Vincent Kompany brings up past playing experience with a former Munich player to explain his pressing philosophy

Just about everyone seemed caught out when, straight after kickoff, Bayern Munich started pressing Tottenham Hotspur into oblivion. The Bavarians were playing against the Lilywhites in a supposed friendly match with little stakes, but that did not stop the team in red from pressing with a furious intent and scoring a very early goal from it. But pressing is not just meant to help Bayern score more goals. New head coach Vincent Kompany spoke about his tactical beliefs, in which he outlined in great detail how pressing helps the team’s defense:

“In terms of the defensive set-up, a lot of things come into it. It’s not just about the back four. If you look at Bayern when they were champions 11 years in a row, they didn’t just have great defenders but also pressed really well as a team. We have to think about defending as a whole team, all 11 men. But of course, Bayern have always had strong individuals too.”

Kompany even has experience playing with one of those strong individuals: “I remember playing with Jérôme Boateng at [Manchester City]. We conceded goals and it wasn’t necessarily the most successful year. He left for Bayern and became one of the best defenders in the world together with Dante. What I’m trying to say is that you can progress as a defender. If the team helps you defend, then you can become a top defender.”

Both Boateng and Dante were seen as error prone, risky players in defense before the right set up from legendary then-Bayern manager Soef “Jupp” Heynckes allowed them to experience the ultimate success. Perhaps some of Bayern’s current crop of defenders could undergo the same transformation if Kompany can give them the right platform to work with…