The company mitigates the 'Giant Error' as much as possible.
Vincent Kompany starts new job at German football champion Bayern Munich with enthusiasm. Bayern aims to win titles again. However, old debates simmer in the background, fueled by Uli Hoeneß.
To get to know the land and people better, Vincent Kompany first went to the picturesque Tegernsee and stayed on the 1722-meter-high Wallberg. "Getting here is fine, but going back after 20 years of professional career: that's tough. And they say this is a small mountain," the new Bayern Munich trainer commented at the start of the training camp in Rottach-Egern.
With his staff, the 38-year-old had already embarked on a mountain tour on Sunday and spent the night in a hut. They stayed at the noble Seehotel Überfahrt from Monday to Thursday. Kompany wanted to develop "a better feeling" for his new environment. "This is a unique region in Europe, hardly any region is as proud as Bavaria."
And hardly any club is as big as Bayern Munich, whose "Mia san mia" suffered heavily in the previous season. Titleless for the first time in twelve years, what a shame. With Kompany, they want to go all the way back to the top. "I understand this feeling," he said. "We have to keep going, it's always the next step. Everything in the past is beautiful, but we're successful because we think about the future."
Eberl: Kompany wants "to evolve"
His bosses have been convinced by his attitude. Sporting director Hasan Salihamidzic spoke to "Welt" about a "remarkable solution, a perfect fit." The former world-class defender is "ready to develop and evolve. He has the courage, the guts, and our trust - and from us, the feeling that we can make mistakes. That's how we'll be successful." Even honorary president Uli Hoeneß was impressed by the new coach after a shared dinner. "I was pleasantly surprised" he said, "that he clearly stated that the work must be in the foreground."
Kompany also emphasized this to the first team on the football field of FC Rottach-Egern. "There's no compromise when it comes to hard work. I want intensity in training." Already during his presentation, he had emphasized: "My lifestyle is work, the thing I love. I'm all-in." At the same time, he also wanted to "make everything for the players so that they get better and feel good."
What Kompany didn't want: answering questions about numerous speculations about possible incoming or outgoing players. What's going to happen to Leon Goretzka, since Portuguese Joao Palhinha is now clearing out the defense? Will Joshua Kimmich play as a right-back or maybe even in the central midfield again? Will Kingsley Coman stay? Will Matthijs de Ligt go? "That's not my job. Names don't belong in my thinking," the 38-year-old made clear. It would be "a huge mistake to talk about individual players."
Important: "Keep up"
This was something Bayern fans knew differently in the past. The "huge mistake" that Kompany sees, his predecessors had already made. Six-time champion coach Hansi Flick left the Munich team because he argued with former sporting director Hasan Salihamidzic about squad planning. The short tenure of Thomas Tuchel began with transfer theater about the "Holding Six" and ended with grumbling about the squad size. Even Julian Nagelsmann, who now holds the Bundestrainer position, also presented his player wishes to the Säbener Straße himself confidently.
Uli Hoeneß is now really not commenting on the name of the company, but you should be pleased about that: Uli Hoeneß. He doesn't reside only at Tegernsee but also manages the affairs of the German football record champion from there, even in retirement. Or sometimes he does that publicly. By now, it has become an annual event that Hoeneß passes on his work assignments (more frugality!) to the responsible persons in the microphone.
Recently over the weekend: He pointed out that a particular position is still vacant. FC Bayern has "no money left", said Hoeneß. If Eberl/Freund still want to sign more players, they have to sell some first. They have already spent 125 million Euro on wing striker Michael Olise, central defender Hiroki Ito, and midfielder Palhinha. More stars are rumored to still be on the shopping list. He could also cost another 90 million Euro. A lot of money indeed. The income side can't keep up with that yet: Malik Tillman is switching for 12 million Euro to Eindhoven. That's it.
But that's not the only problem Hoeneß sees. While Tuchel was plagued by a chronic illness at the end of the season and almost ran out of players, Hoeneß saw things differently over the weekend. He noticed that there might be a problem with a gimbal bus: a squad that is too bloated, for which the team bus no longer suffices. Hoeneß didn't want to comment on that. "We have 60, 70 games, we need all players," he explained briefly.
Company, as is now clear, has different priorities. It's important to him to "feel the energy and see the hunger." He renounced grandiolous battle cries after a titleless season: "Players like us have a reaction. We don't need to make big speeches. But it's important to me that we show that we have the will."
Max Eberl, the sporting director of FC Bayern Munich, shares Hoenneß's sentiment regarding the need for squad adjustments. He mentioned that they have already spent a significant amount on new signings, such as Michael Olise, Hiroki Ito, and Joao Palhinha, and might need to sell some players to afford more. Meanwhile, Vincent Kompany, the new coach, emphasizes that discussing individual players is not his job, as focusing on teamwork and hard work is crucial for their success.
