Why Bayern Munich Are Thriving Under Vincent Kompany
- Mik Van Well
- Feb 24
- 5 min read
Vincent Kompany earned a lot of praise as a person recently, but has also continued to thrive as the head coach of Bayern Munich. They have won the German Super Cup, ranked second in the UCL league phase and are dominating the German Bundesliga. After 23 matches, they have scored 85 goals and have a 98.8% chance of winning the title, according to Opta Analyst.
Kompany has excelled in platforming his world-class players, creating an offensive machine. However, his team has also conceded the least number of goals in the league.
Creating Space on the Wings
In Michael Olise and Luis Díaz, Kompany has access to two of the most threatening wingers in the world - they rank 1st and 2nd in chance-creating carries (Opta Analyst). To create 1v1 opportunities for his wide threats, Kompany utilizes the quality of another world-class forward: Harry Kane.
Together with his wingers, Kane forms the most productive front three in the world this season. In the Bundesliga, Kane, Olise, and Díaz are the top 3 players in goal contributions. However, Kane’s goalscoring skills have been known for a long time. This season he has also taken a step in terms of playmaking. For example, he leads all Bundesliga forwards in accurate long balls per 90.
By using the build-up structure below, Kane can drop into a deeper position, from where he can play those long balls. Additionally, by dragging his direct opponents with him, he creates space for Olise and Díaz in favourable 1v1 situations.
The threat of this build-up principle is even bigger against man-to-man pressing systems. In the example below, Bayern are building up deep inside their own half. A clear back four and double pivot are visible, whilst Kane and attacking midfielder Gnabry are still out of frame.
Kane and Gnabry then both drop into the highlighted space, dragging both of Leipzig’s central defenders with them. Gnabry receives the ball and passes to Kane, who plays a perfect through ball to his right winger, teenage sensation Lennart Karl.
When opposing defenders decide to let Kane drop deep and stay within their defensive structure, he is able to channel his inner quarterback. He possesses the passing range and accuracy to find one of his wingers in behind the defensive line, even from positions like this:
But Kane’s incredible long passing isn’t limited to situations without pressure or from clean angles. The pass below highlights the lack of limitations.
Díaz carries the ball into the box and finds Karl on the opposite side, who converts the chance.
To make matters worse for Bayern’s opponents, they have another player with passing quality similar to Kane’s: Joshua Kimmich. The German midfielder in turn leads all Bundesliga midfielders in accurate long balls and progressive passes and is also able to find his wingers with such passes.
Kompany’s structured build-up and his players’ excellent passing force opponents into a dilemma: disrupt their build-up at risk of a dangerous transition or drop into a low block and allow them to progress with ease.
Final Third Chance Creation
Olise, Díaz, but also Karl are extremely dangerous 1v1 players in transition. However Bayern’s wingers are not limited to carrying in open space.
Once inside the final third, Kompany again platforms the qualities of his players very well. Olise and Díaz lead the league in carries into the box. They consistently cut inside, creating space for a pass or shot.
If a dribble is not enough to create space for a shot, Kompany’s team always provides enough passing options in and around the box. With the exception of the two centre backs, one defensive midfielder, and the creative player in possession, every other outfield player is allowed to crash into the box.
With Olise, Kimmich, and Díaz, Bayern has the personnel to find those box crashers - they all rank within the top five players in expected assists, with Olise as the absolute positive outlier.
Defensive Solidity
Despite their tendency to commit many players offensively, Bayern have been solid defensively. They have conceded the fewest goals and the lowest xG in the Bundesliga. Moreover, most of their conceded goals have come from individual mistakes and set pieces, not necessarily tactical flaws.
To maximize 1v1 opportunities, Kompany encourages his wingers to stay wide. Consequently, Bayern’s full backs are often found in inverted positions, creating central overloads. One of the advantages of this mechanism is the central protection if possession is lost. Once that happens, the players around the ball don’t drop back into a defensive structure, but apply immediate pressure:
Even their centre backs, especially Upamecano, are not afraid to leave their position to apply pressure:
Kompany’s team follows the same principle when defending settled build-up situations (goal kicks for example). They rank second in PPDA and first in chances created from high pressing. Contrary to many teams, Bayern is not afraid to stick to their aggressive approach when defending a lead. Der Klassiker from earlier this season perfectly illustrates their fearlessness.
Dortmund have a goal kick in the 94th minute and Bayern are defending a 2-1 lead. Rather than dropping deep into a low block, inviting the opponent, Kompany’s men stick to their intense pressing. They even go one step further than man-to-man pressing and commit three of their own players to press two outfield players.
When one of Dortmund’s midfielders drops deep to receive the ball, Bayern commits a fourth player and forces a long ball.
In these situations, Kompany trusts his centre backs - especially Tah (1.95m tall, wins 68% of his aerial duels) and Kim (1.90m tall, wins 65% of his aerial duels) - to win the aerial duel and recover possession.
If opponents choose to play through the press, recoveries by Bayern are deadly. This has resulted in 44 shots already this season: around two per match. Again, Kompany puts the opposing coach on the horns of a dilemma.
Conclusion
Vincent Kompany’s Bayern Munich are not just winning, they are structurally overwhelming opponents with goals. By leveraging Harry Kane’s playmaking, elite wing isolation, aggressive box occupation, and relentless counter-pressing, Kompany has built a side that blends individual brilliance with collective clarity. Their attacking freedom is balanced by central protection and fearless high pressing, making Bayern both explosive and stable. If this trajectory continues, Kompany’s second season could lead to domestic and international silverware.
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