After all the fuss made over former Bayern Munich manager Julian Nagelsmann’s young age relative to the squad, there has been less talk about Vincent Kompany’s age, even though captain Manuel Neuer is a month older than the 38-year-old Belgian coach and the likes of Thomas Müller are just a few years behind. How is it like telling players like this what to do on the playing field?
When asked about working with Neuer and Müller, as captured by @iMiaSanMia, instead of talking about their age, Kompany chose to highlight that all three of them, along with the entire squad, share the same goal. They want to improve: “I have very clear ideas of what I and we as a team want to achieve. These players, not just Manuel and Thomas, are used to working with coaches with high expectations. Even when you’re already a legend, you always want to improve. That’s the mindset of a legend. So it’s a lot more easier to work with players of that calibre and that experience.”
That is really all there is to it. Every player wants to improve. If Kompany can prove that he has the ability to help them do that, they will throw their support behind him, regardless of his age. That includes even legends of the game such as Manuel Neuer and Thomas Müller.
Looking for more thoughts and analysis on Bayern Munich’s final list of players, who are up for sale? What about some insight on why Xavi Simons opted for RB Leipzig over Bayern and why Joshua Kimmich will use this season to gauge what the next move will be for his future? Good, then we have you covered with the latest edition of our Bavarian Podcast Works — Weekend Warm-up Show. You can get the podcast on Patreon, Spotify, or below: