by Oliver Trust

BERLIN, Oct. 18 (Xinhua) -- Over the past few days, Vincent Kompany has received a conspicuous amount of praise from Bayern Munich's decision-makers.

Ahead of the 2024/25 season's first significant stress test, a Bundesliga game against Stuttgart and a UEFA Champions League duel against Barcelona, board member Uli Hoeness called the 38-year-old Belgian a stroke of luck.

Former CEO Karl-Heinz Rummenigge is reported to have about a two-hour phone conversation with Manchester City coach Pep Guardiola, who concluded Kompany is a perfect match as Bayern's new coach.

These good words might compensate some critics in the wake of three winless games, with Bayern suffering in defence thanks to Kompany's risky game style.

Hoeness and Rummenigge encourage Kompany to continue as "Bayern stands for titles and success but as well as for entertainment. The style of football is vital for the club's reputation."

"All our coaches played a similar attacking and entertaining style, the players loved it while they headed for success," Rummenigge claimed, also regarding Kompany following in his predecessors' footsteps as "he is coming along with the same DNA."

Kompany is confident things will turn for the better and announced to stick to the game-dominating approach.

While two draws against Bayer Leverkusen and Eintracht Frankfurt, and a 1-0 defeat against Aston Villa, caused slight unrest, upcoming games against Stuttgart and Barcelona have turned into a serious test run as Bayern face the challenge to close spaces behind their back line.

"We have created more chances than our opponents. It's a waste to change things because of two results. I say results, not the performance," said Kompany.

With his side creating 19.1 chances on average per league game, compared to only 5.1 allowed for their opponents, the Bayern coach sees his team on the right track.

"We will win games, I am convinced, the team is convinced," he added.

Stats back Kompany's attitude, as Bayern saw goals for and against 9-3 in the Champions League and 20-7 in the Bundesliga, with midfielders Joshua Kimmich and Aleksandar Pavlovic turning into a driving source for their offensive style. Enditem

Related

Go to Forum >>0 Comment(s)