Calm Kompany helps Bayern prosper as Kane and Olise shine

Bayern Munich coach Vincent Kompany gives tactical instructions to his players from the touchline during the German Bundesliga soccer match between Bayern Munich and VfB Stuttgart at the Allianz Arena. Tom Weller/dpa Vincent Kompany was nowhere near Bayern Munich's first choice after Thomas Tuchel's fractious exit in 2024. But the Belgian coach has won two Bundesliga titles in two seasons since then and is bound to be linked with former club Manchester City if media speculation about Pep Guardiola moving on proves true.

It is quite a turnaround for the former Anderlecht boss, who was ridiculed in some quarters for getting the Bayern job having just been relegated from the Premier League with Burnley. Several big names turned Bayern down but new head of sport Max Eberl believed Kompany's tutelage under Guardiola as a player at City, plus his commitment to his attacking values at Burnley despite adversity, made him a candidate for success. Judging by this season, Eberl and other club bosses has been emphatically vindicated.

"This coach makes every player better," honorary president Uli Hoeness told podcast Auf eine weiss-blaue Tasse. "And I’ve never seen him conduct a press conference where he said 'I need a left back, I need a right back,' as was the case under Tuchel. " Just one defeat in the league this term - at home to fellow Bavarians Augsburg in January - was very much an exception in terms of performance, with the Munich side otherwise giving everything until the final whistle in other games.

A case in point was the 3-2 win at Freiburg earlier this month when youngsters Tom Bischof and Lennart Karl netted in stoppage time to turn defeat into victory. Kompany's management of the young pair has been widely praised. They have both contributed more than expected, with midfielder Bischof converted to a left back and 18-year-old Karl showing real maturity.