In just his first year in charge of Burnley, Vincent Kompany has led the Lancashire club back into the Premier League. His side dominated the Championship last season, picking up 101 points, which left them 10 points clear of the nearest team in the league and 21 points above third place.
A lot of Burnley’s success has been credited to Kompany for the way he has led his team throughout the campaign. They lost just three of their 46 Championship matches, scoring 87 goals and conceding only 37 goals.
Burnley spent very little during the summer but was forced into recruiting 16 new permanent signings. Kompany found a way of ensuring those players gelled immediately and he put them in a system that work for his team.
Simply the best 😃 pic.twitter.com/WSxsdbWEN8
— Burnley FC 🏆 (@BurnleyOfficial) May 14, 2023
The Belgian can now look forward to his first experience of Premier League soccer as a manager. He will come across his former team Manchester City who are likely to be the defending champions. As of May 17, they are -100000 in the sports betting to win the Premier League title this season.
Experience in Belgium to Begin With
Kompany began his managerial career in Belgium with Anderlecht. He first took the job there as a player manager in 2019. However, after a poor start, he decided to step down as manager and concentrate on soccer on the pitch.
The 37-year-old then took over as manager of Anderlecht again in 2020. He won 42 of his 92 games between 2020 and 2022. In the 2021-22 campaign, he led his team to the final of the Belgian Cup where they were beaten by Gent on penalties.
Kompany quit his role with Anderlecht in 2022. He was then appointed manager by Burnley, replacing Mike Jackson who was handed the reins on a temporary basis following the sacking of Sean Dyche.
Kompany Used to Winning at Manchester City
As a player, Kompany spent 11 seasons with Manchester City. He was there during one of the club’s most dominant periods, winning the Premier League four times, and also getting lots of success in the domestic cups. For the majority of that time, he was the club’s captain, showing great leadership skills on the pitch.
Kompany, who was named the Premier League Player of the Season following the 2011/12 campaign, is now in the Premier League Hall of Fame. That winning culture which he was part of seems to be helping him as a manager.
Pep Guardiola has nothing to prove 🗣️ pic.twitter.com/GwVR6ZFph8
— ESPN UK (@ESPNUK) May 17, 2023
The former defender was also fortunate to play under some great managers during his playing career, the last of which was Pep Guardiola. His former boss is one of the most successful managers of the modern era, as he has multiple major trophies in Spain, Germany, and England, and he has won the Champions League three times.
As well as playing for Manchester City, Kompany represented his country 89 times. He spent seven years as the captain of what was described as a ‘Generational Team’. The Belgium skipper played at two World Cup events, featuring in the 2014 tournament in Brazil and the 2018 competition in Russia.
Big Clubs Considering Burney Boss
As you may have seen in the soccer news, Kompany has already been linked with managerial vacancies at big clubs like Chelsea and Tottenham. It may not be long before one of Europe’s elite takes a chance on the Burnley boss, particularly if his side gets off to a good start in the 2023/24 Premier League campaign.
The new campaign presents a new challenge for Kompany, as unlike last season, his team will be underdogs in a lot of the games they will take part in. He will have to find a way to be competitive against the likes of Manchester City, Arsenal, Manchester United and Newcastle United. It will be important that they continue to have an excellent record at home at Turf Moor if they are to stay up.
Kompany will be looking to add to his squad this summer when the transfer window opens. Part of the appeal of Burnley may be to play for the Belgian. The style he likes to play is regarded as possession-based attacking soccer.
The opening weekend of the 2023/24 Premier League season begins on August 12 and Burnley will find out their first opponents when the fixtures are released on June 15.
