New Bayern Munich manager Vincent Kompany outlined his expectations for the Bundesliga side on Thursday, saying he will demand absolute aggression and bravery from his players.
Kompany has signed a deal to coach Bayern until 2027 after he parted ways with Burnley following their relegation from the Premier League.
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Bayern, Bundesliga champions in the previous 11 seasons, finished third this term behind Bayer Leverkusen and VfB Stuttgart.
They also failed to win domestic or European silverware for the first time in more than a decade, leading to the departure of coach Thomas Tuchel, which was announced in February.
“For my side it is simple. What you coach is who you are as a person,” Kompany told a news conference on Thursday.
“My personality is I grew up on the streets of Brussels, I was in the academy of Anderlecht where from the age of six to 20 you have to win everything.”
The arrival of Kompany, who has Bundesliga experience having played for Hamburg SV and speaks German, ended a months-long search for the Tuchel’s successor.
Several candidates decided to remain in their current jobs, including Leverkusen’s Xabi Alonso, former coach Julian Nagelsmann and Austria coach Ralf Rangnick.
“I want the players of Bayern to be really brave on the ball, to have personality. I want the team to be aggressive, to represent those two things,” Kompany said.
“Absolutely brave when they have the ball and make a decision and absolutely aggressive, something they carry every minute of the game. Always.
Kompany also hinted he had interest from other clubs besides Bayern.
“You assume that it [Bayern Munich] was the only club that called. You assume that it was the only interest I had. And you only assume that because i’m very private… so by that time I was not surprised. Maybe by the first phone call it wasn’t Bayern Munich,” Kompany said.
“My point as well is I live my job honestly too intense to speculate too much or make any distinctions whatsoever. The opportunity was there to work with great people, that why I signed.”
In his short managerial career, Kompany, who played 360 matches for Manchester City and won four Premier League titles, has garnered a reputation for playing free-flowing and possession-based football.
He began his coaching career at Belgian club Anderlecht before joining Burnley in 2022, where his approach worked well in the second-tier Championship as they secured promotion with seven games to spare.
However, Burnley’s insistence on sticking to that style against teams of a higher calibre in the Premier League meant they found it hard going in the top flight and were relegated after finishing 19th with 24 points and only five wins all season.
