Kompany shies away from Bayern plaudits
Vincent Kompany insists the majority of Bayern Munich's success this season is down to the quality of its players, not him as the head coach.
Bayern tops the Bundesliga table at the midway point in the campaign with 42 points, four clear of defending champion Bayer Leverkusen in second place.
That tally after its opening 17 matches has only been beaten in 2021-2022 (43) since Pep Guardiola's departure from the club in 2016, while its average of 2.5 points per game is the joint-best figure in Europe's top five leagues with Paris Saint-Germain.
Despite Kompany hitting the ground running since replacing Thomas Tuchel last May, he is adamant the positive start is heavily dependent on his squad.
"Ninety per cent of the job is individual quality of players, maybe even 99 per cent," Kompany said ahead of Sunday's (AEDT) clash with Wolfsburg. "I have no arrogance when it comes to that. I have no desire to make myself important.
"I would always credit the team. Sometimes, it is outside perception to make everything about the coaches. We make a lot of important decisions, that's true, the energy of the squad, the clarity and the plan.
"But I really, really think that why so many coaches can be successful with so many different styles and ideas, it is because they have good players. That's the key thing."
Bayern has also found the net 53 times, only previously doing so more often at this stage of a Bundesliga season in 2021-2022 (56).
"Goals is something I would always put forward for all the teams I am able to coach," Kompany said.
"I am a [former] defender, but I grew up in Brussels and Anderlecht and street football, and for me, it was all about the things you could do when you have the ball."
