The inside story of how Vincent Kompany became the hottest coach in Europe at Bayern Munich: A ‘brutal truth’, set-piece obsession and making Harry Kane better than ever

He nonetheless trains with the lads, Vincent Kompany. Not as typically lately as a result of Bayern Munich’s classes are just a little intense and he retains struggling accidents throughout them however the legendary centre half can nonetheless combine it within the rondos.

That gusto virtually value him final summer time. Bayern’s squad had been boarding their aircraft for the Membership World Cup because the supervisor was nonetheless having scans to establish whether or not or not he may truly fly after feeling one thing in coaching. Luckily he was handed nearly match sufficient.

‘It’s one of many causes I ended my profession and I get reminded of it now and again after I push myself too laborious,’ he tells Day by day Mail Sport.

‘It’s generally good to be in the course of them, it takes down the barrier – once they’re enjoying and see that the coach makes errors as nicely, loses the ball. Typically, so long as I’m in a position to do it, it’s not dangerous. However because it will get colder, there may be even much less probability that I do it!’

It was nicely beneath sub-zero in Munich final weekend and this Bundesliga defence is ice chilly – Bayern are Europe’s solely unbeaten aspect, with 10 wins from 11 – and Freiburg had been hammered after having the temerity to take a two-goal lead. There have been 5 completely different goalscorers within the 6-2 win, Michael Olise shining vivid and a 17-year-old attacker named Lennart Karl already being likened to Lionel Messi.

On solely his third league begin, Karl – who’s represented by Michael Ballack – ran the sport from pockets of house after which expertly dodged the questions round comparisons together with his idol when requested in entrance of the TV cameras in a while.

Kompany led Bayern to the Bundesliga title in his debut season and they’re Europe’s solely unbeaten aspect this marketing campaign as they put together to journey to Arsenal on Wednesday night time

Lennart Karl, 17, is among the greatest skills round – and has been likened to his idol Lionel Messi

It is a juggernaut rolling in to north London this week for most likely essentially the most eye-catching sport within the Champions League league part to date. The miserly Arsenal, starting to search out actual fluidity going ahead too, towards a workforce that has 62 targets in 17 matches in all competitions – not far off 4 per sport. Kompany, fairly astonishingly, appears set to turn out to be the primary Bayern coach since Pep Guardiola a decade in the past to final two full seasons in cost.

They’re the workforce to observe on the continent this season, free-flowing attacking that permits Harry Kane to drop wherever he likes – typically as a part of the again 4 towards midtable Freiburg – and a freestyling and virtually road angle across the last third that leans into their high quality.

It’s fairly a sight to witness and proof that Bayern had been proper to take a bet on a younger supervisor who had simply suffered relegation with Burnley final yr. Different choices did not materialise and Kompany has grasped the chance.

Director of sport Max Eberl had been monitoring Kompany for 12 months, glued to the Premier League marketing campaign and frequently in search of counsel from gamers who had labored with him. Three telephone conversations, every lasting hours, satisfied Eberl to journey to Manchester within the hope of sealing a deal.

Honorary president Uli Hoeness advised him to not go away Kompany’s home till it was accomplished and after six hours in his firm, the ex-Belgium captain saying he’d speak issues over together with his household, Eberl lay on his couch. Eberl confessed to a confused Kompany: ‘Uli stated I can not go away till you’ve got stated sure.’

‘He stored his type within the Premier League after the Championship (promotion),’ Eberl tells Day by day Mail Sport. ‘Folks say it’s a detrimental level as a result of he didn’t change however for me it’s an excellent factor to maintain to your philosophy. However you want the gamers for this. With Burnley within the Premier League it was tough. The yr I adopted him gave us an excellent feeling with the standard of gamers we now have.

‘I talked to him and stated, “I do know you and I do know the membership”. I attempted to persuade him that it could possibly be an ideal probability for him. It’s just a little bit dangerous for us however we had been satisfied. My feeling stored rising that he’s the suitable kind for a membership like Bayern, with so many politics and rumours round. His behaviour helps us so much. For me he’s a prime coach and a prime human being. As a mixture that could be very uncommon – and I do know numerous coaches!’

What Eberl is saying there may be that the lengthy hangover from Bayern’s FC Hollywood days – the age of movie star and media bravado, Thomas Tuchel frequently outspoken, would you imagine – nonetheless lingers and Kompany, straight as a die, cuts via that.

Bayern had been wowed by Kompany regardless of struggling relegation from the Premier League in 2024

The Belgian caught to his ideas of attacking soccer that had led the Clarets to the Championship title the yr earlier than

‘There is no such thing as a BS with him,’ Kane tells Day by day Mail Sport. ‘Loads of footballers, and other people typically, respect that.’

Whether or not Kompany – bouncing and bounding up the Allianz Enviornment touchline on Saturday – required any convincing is up for some debate, given the unshakeable perception in his personal potential.

