One of the big questions surrounding Vincent Kompany and how he would handle his high-profile move from Burnley to Bayern Munich was whether or not he was poised to handle the personalities and egos within the Bayern Munich locker room.
The Athletic recently told this tale of Kompany’s work at Burnley:
During a Burnley training session last season, Vincent Kompany was not happy and did not hide it. Baring the brunt of his frustrations was experienced midfielder Johann Berg Gudmundsson.
If you haven’t seen the clip, it is from the second season of Burnley’s behind-the-scenes documentary, Mission to Burnley. It shows Kompany shouting at Gudmundsson, claiming the player was moaning and had poor body language. Some of Burnley’s other senior players stepped in to try and cool the situation.
The clip generated debate on social media, mostly painting Kompany in a negative light for airing his frustrations in the way he did. The clip also offered insight into how Kompany as a coach operates and raised questions about whether the same approach would work or be used at German side Bayern Munich, where he was appointed head coach this summer.
The clip of Kompany and Gudmundsson can he seen here. Most interesting, Kompany did not tolerate griping at Burnley or Anderlecht. Will he be able to handle things the same way at Bayern Munich? Maybe:
Still, Kompany gives short shrift to players’ complaints he deems unnecessary or to those who moan or sulk. He places a huge emphasis on training, wanting players to prove they deserve to play. He is also intense, and that intensity wore some of his players down as the season went on during the second campaign at Burnley.
Morale was low following a terrible start to the campaign. Some senior players had been irked by the treatment of team-mates who had been crucial to the promotion campaign but had been pushed to the fringes, replaced by new signings. There was a perception among some that Kompany was displaying tactical naivety, inexperience and a stubbornness to adapt his principles.
The Belgian had the keys to the club. He was involved in every aspect on and off the field. He had a power and an aura that commanded respect. When he walked into a room, people listened. When everything was going well, it ran smoothly. When things turned sour last season, his influence rubbed some people the wrong way and not everybody was sad to see him depart.
As for what happened with Gudmundsson, he was slated to leave Burnley — until he found out Kompany left for Bayern Munich. Only then, did the Icelander re-up with the English side:
Gudmundsson left Burnley at the end of last season, his departure announced before Kompany left to join Bayern. The midfielder has since re-signed for Burnley under new manager Scott Parker.
Finally, Kompany is said to want to build relationship with players and have open lines of communication — something Hansi Flick did with aplomb during his time in Bavaria:
Kompany takes a keen interest in getting to know every player and how they operate to learn how to get the best out of them. He will be honest with players about their situation in the squad — but he is not always the most personable manager. He will generally defend his players in public but privately he was not known for explaining selection decisions or taking time to tell individual players why they are not in the team.
Now, the squad Kompany has at Bayern Munich features some of the best players in the world with greater accomplishments and bigger egos. Kompany’s task during pre-season has been to command the same respect from a powerful dressing room. Those who have seen the clip wonder whether Kompany would take the same approach if it were Harry Kane or Leroy Sane. But his mentality seems to indicate there would be no difference.
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