Vincent Kompany has claimed that he would never “compare” himself to one Manchester City legend in particular.
As far as City legends go, Vincent Kompany is up there with the biggest and best ones.
Some would argue that as far as icons go at the club, not many can be put on the same pedestal as the newly-appointed Bayern Munich boss.
Kompany says he would never “compare” himself to Man City great
However, with the Belgian having watched Pep Guardiola coach his former Manchester City side and becoming a manager himself, it is natural that he was compared to the decorated tactician.
At the Allianz Arena, the expectation will be for Kompany to bring similar footballing principles to Guardiola on the pitch.
Especially considering Karl-Heinz Rummenigge revealed that the Catalan “recommended” the Bavarian juggernaut to take a punt on the Uccle-born tactician.
But Vincent Kompany has stated that as a manager, he would never compare himself to Pep Guardiola.
As per the club’s official website, Kompany said in his first press conference as Bayern boss: “I’ve played at the highest level in my career and I want to pass that on to my players. I would never compare myself to Pep Guardiola. He was very important in my career.”
“I’ve also recently spoken to Karl-Heinz Rummenigge and Uli Hoeneß and they also stand behind me. But I don’t want everyone to only be convinced of me beforehand but also of my work on the pitch during my time here.”
Kompany made the right decision with Guardiola admission
In our view, Vincent Kompany made the right decision as Bayern manager to state that he cannot be compared to Pep Guardiola.
It would be unfair to Kompany, the German giants and their fanbase to expect him to be a reincarnation of the £378,846-a-week — arguably the most influential manager in the history of the game.
As the former Burnley boss emphasised, he has to prove himself to be a top manager at the Allianz Arena instead.
Having played under Guardiola, the 38-year-old has an advantage over most young managers in knowing how he sets his team up and how he manages big personalities.
But implementing such ideals is a completely different challenge, especially at a club of Bayern’s stature.
Vincent Kompany is informing the Allianz Arena faithful not to view him as the second coming of Pep Guardiola and instead as a manager with no shortage of ideas and a point to prove; smartly managing expectations.