- Loud and demanding: Kompany's pressing style is reviving Bavaria
After a slightly delayed landing in Munich following a night flight, Vincent Kompany granted his players a day and a half to recover from the rigors of the South Korea trip. Hard work is the motto of the 38-year-old Belgian. But the former top player Kompany, as a coach, pays attention to dosage, even as he aims to introduce a new style of football at the record champions at a rapid pace. The royal road, in his view, is to retain the good and become title-worthy again with the new.
Kompany, as observed during the intense days in Seoul, seems more introspective than outward. He doesn't like to explain much publicly, especially when it comes to questions from reporters about individual players.
"Bayern has played football very similarly for a very long time," said Max Eberl, the sports director, after many championship years in the recent past that Bayer Leverkusen could end with impressive Xabi Alonso football. The aim is to counterattack with Vinnie football.
That's the approach of Kompany. "He wants to have an incredibly high running readiness, high energy, high intensity on the pitch," said Eberl, especially against the ball. Against Tottenham, this looked like extremely high and aggressive pressing - man against man. The ball wins should lead to goal chances and goals through lightning-fast switching and combining. Striker Harry Kane can look forward to that. But will Kane, who is supposed to start training in the middle of the week, fit into the intense pressing style?
Dominant all-in-pressing
Konrad Laimer, who is likely to be the most biting ball hunter in the Munich squad, spoke at the end of the Korea tour about "all-in-pressing." The Austrian is convinced that "the playing style will be very dominant" when the whole Munich team "has the nuances."
The Bayern stars have to adjust to a different coaching style in training and games. Kompany coaches and teaches extremely actively, loudly, and energetically. But his style seems to be well-received. "Especially in the early stages, it could be a bit louder from the sidelines," said captain Manuel Neuer. "His calling out is needed," said Laimer.
"We are currently doing everything very conscientiously," said veteran Thomas Müller, who is making his x-th season preparation. The coaching team around Kompany is setting a good example with their commitment and discipline - and we are following suit," said Müller: "And that's also necessary. Because we have a lot planned for this season. We will be passed from one department to another in training. Each coach has the lead in their respective areas."
Difference from Nagelsmann and Tuchel
Unlike Julian Nagelsmann and Thomas Tuchel, Kompany is starting his coaching career in Munich without a big coaching resume. But compared to his predecessors, he can point to a large playing career, especially at Manchester City, where he also learned from Pep Guardiola, whose work was once appreciated by Bayern players like Manuel Neuer, Thomas Müller, or Joshua Kimmich.
Kimmich expressed his positive impressions after just a few joint working days: "Kompany has his ideas with the ball and against the ball. He conveys them well with videos and his coaching on the pitch." A "certain handwriting" is already recognizable.
"Fantastic football with 2:2, 3:3, 4:4 scores is not enough," noted Eberl. "Attractiveness comes through results. Attractive but no results eventually leads to unattractive and no results."
Company indeed believes that Bayern Munich and he could form a perfect partnership. "I think we fit very well together," he said in Seoul, discussing his "mindset," or way of thinking. Success is his driving force. "I've had to win my whole life. Why should that change here? It will never change. The club's expectations can't be greater than my expectations for myself."
Vincent Kompany's South Korea trip with Bayern Munich inspired him to focus on introspection, as he tends to be less verbose about individual players' performances. To counter Bayern's traditionally similar playing style, Kompany aims to introduce an intense pressing style, relying on high running readiness, energy, and intensity.
Kompany's vision for Bayern Munich includes incorporating high-pressing tactics, as discussed with Max Eberl, aiming to enhance the team's dominance with a new style, an approach learned from his tenure at Manchester City under Pep Guardiola.
