Old skool.
It has been said a lot, but Vincent Kompany has been an easy fit at Bayern Munich.
The former Manchester City player and Belgian international has taken to Bavaria like a fish to water. Despite not being one of the hottest names on the coaching market at the time, his appointment in retrospect looks like an obvious pairing.
And that is no accident.
“When I became head coach in Munich, it was something very familiar to me,” Kompany said in comments captured by FIFA.com earlier this year (via @iMiaSanMia). “I didn’t come into an environment where I felt like a stranger, but one where I had grown up and whose challenges I understood. Although it’s an international club and really very advanced in terms of branding and commercialization, FC Bayern remains a very, very traditional club. I think that’s what makes the club so special. They have clear values and are very committed to them.”
It isn’t just the culture off the field but also the style on it that suits Kompany so well.
“What I like, not only as coach of Bayern Munich, but what I have also experienced as an opponent, is when you are a visiting team facing the great Bayern teams of the past, you can’t get any space to breathe,” Kompany continued. “I’m not saying that we [already] are, but that has to be our goal.”
A Bundesliga title in convincing fashion, and a Champions League quarterfinals appearance. There’s room for improvement but the Kompany era is looking to be on solid ground.
