How Kompany turned Bayern into a formidable force

Although these two events may seem unrelated, Bayern is the only team in Europe with no defeat in the top five leagues. With only four goals conceded, they have a 100% start in the Bundesliga. Nine wins out of nine games have been won.

Looking back at the previous three seasons, one might say that the Bundesliga doesn’t pose a threat to Bayern, but when Borussia Dortmund and Bayer Leverkusen were in opposition, to the point where they won the title in the final minutes of the 2022-23 season and lost it to Leverkusen a year later.

The reason Bayern’s coaching office appeared to have a sliding door for some time. The current manager, Vincent Kompany, extended his contract until 2029 two weeks ago, making him the first Bayern boss since Louis van Gaal did so in 2010.

Before Kompany’s arrival, the managerial position had been lacking in continuity and length. And the Belgian undoubtedly appeared to be a likely replacement for bringing back the emotion.

Bayern’s higher-ups and fans, who have the aspiration that their team belongs among the best in the world, were disappointed by their continued success winning championships under Julian Nagelsmann, Thomas Tuchel, and others.

Kompany’s selection of the starting lineup for Bayern’s victory over Leverkusen was frightful. Lennart Karl, a 17-year-old attacking midfielder with an incredible left foot, was one of his bench players who was used to help him choose his best players, rather than Harry Kane and others.

As their team-mates defeated Leverkusen’s defense, Kane, Olise, and Diaz watched from the sidelines. At half-time, Bayern really took their foot off the gas before leading 3-0.

After the departures of Florian Wirtz, Jeremie Frimpong, and Granit Xhaka, Leverkusen still needs to rebuild their team, despite the fact that they only recently fired manager Erik ten Hag. No one expected such a level of dominance in the game, despite this.

Bayern have already defeated their top three rivals, Dortmund and RB Leipzig, with their victory over Leverkusen.

Although Leipzig has only lost by five points to Bayern on the first matchday, Kompany’s side may concentrate a little more on the challenges that lie ahead in the Champions League.

At the end of his career, Manchester City legend Kompany spent three seasons under Pep Guardiola. And Guardiola can be seen clearly in how the former centre-back and his assistants approach ball possession and how they arrange attacking plays. The key to allowing the ball to move almost effortlessly is through strategic play and the formation’s rotation.

Kompany had already attempted to introduce positional patterns by requiring players to occupy specific zones or lanes, but this year, players rotate from zone to zone more frequently, making it more difficult for defenses to cover without creating any gaps in the penalty area.

When it comes to Bayern’s offensive strategy, this is not entirely unheard of. After his arrival in 2013, Guardiola himself adopted similar patterns, but despite making real progress, he was unable to make the Champions League final. Joshua Kimmich, one of the most promising German players at the time, was added to Guardiola’s three-year contract at the time.

Kimmich may have an explanation for why Bayern now appears even more fearsome than it did then because he is still with them.

“It was incredible individual quality when I first started ten years ago. He said on Saturday, “We had 23, 24, 25, world-class players.”

Regardless of success, Kane in particular embodies a form of humility.

The England captain has already scored 22 goals in 15 games for the club this season, making no display of arrogance. He is the top scorer in the Bundesliga.

Kane has attempted 30 shots this season in the Bundesliga, which is the division’s highest total with Diaz.

During the summer, reports about Bayern’s internal turmoil emerged, with Max Eberl, the club’s transfer manager, at the forefront. All the noise vanished once the season began and the team started to perform at such a high level under the direction of a responsible manager.

Bayern’s chances of losing the Champions League are uncertain, with some possibilities coming up on Tuesday.