Are Kompany's Bayern a glimpse at football after Pep?

Are Kompany's Bayern a glimpse at football after Pep? Image source, Getty ImagesImage caption, Vincent Kompany won the Premier League four times with Manchester CityByUmir IrfanFootball tactics correspondentPublished6 minutes agoCommentsVincent Kompany achieved so much as a player at Manchester City that he has a statue outside Etihad Stadium. With Bayern Munich, he is striving for greatness all over again.His appointment as Bayern boss in May 2024 raised eyebrows. He had, after all, just taken Burnley down to the Championship.But the move appears to have been a masterstroke. Under his guidance, Bayern won the Bundesliga last season. They are on course to retain their title, sitting 12 points clear at the top. And they hold a 2-1 lead over Real Madrid going into the home leg of their Champions League quarter-final on Wednesday.As speculation continues over Pep Guardiola's future, Kompany's ties to Manchester City make him a potential future option for that job.In the meantime, he is imposing his own style at Bayern, on and off the pitch.Image source, Getty ImagesImage caption, Kompany spent 11 years as a player at Manchester City, captaining them for eight of those seasonsThere have been concerns among fans this season that the game's top teams, faced with stubborn man-to-man defensive set-ups, are taking a less risky approach in attack.But Kompany's Bayern lean into that risk, playing freely both in and out of possession. They often dominate, and are exciting to watch - an approach that involves all 11 players and starts right from the back.In the Champions League last 16, Bayern faced an Atalanta side who opted to man-mark across the pitch. So Kompany rotated his players around, dragging opposition defenders out of position. For instance, attacking midfielder Serge Gnabry frequently dropped into centre-back positions to get on the ball. His Atalanta marker followed him. That opened up space for Gnabry's team-mates. As a result, Atalan...