According to reports, Bayern Munich executive Max Eberl spearheaded the move to hire Vincent Kompany, so naturally, during the coach’s introductory press conference, Eberl took some time to talk about why the coach was such a strong candidate for such a high-profile job.
“Vincent’s two years at Anderlecht were exceptional, he coached the youngest team in Europe there. Then he decided to move to England. They were promoted to the Premier League with a record 101 points and impressive football. That’s why he’s been on my and Christoph’s list for a long time. In terms of experience, we’re now going down the path together with him. We had a long decision-making process when looking for a coach and I can say: you save the best for last,” said Eberl (as captured by @iMiaSanMia). “He has everything except the experience of having managed at the highest level as a coach. His style of football and the way he implements his ideas suits Bayern. We want to be active on the pitch, with and against the ball. After the discussions with Vincent, Christoph and I were annoyed that we didn’t have these discussions six weeks ago. Then you [media] wouldn’t have had anything left to write about. In my opinion we’ve found the right coach for FC Bayern in the next years”
Eberl thinks that Kompany’s style of football is a perfect fit in Bavaria.
“As FC Bayern, we want to be dominant and aggressive. The trend in modern football is that you have to have many facets to your game. What do you need to be successful? We want a coach who is prepared to bring new things to the pitch. We’ve found the right coach for FC Bayern,” said Eberl. “I’m very happy that things have worked out with Vincent. We’ve found one of the most interesting coaches in Europe. He’s a very young coach. We immediately noticed that we had the same ideas about the game, about the next steps that we have to take. We’re looking forward to new energy, new power and hopefully new success.”
That success will probably require some movement on the roster and Eberl noted that Kompany will be involved in the squad planning.
“Vinnie is involved in squad planning. We have spoken intensively about the squad and players. Christoph and I have not only pushed ahead with the search for a coach, but also with squad planning. We are further ahead people might think. Radical change? What’s a radical change? There are no lists of players we want to cut. But there are players who will have a harder time in the future – that’s only fair. We’ve already taken some steps in squad planning,” said Eberl.
More than anything, Eberl just wants some stability at the coaching position and he thinks Kompany can provide that.
“We have recently had a lot of fluctuation in the coaching position. We want that to change, the coach is a very important person in the club. We have a great opportunity to become a unit again,” Eberl noted. “Now we have a young coach who has been a coach for four years. He has a strong personality, which impressed us. We want to stand together. We will go through everything together and want to work together for a long time.”
The time they are a changin’ at Bayern Munich. Vincent Kompany looks like he is taking over in Bavaria, while the club’s former favorite son — Hansi Flick — is heading to FC Barcelona. Which one will make out better with their new club? We’ll find out, but in the meantime, there could also be some Bayern players who are on Flick’s transfer radar, too. basically, we’ve got a lot to talk about with all of that, plus some appreciation for Bayer Leverkusen’s incredible season. You can check all of that out on the Bavarians Podcast Works Show, which is available on Spotify or below: