Bayern are flying high under Vincent Kompany – but the real tests are just about to start

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Bayern vs Leverkusen 

The managerial merry-go-round that engulfs all of Europe’s top leagues often means that very little can surprise modern football fans, but even the most well-versed even struggled not to raise an eyebrow when Vincent Kompany was appointed Bayern Munich’s new head coach back in July. After initially winning promotion to the Premier League with Burnley, the former Belgium international had then proceeded to pick up just 24 points from 38 league games and saw the club bounce straight back down to the Championship. As such, many questioned whether the inexperienced manager was ready to take on the task of guiding one of Europe’s biggest clubs back to the top. 

Despite all that, Kompany has started the new chapter of his managerial career as well as could possibly have been expected. After winning his first competitive game comfortably with a 4-0 win over Ulm in the German Cup, Kompany has overseen a stellar start to the Bundesliga that has seen Bayern win each of their four games, along with a stand-out performance in the Champions League which saw the German giants beat Dinamo Zagreb 9-2. The Munich side certainly seem to have their mojo back under the new head coach and are already well placed to wrestle the league title off any that oppose them. So how has Kompany managed to turn things around so quickly at Bayern?

Kane & Co. firing on all cylinders

The short answer to that question is: goals. In the club’s first six games of the season, Kompany’s team have scored no less than 29 goals and seem quite content with using their in-form attacking line as the best type of defence. At the weekend the Bavarian giants thumped Werder Bremen 5-0, in a game that not only saw Bayern play the entire game in the opposing half but even limited their opponents to not a single shot towards goal. Indeed, after six games Kompany’s team have conceded just five goals in all competitions and have most notably managed to avoid dropping a single point. And that’s undoubtedly down to Kompany getting the best out of his attacking players. 

So far this season Harry Kane has bagged an incredible 10 goals and five assists in just six games, while Michael Olise (goals and three assists), Jamal Musiala (three goals and three assists), Thomas Müller (three goals and two assists) and Serge Gnabry (two goals and three assists) have all looked back to their very best playing as the impressive supporting cast to the England international. In a somewhat ironic way, the former central defender turned head coach seems to have focused entirely on getting Bayern back to scoring goals for fun and through that prolific form in front of goal the Munich side have raced to the top of the Bundesliga table. 

The real test is yet to come 

However, while Kompany may be enjoying a fantastic start at Bayern, the former Manchester City star will know that the real test for him and his side has yet to come. For all of Bayern’s success in front of goal, they’ve yet to face a team that finished in the top half of the Bundesliga last season. But that will all change on Saturday, when they welcome Xabi Alonso’s defending champions, Bayer Leverkusen, to the Allianz Arena. Although Leverkusen have already dropped points in the league this season, Alonso’s side look equally prolific in front of goal having scored 13 goals in their first four league games. And Kompany, who won four league titles in England, will know tha to win the Bundesliga this season, his side will need to prove that they’re good enough to beat the best teams in the league in these tantalising one-on-one showdowns. 

And Saturday’s clash won’t be Kompany’s only test as Bayern head coach. Following that, the German giants then make the trip to England to take on high-flying Aston Villa, before back-to-back clashes against top-four opponents Eintracht Frankfurt and Stuttgart – two clubs that Bayern have managed to beat just three times in their last 10 games against both opponents. And as if that wasn’t challenging enough, Kompany then has to take his team to Spain to face Barcelona, who are managed by the last head coach to win a Champions League title with Bayern. Each and every one of these games will mean more to Bayern fans than the last six combined as they look to see how Kompany and his new-look team do. It’s one thing to score goals and hoover up the points against lesser teams, but it’s another thing entirely if the goals dry up when the pressure is on and the opponent is just as determined to win games. Is Kompany really the right man to guide Bayern back to success? We’ll almost certainly know for sure after the next five games.