Sport

Man City legend Vincent Kompany gives first interviews as new Bayern Munich manager

An elite coach in the making or too much too soon?

Danny Jones Danny Jones - 30th May 2024

Manchester City legend Vincent Kompany has been officially unveiled as the new Bayern Munich manager and has now given his first interview and press conference in the job.

The former Belgian footballer and Premier League veteran spent 11 seasons at Man City, eight of them as captain, before going on to become player-manager at Anderlecht and then the Burnley boss since 2022.

Having won the EFL Championship in his first season with the club, Kompany has been touted by many as one of the most promising individuals among the next generation of coaches. However, the appointment has left many slightly puzzled and wondering whether he’s skipped ahead too many steps.

Nevertheless, the German giants pulled the trigger on acquiring the 38-year-old’s services, giving him a three-year contract, and now the ex-Man City stalwart has opened up on what he hopes to bring to the massive role, with Munich having won a record 32 Bundesliga titles.

“It’s a privilege and an honour”, he said in a sit down with his new employers. “I’m excited, so my feeling and my energy is really positive. I’m really looking forward to working with the players, the staff, and hopefully [I can] give everything that the fans love to see about this club.”

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Explaining his brand of football and its roots in his upbringing on the streets of Brussels, he said: “We love the ball; we’re creative – I like players who are brave on the ball but also I was always a very aggressive player, so I like the team to be aggressive. That’s what suits my personality”.

He went on to describe the club as “an institution” and that he’s simply looking forward to working with people and building a team, insisting that after that “the rest will follow”. He also said in his first press conference that he will soon assess those “hungry” enough to represent such an iconic shirt.

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Kompany failed to steer Burnley away from relegation in his debut Premier League season, leading many to question why Bayern were so quick to give him the top job given that he’s still relatively unproven, especially at the top level.

Sky Germany’s Felix Fischer, for instance, was quick to state that no matter how much optimism there is around him potential, “you have to win titles” if you want to stay in post at a club like Bayern Munich, though there will likely be some added patience with the young coach.

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On the other hand, the likes of former manager Pep Guardiola have spoken highly of Kompany’s prospect, with Fabrizio Romano reporting that Bayern spoke with the Blues boss before the appointment and labelled him a “talented coach, a smart guy” and an “ideal candidate for the job.”

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The club sacked Champions League winner and former Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel after he failed to win the title last season, falling short of Xabi Alonso’s ‘invincible’ side, and are said to have paid Burnley a fee of £10.2 million in compensation to bring him in, so they clearly have faith in his future.

A highly-admired centre-back before he became a coach, Kompany insisted he had “a lot of interest” from different clubs” and that wasn’t in the least bit surprised by such a significant offer so early in his career, adding: “I live my job so intensively that I don’t have much time for that. At top clubs like Bayern, you have to stand together internally. What the outside world thinks doesn’t matter, I don’t care.”

He certainly looked dominant in the English second tier and perhaps with an already-established elite squad, not to mention much more spending power behind him in the transfer window, we might just get to see why Bayern Munich are so excited about Vincent Kompany.

You can watch his first full press conference HERE.

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Featured Images — Bayern Munich (via YouTube) Mike Serigrapher (via Flickr)

Sport

Pep Guardiola apologises for ’embarrassing’ camera operator confrontation

Danny Jones Danny Jones Pep Guardiola apologies for embarrassing argument with cameraman

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has apologised after confronting a cameraman following the Premier League fixture against Newcastle United this past weekend.

The Blues boss was left visibly frustrated as Man City were beaten 2-1 away at St James’ Park by Eddie Howe’s side following a flurry of three finishes in the space of just six minutes.

However, this wasn’t the only action pitchside during the game, as not only have some supporters argued they should have had a penalty as Phil Foden was brought down in the box, Pep was also seen engaging in a loaded exchange with opposition captain Bruno Guimarães, as well as a camera operator.

Guardiola has since apologised for the incident, confessing he was left “embarrassed” by his own conduct and admitting that even “after 1,000 games, I’m not a perfect person – I make huge mistakes.”

