The biggest change Vincent Kompany’s arrival at Bayern Munich saw was that the team once again tried to adopt the ruthless attacking way of football they were always known for. Kompany’s system enforces a high defensive line and a high attacking press, which is intended to suffocate the opposition and maximize goal-scoring opportunities for his team.
The game model under Kompany obviously has its vulnerabilities, mainly in the form of fast and direct counter-attacks. This has also been Bayern’s Achilles heel so far in this season, most recently observed in the draw against Eintracht Frankfurt where Kompany’s team had a torrid time dealing with counter-attacks led by Eintracht's Hugo Ekitike and Omar Marmoush.
Despite this concern, the Belgian coach is generally happy with the team's progress and the execution of his idea of football. “We have four or five times more chances than any team we face”, the coach remarked in an interview after the Frankfurt game [ESPNFC]
FC Bayern leads attacking stats
When it comes to metrics related to possession and attack, Bayern does incredibly well not only in the Bundesliga but even among all other major European leagues. Let's take a look at some of these stats.
1st - Average possession across the Europe’s top 5 leagues (70.2%)
Among the 96 teams participating in Europe's top 5 leagues, Bayern Munich has the highest average ball possession so far this season. This feat attests to Bayern’s dominance on the ball which is the hallmark of Kompany’s play style. Instantaneous counter-pressing after losing possession ensures the Bavarian club keeps the ball at all times. During settled possession, Bayern plays a lot of passes as they patiently measure their options before making the incisive pass. This is one of the reasons Aleksandar Pavlović and Joshua Kimmich are the coach's first-choice midfield pivot, and João Palhinha, who is more of a ‘ball-winner’ than a ‘ball-keeper’, is finding it hard to get minutes.
1st - Goals per game in Europe’s top 5 leagues (3.3)
Bayern have scored a whopping 20 goals in the Bundesliga season so far. No other team except Hansi Flick’s Barcelona (3.1 goals per game) comes even close to matching the rate boasted by them. As of now, the 5-0 thrashing of Werder Bremen stands as the season's biggest league win for the Bavarian club.
Other stats bossed by Die Roten -
1st - Total xG accumulated in the Bundesliga (13.7)
1st - Accurate passes per match in the top 5 leagues (680.8)
1st - Average possession in the UEFA Champions League (70%)
1st - Total xG accumulated in the UEFA Champions League (7.8)
2nd - Goals scored in UEFA Champions League (9)
Players resonating with Kompany's football
Bayern players seem to be enjoying life under the new coach. Veteran Thomas Muller spoke positively about the brand of football under Vincent Kompany after the draw against Frankfurt.
Thomas Müller: "I thought the first 20 minutes were even better than on Wednesday. In my opinion we have to win this game. We would probably win 13 out of 15 such games and I think we showed a good way of playing. It was a pleasure to see how we tied down the opponent, because we… pic.twitter.com/n6KmRdtt6Y
— Bayern & Germany (@iMiaSanMia) October 6, 2024
Winger Serge Gnabry also mentioned that he believes the team is playing good football and team's efforts will pay off in the long run.
Bayern faces VfB Stuttgart on 19th October after the conclusion of the international break. (Stats courtesy: Sofascore- Champions League and Bundesliga)