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The search for a coach was long and grueling for the leaders of Bayern Munich last spring. After making the decision to part ways with Thomas Tuchel, the Bavarian giant went out of his way to flush out the worthy heir of the coach who worked at Paris Saint-Germain and Chelsea. Multiplying the failures over the weeks, the Munich club even thought about renewing Thomas Tuchel, due to lack of agreement with the targeted technicians. And it was to everyone’s surprise that the name of Vincent Kompany emerged to become the new captain of a Bavarian ship adrift, having just completed the 2023-2024 financial year without the slightest trophy, a first since 2012. Recommended by Pep Guardiola to German leaders, the former Manchester City player, converted to the position of coach since 2019, nevertheless raised many questions during his appointment last May.
Indeed, many across the Rhine have expressed serious fears about him, judging by his CV which is far too meager to get the big league that is Bayern Munich back on its feet. If the Belgian saw his popularity rise in England at the end of his very good 2022-2023 season with Burnley, it took a hit when the English club finished the following edition at penultimate place in the Premier League, synonymous with relegation to the Championship (English D2). Far from appearing in German minds as the first choice, the man who made 51 appearances with Hamburg between 2006 and 2008 therefore had to roll up his sleeves and find the right formula to seduce his world. And given the results recorded by Bayern Munich since his arrival, Vincent Kompany is turning things around.
A promising start for the former Red Devil!
Leader of the Bundesliga after four days, Bayern Munich is flying over the German championship. In addition to this sluggish victory against Wolfsburg on August 25, the Recorder was subsequently merciless against his opponents. Easy winner of Friborg (2-0), Vincent Kompany’s men inflicted a beating on the newcomer in the German elite, Holstein Kiel (1-6), before passing 5 at Werder Bremen last weekend including a new XXL performance from Michael Olise, who has become in the space of a few weeks one of the strong men in the Belgian squad. In the meantime, the Bavarian club took a walk in the German Cup on the lawn of SSV Ulm (0-4), resident of German D2, before taking care of its entry into the new formula of the Champions League with a success historic against Dinamo Zagreb (9-2) last week. Solid defensively (5 goals conceded), Bayern Munich, driven by its individualities and a well-oiled collective, remains a real goal-scoring machine (30 goals in all competitions).
Undefeated since the restart with his team, Vincent Kompany justifies the confidence placed in him by his managers and delivers, for the moment, a first response to his detractors. “ I was born in Brussels, in a northern district. My father was a refugee, he came from Congo to Belgium. What were my chances of ever setting foot in the Premier League? To play in the Premier League? To win something as a player? To play for the national team? If you take the odds of this happening for me, it was 0.000%. And now I’m a coach… You have to keep moving forward, and in the end, if you fail, you fail, if you succeed, you succeed, but you get better every time. This is very important. It doesn’t make much sense to focus on online reviews. I don’t take it personally », he conceded in front of the press on the sidelines of his first meeting in C1.
Bayer Leverkusen, Vincent Kompany’s first big test
If the main person concerned believes that he has not stolen his place, the season is still long for the ex-Red Devil and the hardest part is yet to come. As such, the native of Uccle is preparing to cross swords with Bayer Leverkusen. A first big test for the former Belgian selection executive and a shock at the top that looks like revenge for Bayern Munich. Last season, the pace imposed by Xabi Alonso’s men ended up making the Bavarian giant break. The heavy setback suffered at the BayArena (0-3) during the 21st day of the Bundesliga had somewhat sounded the death knell for the Munich team in the title race. A few months after abandoning their crown to Bayer Leverkusen, Bayern Munich are ready to fight to once again establish their domination in the German championship. For Vincent Kompany, this will be an opportunity to take stock of his adventure in Bavaria.
Present at a press conference this Friday to address the duel against the reigning German champion, counting for the 5th day of the Bundesliga, the 38-year-old technician took the opportunity to send a clear message to his Rhineland rival. “ It’s good that everyone is looking forward to this match. Of course, it will be an important match against the best team of the last twelve months. We are looking forward to it. It won’t always be easy. We want to compete against a strong opponent at the Allianz Arena. Bayern Munich are still favorites. We want to win… What motivates me is that Bayer Leverkusen were champions last season and now they are coming to the Allianz Arena. We are at the top of the table and we have the opportunity to do something for our fans », blurted the Belgian. Verdict this Saturday on the Bayern Munich pre-green!
