Bayern gamble, Lookman stars in Atalanta's glory night
In today's newsletter. Bayern Munich appear to have settled on their seventh choice option in Vincent Kompany. Ademola Lookman's hattrick led Atalanta to a 3-0 win in the Europa League final.
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It seemed to be one of the more unlikely of rumors in this already bizarre summer transfer season, but former Manchester City captain Vincent Kompany is reportedly on the brink of taking over as coach of Bayern Munich, according to reports in the Guardian and Germany’s Bild.
On Sunday Kompany oversaw his Burnley team in their final game of a season that ended in relegation from the Premier League with just five wins from 38 games and by the end of this week he is expected to be installed as the new head coach of one of Europe’s most decorated clubs.
According to Fabrizio Romano, a man who like that stray dog you decided to adopt, is going to follow you wherever you go this summer, it took Kompany all of five minutes to say ‘Yes’ to Bayern. No kidding.
As Bild notes, Bayern have settled on the 38-year-old after trying and failing to recruit no fewer than six different coaches to replace Thomas Tuchel who is departing the club after a brief and unsuccessful spell.
After the six rejections from Xabi Alonso (42/Leverkusen), Julian Nagelsmann (36/DFB), Ralf Rangnick (65/Austria), Oliver Glasner (49/Crystal Palace), Tuchel after renewed talks last week and Roger Schmidt (57/ Benfica Lisbon) Bayern needed new ideas.
Well, it’s certainly an idea.
But is it as crazy as it sounds?
In his two full seasons with the 34-times Belgian champions Anderlecht, Kompany took the team to fourth and third place in the Jupiler Pro League.
He had instant success at Burnley, romping to the Championship title, with 101 points and losing just three of 46 games. His team played attractive football, drawing inevitable comparisons to his mentor Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City. But since when has the style of teams in the English second tier been a factor for Bayern?
Kompany’s sole season in the Premier League was a major let-down. He spent heavily in the transfer market on players such as Belgian Player of the Year Mike Tresor who failed to deliver. Burnley looked relegation candidates from the outset, as Andy Jones in The Athletic put it:
In truth, Burnley looked undercooked and lacked experience, with no player capable of digging them out of trouble, and an inability to compete physically for 90 minutes. Multiple sources The Athletic spoke to at the time highlighted Kompany’s tactical naivety, stubbornness and inexperience, alongside the team’s lack of quality and soft underbelly.
Despite Burnley’s results, Kompany has still cultivated an image as a modern manager who is seen of as part of the ‘Guardiola School’ playing possession football, out from the back. Even if his Burnley team couldn’t quite carry that off.
But this appears to be why Bayern, Guardiola’s former club remember, have decided to go for their seventh choice option. Forget the talk of his experience in the Bundesliga - it consists of nothing more than 29 games for Hamburg between 2006 and 2008 - Bayern are taking a punt that Kompany is the next Guardiola.
It’s a huge step up for the Belgian and could make or break his career. If his method works more effectively with better players, as it may well, and he can return Bayern back to the top of the Bundesliga and go far in the Champions League (both minimum demands at the club), he might join Europe’s group of elite coaches and be in pole position to secure his dream move to replace Pep at City.
But the pressures and board-room politics at Bayern have swallowed up more experienced men than Kompany and nothing about their coaching recruitment suggests the club is in a good place. And unlike at his previous two clubs he will start with the club’s fans not enthusing over his mere presence but rather looking skeptically at him and asking themselves quite how a man whose highest level of coaching is a relegation season with Burnley is in charge of one of Europe’s greatest clubs?
Lookman’s Triple Joy
Well Bayer Leverkusen couldn’t quite manage the ultimate invincibles season, falling 3-0 to Atalanta in Wednesday’s Europa League final with Ademola Lookman scoring a superb hattrick.
Here’s the CBS highlights for U.S readers. (Without their ‘Dollar Store’ studio punditry from yesterday)
And the TNT Sports highlights for UK readers
Lookman's is the first hat-trick to be scored in the final of a major UEFA competition since Jupp Heynckes' for Borussia Mönchengladbach in the 1975 UEFA Cup. Opta Joe.
UEFA.com’s Italian reporter Paolo Menicucci: “Sorry to say, but if you were surprised by this performance, you have not been paying enough attention this term. Just ask Liverpool or Marseille, who both learned the hard way how good Gasperini's side have been this term. As for Lookman's performance: no words required.” Yep, Atalanta were great fun to watch.
In the Bergamo club’s 116-year history, this was only their second trophy – after the 1963 Coppa Italia.
