“Don’t believe the hype, don’t believe the drama” was a much-needed mantra for FC Hollywood.
In recent years, the coaching carousel at Bayern Munich has made the job less attractive despite the appeal of a world class squad. Hansi Flick won the sextuple then dipped out because of issues with management. Julian Naglesmann had Bayern firing on all cylinders before he was released on his skiing vacation. Thomas Tuchel has never met a footballer where he couldn’t find a common source of friction.
After reports of locker room issues with each coaching spell, Vincent Kompany learned from their experience and executed a new strategy to unify the team (via @iMiaSanMia):
Unlike his predecessors, Vincent Kompany made sure not to humiliate his players in front of the entire group. He offers harsh criticism only in individual conversations. Kompany even cited examples of how coaches from other teams made public statements to denigrate their own team, thereby jeopardizing the team spirit. “That must never happen to us”, the coach said. That’s how the Belgian managed to keep the group together despite some setbacks this season. He made sure that things stayed calm within the club and had the dressing room behind him.
Kompany had ample opportunities to publicly criticize players after mistakes but always went the other direction and immediately applauded or backed the player for fighting through adversity and injuries.
