Bayern Munich manager Vincent Kompany has issued a stern warning to players of the club, urging them to be hungry or be prepared to leave the Bundesliga giant.
Former Belgium international Kompany joined as Bayern Munich coach in the summer just months after he failed to sustain Burnley’s place in the English Premier League. Though his appointment raised eyebrows, the former Anderlecht manager has been brilliant in Germany.
Bayern Munich are currently top of the Bundesliga table and are into the last-16 of the Champions League. Despite their consistent performances, Kompany’s future has continued to make headlines.
Kompany is determined to succeed at the Allianz Arena and has pointed out to those at his disposal that they need to commit fully to his vision for the club.
The former Manchester City defender has told FIFA’s official website when asked how he motivates a star-studded squad at Bayern: “Be hungry or go somewhere else. It’s very simple.”
Vincent Kompany, Head Coach of Bayern Munich, gestures during the Bundesliga match between FC Bayern München and Eintracht Frankfurt at Allianz Arena. (Photo by Adam Pretty/Getty Images)
Kompany added on why the pressure of managing Bayern is relatively easy for him to contend with: “I’ve always been involved in football in high demanding places. With Anderlecht, in the 1980s and 1990s, we were amongst the best youth teams in Europe. We would beat any big European team. We always had that pressure from the age of six years old: of winning, playing well, behaving a certain way. So, by the time I arrived at top level football, that was already a big part of me.
“It continued at Manchester City, of course, where we had the highest ambitions as well. To then become the coach of Bayern, it was actually something very familiar for me. I didn’t enter an environment I didn’t understand, I entered an environment I grew up in.”
Kompany will be eager to lead Bayern Munich to Bundesliga glory just months after they lost the title to Bayern Leverkusen. Both teams will also face-off in this season Champions League round of 16 tie.
