How will Bayern Munich line up under Vincent Kompany?
Bayern Munich have appointed Vincent Kompany as their new head coach and reinvigorated their squad with the signings of João Palhinha, Michael Olise and Hiroki Ito. How will the Bundesliga's deposed champions line up under the Manchester City legend?
Bayern parted ways with Thomas Tuchel at the end of last term, with Kompany arriving in his stead from his most recent role with Burnley.
The Clarets may have been relegated from the Premier League in the season just gone, but Kompany won plaudits for how he got them promoted from the Championship in the previous campaign, and the Belgian former Hamburg centre-back also has the German language in his locker.
Bayern aren't used to being denied the Bundesliga title - they had won the last 11 before Bayer Leverkusen swept them away - and this summer has provided a period of reflection and rebuilding in Munich.
How Kompany sets up his team next term will be key to them bouncing back. bundesliga.com takes a closer look at how he might do so…
The first place to look might be the players Kompany now has at his disposal - and his squad in Munich is one of the most talented in the world, third-place finish last season or not.
Tuchel invariably lined his side up in a 4-2-3-1 formation with Harry Kane at its point. The England captain quickly made good on his club record transfer from Tottenham Hotspur, and ended the season with a league-high 36 goals to his name, adding another eight on Bayern's run to the UEFA Champions League semi-finals.
Behind him, Leroy Sané, Jamal Musiala and Thomas Müller were the most-used players in the final third, and enjoyed 23, 20 and 19 direct goal involvements across all competitions, respectively.
Watch: All 36 of Harry Kane's Bundesliga goals
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Repeated injuries to Serge Gnabry and Kingsley Coman were frustrating, but the emergence of Mathys Tel was a positive, the French youngster proving his super-sub credentials with six of his 10 goals coming off the bench.
Tuchel can leave claiming he gave youth a chance. As well as the 19-year-old Tel, Aleksandar Pavlović, who turned 20 in May, became a mainstay of his midfield, to the point that Joshua Kimmich was repurposed as a right-back midway through the campaign.
At centre-back was where Tuchel seemed least sure of his team, with Kim Min-jae, Dayot Upamecano, Matthijs de Ligt and Eric Dier all passing double digits for starts in the Bundesliga. Kompany, a former centre-back himself, might be expected to settle on his favoured partnership more quickly, though De Ligt has left the club - alongside full-back Noussair Mazraoui - for Manchester United.
Kompany mostly played a 4-4-2 with Burnley last season, a formation he switched to full time in November following a 2-1 loss to Bournemouth. The Turf Moor outfit may have ultimately gone down, but after the change they held Manchester United and Chelsea, and beat Sheffield United 5-0 and 4-1.
Kompany wasn't helped by a mass exodus last summer. Burnley gained Premier League promotion with seven games left to play - a Championship record - but key players subsequently left: 17-goal top scorer Nathan Tella is now a Bundesliga champion with Leverkusen; Ian Maatsen played in a Champions League final with Borussia Dortmund.
Nonetheless, there are clear patterns across the two seasons. Kompany prefers a possession-based, attacking style of play. A centre-back at City for 11 years which took in 12 major honours, he clearly has a preference for a partnership in central defence - no back threes to be seen here.
What goes on up ahead might be more prone to variation. At Bayern he can be active rather than reactive in his approach. But inverted wingers Wilson Odobert and Jóhann Guðmundsson offer a clue, as do attacking full-backs Charlie Taylor and Vitinho.
Zeki Amdouni and Lyle Foster was a strike partnership which returned just 10 Premier League goals, but they were given all season to work on their understanding…
So, what might that mean for Kompany's Bayern?
He might revert to a 4-2-3-1 - the players are certainly used to it at the Allianz Arena - but Bayern also certainly have the personnel to populate a 4-4-2 in a way that would terrify almost any opponent.
Robert Lewandowski scored many of his 344 Bayern goals before leaving for Barcelona in 2022 with Müller alongside him in attack, and Kane, who previously had a formidable partnership with Son Heung-min at Spurs, might relish playing with the Raumdeuter in closer company.
Watch: Kane under the tactical microscope
Müller and Musiala were two players into one position at times last season, with both preferring the No.10 position, but a move to a 4-4-2 could more easily accommodate both, with the right-footed Musiala cutting inside from the left flank to score or assist from a half-space inside.
The left-footed Sané can also do the same, acting as an inverted winger from the right but also wanting to spend time in a central No.10 position. He had to battle through the pain barrier at times last season, especially given Coman and Gnabry’s absences, so wasn’t always at his best.
The addition of Olise from Crystal Palace bolsters options up front, though. The 22-year-old left-footer is most at home on the right wing, cutting inside à la Arjen Robben in what could be a throwback to the Bayern heyday of a decade ago.
The most attacking full-back on Bayern's books, Alphonso Davies, would be given license to overlap down the left. There are also a good few options on the right in Sacha Boey and returning champion Josip Stanišić.
They would allow Kimmich to be restored to midfield, where he has previously made it clear he would rather play. Again, Kompany now has further possibilities here. Palhinha’s arrival is designed to plug the gap holding in front of the defence and bring stability that the team lacked for much of last season.
He can also choose from young Pavlović, the industrious Leon Goretzka or the tireless Konrad Laimer as he sees fit.
Watch: Kompany on having "the best job in the world"
And at centre-back, Kompany might see a lot of himself in Kim. Dier became first choice at the end of last season, while Upamecano has had a good run in the France defence at Euro 2024. And then there’s Hiroki Ito, a left-footed option signed off the back of a hugely impressive campaign at VfB Stuttgart.
Coaches often like a combination of left and right footers in central defence, while the Japan international is equally adept in a full-back role or even on the left of a three. With a handful of top-class centre-backs already on the books, you feel Bayern wouldn’t have moved for Ito if they didn’t intend to use him from the start.
Irrespective of Kompany’s preferred partnership, the whole thing will underpinned by club captain Manuel Neuer, for at least another season – hopefully one that is injury-free this time.
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