Were Bayern Munich correct to swap managers in the summer? The answer to that question, at this early stage of the Belgian’s career, of course varies based on who is asked. In this piece, we will look at two different viewpoints regarding the Bayern Munich Vincent Kompany Vs Thomas Tuchel debate, while also critiquing the arguments made by each side.
The Bayern Munich Vincent Kompany Vs Thomas Tuchel Debate
An Argument Against an Early Bayern Munich “Vincent Kompany Hype”
There certainly has been a Kompany hype amongst many people surrounding the club. But from the point of view of actual results, there isn’t much of a change there yet, at least not in a positive direction.
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Forbes journalist and podcaster Manuel Veth takes the view that since football is a results business, and the results in the Bundesliga have been roughly the same as they were around this time last season, it is too early to celebrate the new coach. He used the table from matchday 14 in 2023, where they had just two more points than they had at the same stage of this term, to demonstrate his point.
Veth adds to that that Bayern went through the Champions League group stage unbeaten last season, while they have had two losses in Europe so far this time.
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While these statistics certainly don’t lie, they are somewhat unfair to the current coach in the Bayern Munich Tuchel vs. Kompany debate. For one, Bayern now lead the Bundesliga table by four points ahead of Bayer Leverkusen, while they were behind Xabi Alonso’s side about a year ago.
That is what truly matters at the end of a season, who has the most points of all the clubs, not how many points they have.
As far as the Champions League is concerned, it is an apples-to-oranges comparison, because the European cup competitions have changed their format this season. In last year’s group stage, Bayern faced a Manchester United team in crisis, along with FC Copenhagen and Galatasaray.
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They did not have to play Barcelona or Aston Villa, as they did in this league phase format. Bayern still have every opportunity to qualify directly into the Round of 16 of Europe’s most glamorous club competition and to move on from there.
A Pro-Kompany View
Club legend Philipp Lahm said in a recent interview, that the team have gotten better, since they now have a clear defensive hierarchy, with Min-jae Kim and Dayot Upamecano being the preferred pairing in the centre of defence.
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Lahm said that Tuchel rotated too much in those positions and added that no defence can gain stability that way, and neither can the team as a whole. Germany’s 2014 World Cup-winning captain also pointed out that Kompany has created a core of key players, who always play and he adjusts the team around them.
The problem with that view is that the core players have also made mistakes in key matches such as at Barca, or in Frankfurt.
Final Thoughts
Both Veth and Lahm qualify their remarks by saying that it is too early to have the Tuchel vs. Kompany debate and that everything is neither good nor bad for the Bavarians. This is certainly true, moreover, Bayern’s problems are much deeper than the coaching position alone.
