Vincent Kompany Urges Bayern Munich To Show Aggression And Bravery

On Thursday, new Bayern Munich manager, Vincent Kompany, set forth his requirements for the Bundesliga team, emphasizing the need for unwavering aggression and bravery from his players.

Vincent Kompany has signed a contract to coach Bayern Munich until 2027 after parting ways with Burnley following their relegation from the Premier League.

Despite being Bundesliga champions for the previous 11 seasons, Bayern finished third this season behind Bayer Leverkusen and VfB Stuttgart.

This season marked the first time in over a decade that they failed to secure domestic or European silverware, prompting the departure of coach Thomas Tuchel, which was announced in February.

“For my side it is simple. What you coach is who you are as a person,” Kompany told a news conference on Thursday. “My personality is I grew up on the streets of Brussels, I was in the academy of Anderlecht where from the age of six to 20 you have to win everything.”

The appointment of Kompany, who has Bundesliga experience from playing for Hamburg SV and is fluent in German, concluded a months-long search for Tuchel’s successor.

Several candidates, including Leverkusen’s Xabi Alonso, former coach Julian Nagelsmann, and Austria coach Ralf Rangnick, opted to stay in their current positions.

“I want the players of Bayern to be really brave on the ball, to have personality. I want the team to be aggressive, to represent those two things,” Kompany said.

“Brave when they have the ball and make a decision and aggressive, something they carry every minute of the game. Always.”

Kompany also hinted he had interest from other clubs besides Bayern.

“You assume that it [Bayern Munich] was the only club that called. You assume that it was the only interest I had. And you only assume that because I’m very private… so by that time I was not surprised. Maybe by the first phone call, it wasn’t Bayern Munich,” Kompany said.

“My point as well is I live my job honestly too intense to speculate too much or make any distinctions whatsoever. The opportunity was there to work with great people, that’s why I signed.” He stated.

During his brief managerial tenure, Kompany, featured in 360 matches for Manchester City and won four Premier League titles, has built a reputation for implementing free-flowing, possession-based football.

He began his coaching journey at Belgian club Anderlecht before moving to Burnley in 2022. His tactics proved effective in the English second-tier Championship, as the team secured promotion with seven games to spare.

Nevertheless, Burnley’s commitment to maintaining the same style of play against top-flight teams in the Premier League proved challenging, leading to a difficult season. They were relegated after finishing 19th with 24 points and just five wins throughout the campaign.