It was a gloriously fitting reward for one of the most admirable football clubs on the continent over the last decade, and what European competition is meant to be about. That was what was supposed to be said about Alonso’s Leverkusen, and it was always going to take an incredible performance to overshadow the most sought-after manager in the world this season. That’s exactly what Lookman provided, scoring every goal in a victory where Atalanta never faltered. Lookman certainly didn’t. It was a hat-trick of the most divine and varied quality, to give the club’s legendary manager Gian Piero Gasperini the first trophy his adventurous career deserved. Miguel Delaney (The Independent)
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2024 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup
Wednesday’s Full Results
Indy Eleven (USLC) 3-0 Detroit City FC (USLC)
Tampa Bay Rowdies (USLC) 1-2 FC Dallas (MLS)
Seattle Sounders FC (MLS) 2-1 Phoenix Rising FC (USLC)
U.S. Open Cup Quarter Final Pairings (July 9-10)
EAST DIVISION
Sporting Kansas City (MLS) vs. FC Dallas (MLS)
Atlanta United (MLS) vs. Indy Eleven (USLC)
WEST DIVISION
Sacramento Republic FC (USLC) vs. Seattle Sounders FC (MLS)
Los Angeles Football Club (MLS) vs. New Mexico United (USLC)
Winner of the top pairing will host the winner of the bottom pairing in the Semifinals.
American lower division specialist Kartik Krishnaiyer looks at the performances of USL teams here.
TDS Digest
Your Daily Soccer Transfer Round-up: John Terry tells Todd Boehly “to hold off signing new players” until they hire a new manager. Doesn’t stop Chelsea from still maintaining interest in Villa striker Jhon Duran, mind.
OMG! KDB to MLS?
And Dougie Freedman is staying at Crystal Palace rather than joining Newcastle to become their Sporting Director in light of the Dan Ashworth saga.
In Other News
Spaniard Julen Lopetegui has replaced David Moyes as manager of West Ham United.
MLS clubs are constantly being linked with European players but there could be a few heading in the other direction soon - according to Tom Bogert in The Athletic. Keep an eye on Thiago Almada of Atlanta United, part of Argentina’s World Cup winning squad. Class.
Evergreen Luka Modric, who is the same age as Vincent Kompany, is set to sign a new deal with Real Madrid. (ESPN)
He might be being ‘linked’ to Manchester United (of course he is) but Mauricio Pochettino could be the next England manager suggest the Telegraph. Don’t say ‘Malvinas’ Poch…
It’s a good job Ademola Lookman bagged a hat-trick last night as his penalty taking leaves a lot to be desired (YouTube). Not a patch on this, though. (Twitter)
From Inter Milan via Inter Miami, Rob and Ryan hire Michael Williamson as their new CEO to smash it in League One Season 4 of Welcome to Wrexham. (Daily Mail)
American fund Oaktree officially became the new owner of Serie A champion Inter Milan on Wednesday, bringing an end to Suning and Steven Zhang’s eight years at the helm. Reports AP
Oaktree took charge after Suning failed to meet Tuesday’s deadline of repaying a debt of nearly 400 million euros ($434 million). Hmmm, Sounds one to keep an eye on.
“If you are a referee in a dark room with some screens, you know how to do it, whether it was a goal or not, whether it was offside or not, so if you support Al Ittihad, one frame more, & if you support Hilali, one frame less.” - Jose Mourinho explains his Zapruder VAR Theory (Twitter)
Forever. Faster. Either Milan’s 24/25 home kit has been launched or they’re genetically splicing Christian Pulisic. (AC Milan Twitter)
Brian Blessed: Why I carry the holiest Panini trading card on earth in my wallet - Or, why US fans love Brian McBride (and some UK ones, too). (WSC) We love this one.
Quote of the Day:
"I'm not saying it'll happen overnight, what happened to Charlton, but I remember many years ago when I played their fans were asking to get rid of Alan Curbishley, saying it was boring, middle of the table, they wanted to kick on. They've never been seen since .” Paul Merson produces the classic, pub bore reaction to West Ham’s switch to Lopetegui. One for the Football Cliche’s Podcast.
Stream of the Day: There is a top of the table clash in Mexico with Cruz Azul facing America. 10pm ET (Univision/TUDN)
In Europe, there is the Bundesliga Relegation Playoff between Bochum and Fortuna Dusseldorf (ESPN+ in the US and ‘do you have a link mate?’ in the UK)
We’ll be back tomorrow with more.
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