Vincent Kompany made a surprising announcement this summer by revealing he will be joining his ex-club Anderlecht as a player-manager. The Belgian international is leaving Manchester City after helping the Premier League club become the first team ever to win the English domestic treble. Darren Anderton, former Tottenham and Bournemouth player, even went on to say that this Man City team is probably the best team the Premier League have ever seen.
Anderlecht, on the other hand, had one of it’s worst seasons ever and Kompany needs to bring the glory days back to a club in crisis. To succeed in bringing Anderlecht back to the top, Kompany is planning on introducing the tactics of Guardiola to Belgium. The most important lesson he learned in the master class of Pep Guardiola: football is a positional game.
The 33-year old central defender wants to teach and promote Manchester City football. Vincent Kompany does not want to compare the tactics to a chess game, but under Pep Guardiola (48) he has become increasingly convinced that football is a positional game. With eleven players who need to be constantly aware of where they are in relation to their teammates, with or without a ball.
Under Guardiola, tactics are about making sure that every player knows exactly what to do at any time and in any position during a match. Guardiola’s tactics are like a chameleon who adapts his colours to the specific needs of a competition but keeps his basic principles intact. For a Man City trainer, winning prizes are secondary, he especially wants his teams to play daring football. He wants the public to enjoy the game. It is about winning too but in the right way.
Kompany did start off on the wrong foot as the new Anderlecht boss, the team lost its first game 1-2 against Oostende. But the same happened with Guardiola at Man City, it took months for the players to pick up on his system. Kompany is asking for patience, making clear it will be a long process. The fans are willing to wait for Kompany to eventually bring results and as one of the best players Anderlecht ever produced, he is untouchable and will be forgiven if Anderlecht doesn’t make it to the top right away.
