver lining was that Kompany appeared to be committed to the cause, and the expectation was that he could bring the Clarets back up again the following year.
Instead, the Belgian has swapped Lancashire for Bavaria in one of the most dramatic cases of failing upwards seen in football.
Amidst the justified fury from Burnley fans at Kompany’s abandonment of the project, his move to Bayern Munich has shocked and bemused many.
Kompany applauds the fans after another defeat against Tottenham Hotspur
How can the man who mustered five wins in one season sit in the same seat as Pep Guardiola, Jupp Heynckes or Carlo Ancelotti?
Bayern’s ailing search for a manager has been well publicised, having been rejected by Xabi Alonso, Ralf Rangnick, Julian Nagelsmann and even the current manager, Thomas Tuchel.
Hiring Kompany could seem desperate and a little bizarre at this stage, but there could be a method to Bayern’s madness.
Kompany is unveiled as Bayern Munich manager
One thing that Kompany can guarantee is an uncompromising, offensive style of play. His predecessor, Thomas Tuchel, is not renowned for attacking football.
The same can be said for Sean Dyche, the manager who Kompany took over from in 2022. The below graph shows how quickly Kompany changed the style at Burnley after one season:
Whilst the sample size is undeniably small, Burnley’s 2022/23 Championship season provides a blueprint for what a Kompany team can do when he has the right personnel.
His primary attacking trio during this season were Josh Brownhill, Nathan Tella, and Manuel Benson. Between them, they created 51 G/A.
They finished first that season, and the underlying statistics show that they were clearly one of the best teams in the division.
The above graph shows how Kompany’s side conceded the least xG (expected goals) per game and created the second most xG per game in their Championship winning season.
Think what his team could do with Harry Kane, Jamal Musiala, and Leroy Sane.
Kompany is a student of Guardiola, positional play or ‘juego de posición’ is the doctrine that informs how his teams set up and play.
A lot of his new squad were moulded in this style. Kingsley Coman, Leroy Sane, Joshua Kimmich, and Thomas Müller have all played in this style under Guardiola.
Thomas Muller and Leroy Sane during Bayern’s Champions League tie against Lazio
The main criticism you can level at Vincent Kompany is his aversion and/or inability to change his style. The senior management at Bayern will hope the quality of his players will help mask this weakness.
Bayern Munich are always expected to impose their style on their opposition, and this is something they will get with Kompany.
Unlike the majority of Bayern’s managerial targets this summer, Kompany played at the elite level.
Listen to his team talks at Burnley or at Anderlecht and it is clear that he commands the respect of the dressing room.
Kompany on the touchline as Anderlecht boss
Whilst the politics of managing Germany’s biggest team makes for a different prospect entirely, Kompany’s conviction and strength of character could work to his advantage.
He has experience of playing in Germany, and can speak German, French, English and Flemish fluently.
His move to Bayern Munich marks the most recent, and perhaps most extreme example of a wider trend in Europe’s managerial market.
Chelsea have just hired Championship manager Enzo Maresca and Bologna manager Thiago Motta is seemingly days away from the Juventus hot seat.
Ipswich Town boss Kieran McKenna was seemingly linked to every big club in England before the announcement of his contract extension with Ipswich.
Elite clubs are increasingly prioritising younger coaches with a set style of play.
Bayern fans need only to look to the Bundesliga champions this season. Xabi Alonso had never managed at the senior men’s level before joining Bayer Leverkusen and they were one game away from an unbeaten treble this season.
Xabi Alonso celebrates winning the Bundesliga, as he lifts the Meisterschale
Bayern have hired a driven, high-profile young coach with a crystal-clear idea as to how he wants his team to play.
Kompany will inherit a better squad than Alonso, with more cash to spend and a full pre-season to shape his team in the way he wants.
Whilst it is unlikely that Kompany will be able to replicate Alonso’s work at Leverkusen in the short term, don’t be surprised if he returns Die Bayern to the top next season.
He may not have been the first, second, third or even fourth choice at the Allianz Arena but Kompany could prove to be the right choice in the end.
