Bayern Munich revelling amid Vincent Kompany feel-good factor
After 18 months in charge at Bayern Munich, coach Vincent Kompany has fashioned a side that play with "the force of a hurricane", breaking Bundesliga records and storming past opponents in a brilliant unbeaten sequence to start the 2025/26 domestic season.
Running more collective kilometres than ever before while racking up quantities of goals that have the statisticians scrambling, the swashbuckling style generated by Kompany's Bayern in his second season in charge at the Bavarian club has been simply breathtaking.
Standing six points clear at the top of the Bundesliga table after 10 victories in 11 games, it is already difficult to imagine what might prevent Bayern from celebrating a 34th record-extending German top-flight title triumph.
Should that come to pass, it would be Kompany's second Meisterschale success in successive seasons at the Allianz Arena.
Watch: Bayern's keys to success
Not the type to think along those hypothetical lines, however, the 39-year-old is instead currently keen to keep developing the feel-good factor, game by game, at the record champions.
"I want a team with the force of a hurricane: working together, connected, carrying each other, having fun; then there's no limit," Kompany told Bayern members' magazine ‘51’ in a recent interview that appears on the club's official website.
"You have to be hungry when you win, lose or draw, when the sun is shining, when it's raining or snowing," the ex-Belgium international continued. "It's the mindset of pushing yourself with the conviction that only those who stick to the task make progress."
Watch: Defending champs come from 2-0 down to thrash Freiburg
And, boy, are Bayern making progress. Netting 41 goals in 11 games - the second best-ever tally at this stage of a season - while boasting by far the meanest defence have helped to propel the men in red to a record beginning to a Bundesliga campaign.
What's more, the Bavarians are now unbeaten in 20 Bundesliga matches (16 wins, 4 draws) stretching back to last season, while they have been on top of the standings for 43 consecutive matchdays.
"I want a team who are dangerous in every phase," Kompany explained of his philosophy. "Even if we're defending deep in our penalty area, our opponents should be aware that we can score with three passes. We have to get the message across: Bayern can be dangerous at any time, whether after 10 passes or just one."
The four-time English Premier League champion with Manchester City added, "Even against deep-lying opponents, we want to show we can find gaps and remain a threat. Throw-ins, corners, for us or against us - we always have a plan to make something out of every situation."
The stars at his disposal have been revelling in those tasks. At the top end of the pitch, Bayern's quick combination moves and flowing football have their supporters at fever pitch.
Their leading marksman once again, Harry Kane has an astonishing 17 Bundesliga goal involvements (14 goals, three assists) in 11 appearances, while whirlwind Michael Olise - last season's top assist provider - is not far behind his English teammate with 12 goal involvements.
Luis Díaz has taken next to no time to settle into his new surroundings, the lightning-quick, twinkle-toed Colombian appearing as though he's already been in the side for years. Serge Gnabry, meanwhile, is in peak form, delighted with his role in Europe's finest forward collective, while teenager Lennart Karl is currently the talk of the continent.
"I want the group to believe in itself and its path, and the individual too," Kompany mused. "I want us to be ready at every moment, with every pass, to always have an idea, to always be dangerous. Everything we do with the ball has to put us in a better position to score, regardless of whether it takes five, 15 or 30 passes," he added.
Watch: Bayern's super squad
When it comes to defending, Kompany's ideas are just as clear, and that should come as no surprise, with the Brussels native a world-renowned centre-back in his playing days. "If we have to defend deep, the opponents have to earn it - and then we have to enjoy defending," he said. "If we're pressed high, we look for a way out and attack."
Study the likes of defenders Jonathan Tah and Dayot Upamecano, or Joshua Kimmich and Aleksandar Pavlović a little further ahead in midfield, and you quickly begin to understand the Kompany way. "If the opposition is sitting deep, we find solutions in tight spaces - with passes, runs and movement," the coach explained. "For me, that's the whole point of possession."
It's a perfect summation of why Bayern and Kompany appear such a perfect match. The coach is constantly seeking ways for his side to build; to find a way through using sharp minds, pace and, above all, creativity in their play.
"I spent my whole youth playing on the street, so I was fascinated by creativity," he said. "At Bayern, the big names are always associated with [that]. "[Franz] Beckenbauer - the way he moved forward with the ball, played passes, utilised space. [Franck] Ribéry, [Arjen] Robben: sheer magic. And the strikers - this variety of goals...."
Currently overseeing a new generation of legends, Kompany is conjuring a brand of magic that looks ready to help this Bayern emulate some of the giant feats of the club's glorious past.
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