As you can see, the Catalan coach approached the member of the broadcasting team following a fairly widespread spat both during the second Newcastle goal and following the full-time whistle.

Despite journalists recognising a natural amount of frustration and passion amidst the narrow loss and speculation over decisions, he went so far as to say he wasn’t “ashamed” of his actions at the time and doesn’t like or condone this kind of behaviour.

He was also seen smacking his seat in the dugout after conceding as well as after missed chances by his own players.

Pep assured that he apologised to the cameraman within seconds, remarking, “I am who I am” and reminding football fans that he is a human capable of acting on instinct just like anyone else.

He also clarified that the bulk of his issues on the day were to do with the officiating, taking umbrage with the referee’s decision-making in multiple instances.

You can see the clip down below:

As for his conversation with Guimarães, he wouldn’t disclose any details of their conversation, but did insist to one reporter that they share a good relationship, confessing that he is “an emotional guy” and can often appear particularly animated as he is known for gesticulating.

It seems that the 54-year-old was just annoyed over the potential penalty, but match-winner Harvey Barnes’ brace in particular, too.

Not only were there questions of a foul on new goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma – whose shot-stopping was otherwise excellent for the majority of the match – but Guimarães was supposedly offside in the build-up to the strike.

Regardless, Pep went on to add that the confrontation with the cameraman, Donnarumma’s booking for dissent, and general disappointment have been “immediately forgotten”, and all eyes are now focused on City’s big European meeting with Bayern Leverkusen.

You can see the highlights from Newcastle vs Man City down below.

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Featured Images — Sky Sports (screenshots)/Newcastle United (screenshot via YouTube)

Sport

Scott Carson reveals important behind-the-scenes role at Manchester City

Danny Jones Danny Jones Scott Carson backroom role at Man City

Recently retired goalkeeper Scott Carson has revealed the unsung but important role he had behind the scenes during his time at Manchester City.

The 40-year-old ex-pro called time on his playing career after more than two decades and six years in sky blue, having made just two appearances for the club during a period in which they won 11 trophies.

Carson officially hung up his gloves on 23 October 2025, following his contract expiration, and since then has found himself carrying out a number of interviews, including one with Fozcast, hosted by another fellow shotstopper who spent time in Manchester, Ben Foster.

While lots of people have joked that he did very little to earn the flurry of medals so late in his career, or at the very least theorised as to what he actually did behind the scenes, he’s now been more open than ever about the largely sidelined spell.

Sitting down with Sky Sports, the Cumbrian keeper confirmed that initially it was, indeed, just a case of serving as not even as a rotation option but a back-up third choice.

Nevertheless, he’s an experienced veteran with 11 different teams on his CV, including Leeds United, Liverpool and Sheffield Wednesday – though only a handful of games for each – as well as half a century of appearances at Wigan Athletic before his longest stints at the likes of West Brom and Derby County.

While this job usually involves purely training, helping keep other players sharp, he says that after settling into the Etihad Campus a little more, he found himself performing a much more influential, albeit largely unsung, role in the background.

Getting validation from manager Pep Guardiola that the side “needed more of that”, he essentially ended up providing valuable seniority and motivation amongst the group, despite only playing a couple of times.

Bidding farewell to the Whitehaven-born cult hero, the club wrote: “During his time at City, Carson has been praised by goalkeeping coach Xabi Mancisidor and peers Ederson and Stefan Ortega Moreno for his work ethic and the effect of his positive attitude amongst the group.”

Speaking about Guardiola specifically, he hailed the Catalan coach for having overhauled modern football in this country, as well as giving him the secondary task of supporting his teammates, be it via boosting morale and ‘picking up’ those left frustrated by matchday selection.

As well as noting his widely publicised detail-oriented nature, he also made a point of recognising that Pep himself was “evolving each season”, whether or not everyone else saw it.

In short, he said he has helped improve the quality of the Premier League and, more specifically, that he helped redefine what a goalkeeper can be in the division.

You can watch the rest of the interview in full down below.

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Featured Images — Sky Sports (screenshot via YouTube)/Steffen Prößdorf (Wikimedia Commons)

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