Bayern Munich are set to appoint Vincent Kompany, the recently relegated manager of Burnley, as their new head coach.
That is as baffling as it sounds.
The ex-Manchester City defender endured a horrendous 2023/24 season in charge of Burnley, losing 24 Premier League games to be swiftly relegated back to the Championship.
So why are Bayern Munich appointing him?
- Everyone else turned the job down
Xabi Alonso, Roger Schmidt, Roberto De Zerbi, Julian Nagelsmann, Ralf Rangnick, Joachim Low.
That’s the list of managers who have turned down the chance to replace Thomas Tuchel at Bayern Munich heading into the 2024/25 Bundesliga season.
Vincent Kompany was seemingly the only person in the world who wanted the Bayern job so, by default, he’s getting it.
- Stop-gap appointment
So with every top manager either being unavailable or outright not wanting to take the job in 2024, there’s a case to be made that Bayern are making a stop-gap appointment ahead of Jurgen Klopp potentially coming on the market in 2025.
Having left Liverpool, Klopp is set to take a year off before returning to the game, and it’s highly likely that Bayern Munich will be high on his list of potential next destinations.
Hiring a stop-gap manager ahead of their main target becoming available the following year is a tactic that Bayern have used before, snapping up Pep Guardiola after his year-long hiatus from the game back in 2013.
Don’t be surprised if they’re doing something similar right now.
- Style of play
Burnley were an utter travesty in the Premier League. Their 24 points, 24 defeats and just five wins all season attests to that.
However, back in the Championship, under Kompany they played arguably the best football we’ve ever seen in the English second division. Their 101 points, 87 goals and 29 wins attest to this.
With the most talented group of players in the division, Kompany’s dynamic 4-3-3 formation was incredibly effective in allowing his team to retain control of the tempo of games and create boatloads of chances too.
It didn’t work without the best players in the division last season, sure, but with a squad as talented as Bayern’s it could be very effective once again.
- Winning pedigree
No, not as a manager.
Obviously not as a manger.
As a player though, Kompany was a bonafide, undeniable, winner.
The legendary defender won four Premier League titles, four EFL Cups and two FA Cups during his time at Manchester City, and that winning experience, while not as a manager, is still a valuable commodity in the game.
If he can bring that winning mentality to Bayern next season as the club’s new manager, he might surprise some people..
What we know
- Kompany now favourite to take over at Allianz Arena
- The Belgian’s prospective appointment has stunned fans of Bayern
- Burnley promoted under Kompany’s leadership but promptly relegated from Premier League.