But he was shocked to obtain the decision, whereas his predecessor at Turf Moor, Sean Dyche, has since stated sarcastically: ‘I don’t understand how that works. I want I might have left the membership £127million in debt after which obtained the Bayern job. Anyway, there’s an attention-grabbing twist of life.’ That was on talkSPORT and he rowed again barely on it throughout a subsequent gig with The Overlap.

The Clarets had been crestfallen on the time, chairman Alan Tempo in tears, whereas squeezing what they may out of Bayern. The compensation bundle finally hit £10.2million and a few of that was for the little-known Rodyse Munienge, who by no means had a job title.

Burnley knew Kompany wasn’t leaving with out Munienge – somebody who had at all times been by his aspect, via his enjoying profession as nicely, whereas working a bodyguard service that additionally specialised in covert surveillance – and are understood to have netted a six-figure compensation.

‘A genius appointment,’ one supply says. Munienge – ‘Huge Ro’ – has flown drones at coaching, additionally delighting superstars when sticking pictures ‘prime bins’ on the finish of classes, and his main perform is to advertise concord.

He does so with talent and ease. The gamers love him – and so do the German public, consumed by his Instagram output. Naturally, he acts as Kompany’s eyes and ears.

Munienge went to high school with Kompany in Brussels and so did first-teach coach Floribert N’Galula, who additionally got here via Anderlecht’s academy and joined Manchester United at 16. Kompany’s lifelong buddies are the great cop to his dangerous – and documentary cameras at Burnley caught how aggressive the supervisor might be together with his squad.

Harry Kane says he’s having fun with soccer greater than at some other level in his profession, beneath Kompany

Bayern had been clearly proper to take a bet on a younger supervisor who had simply suffered relegation with Burnley

N’Galula is a tactical sounding board, not afraid to name his boss out, and can quietly reinforce messages with gamers on a person foundation. ‘When you’re not enjoying and knock on Vincent’s door, anticipate the brutal fact,’ a supply says.

As Eberl alluded to, the match does really feel good. Kompany watched Bayern’s girls beat Arsenal earlier this month and sat courtside on the basketball towards Barcelona. He’s been to the ice hockey, too. He throws himself into jobs and that’s the reason his exit was finally so painful for Burnley.

They knew Kompany’s aura and conviction. Some who’ve noticed him at shut quarters in Munich examine him to Xabi Alonso at Bayer Leverkusen in that sense. Each are commanding presences in public, Kompany comfy and cracking clever together with his sporting director Christoph Freund throughout Friday’s media duties.

His German is great – he spent two years at Hamburg earlier than becoming a member of Metropolis in 2008 – though he reverts again to English when discussing extra exact tactical particulars. These have elevated Kane to a unique degree. Or so says Kane himself.

‘I feel that is essentially the most I’ve been having fun with my soccer as a result of I’m concerned extra,’ the England captain provides.

‘He’s positively improved me. I really like tackling, serving to the workforce, blocking pictures. I’ll be judged on targets however I feel this season persons are appreciating among the different stuff I do as nicely.’

Given the hassle Kompany calls for of his No 9 (central attackers frequently drop into central midfield, with the wingers excessive and vast), is that this the fittest he’s felt? ‘You would say that,’ he says.

‘The way in which we play, man-for-man, clearly makes me do this. At Tottenham, with (Antonio) Conte, we ran! That was a reasonably robust time, a troublesome pre-season! I really feel like I’m affecting the sport with and with out the ball rather more than I ever have in earlier years.’

‘He’s positively improved me. I really like tackling, serving to the workforce, blocking pictures. I’ll be judged on targets however this season persons are appreciating among the different stuff I do as nicely,’ says Kane

In addition to their home dominance, Bayern pulled off a superb 2-1 win with 10 males at Champions League holders Paris Saint-Germain earlier this month

And Kompany (left) is again in England this week to face his fellow Pep Guardiola protege Mikel Arteta (proper) and Arsenal

Kane has mentioned Kompany eager to fine-tune his physique form, to make him smoother on the flip. And Dayot Upamecano – scorer on Saturday from a set-piece devised by assistant coach Aaron Danks, who realized beneath Kompany at Anderlecht after which Dean Smith, Steven Gerrard and Michael Carrick at Aston Villa and Middlesbrough – has revealed an obsession with positioning and how you can method balls.

Video evaluation can take as much as 40 minutes and Kompany is specific. It sounds just a little like one in all his previous bosses, who might have lifted a couple of league titles. If the hours of video evaluation sound a contact dry then the tip product actually isn’t. Hoeness took Kompany out for dinner lately and advised him as a lot.

‘Earlier than, you’d hope the sport would finish quickly within the eightieth minute,’ Hoeness says.

‘Now, within the eightieth minute, you are saying: “I hope they preserve enjoying for a very long time, as a result of it is a lot enjoyable!” The gamers are having enjoyable. And we within the stands are having enjoyable too.’