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Outside of Germany, Bayern Munich’s complexity is often under-appreciated. They see a club that sails through the domestic season, effortlessly casting their rivals aside. But a deeper assessment reveals a highly sensitive environment, full of different agendas, egos and personal ambitions, surrounded by a rapacious media and governed by what, at times, can be a nebulous power structure.

Any head coach needs to be emotionally nimble. The demand is for a tactician, a father figure, a figurehead and a statesman, all at the same time, depending on the mood.

Vincent Kompany has played all those roles successfully.

The Belgian is private. He does not do one-on-one interviews, viewing them as a waste of time that could be spent on the training pitches. As a result, his effect on the team is typically revealed by how others describe it.

In December 2025, Serge Gnabry gave an interview with Sky Deutschland, during which he spoke about the chemistry between Bayern’s attacking players.

“I think all of us feel the same way: we feel comfortable under him and feel the trust,” Gnabry said. “He’s obsessed with repetition and detail, which helps us enormously because we simply know how we play, and it gives us players confidence, and that’s great, of course.”

What seems like a generic quote is actually quite revealing. The Athletic spoke to people who have worked with Kompany or who have represented players who have been coached by him for this article and they all, to a man, spoke of his communication skills and his understanding of how to treat players — when to be respectful and supportive, when to challenge, and when to teach.