Vincent Kompany: Bayern Munich ‘hungry’ to bounce back after trophyless season as Aston Villa showdown looms

Vincent Kompany has said that Bayern Munich are “hungry” for silverware after the club failed to win a trophy last year.

Bayern had won 11 Bundesliga titles in a row before 2023-24, when they were forced to settle for third place after Xabi Alonso’s Bayer Leverkusen blitzed them by 18 points, while Stuttgart leapfrogged them on the final day.

That barren campaign led to Thomas Tuchel losing his job, with former Manchester City centre-back Kompany brought in from Burnley to rebuild the project at the Allianz Arena.

Now, Kompany has said that his side, rejuvenated by exciting signings Michael Olise and Joao Palhinha, are out to right the wrongs of the previous season.

“Having experienced it myself as a player, also as a coach, when you have a winning team, sometimes the year after they’ve been hurt is the best year to pick it up with them. The team is hungry. The club is hungry. I’m hungry. We have to show it on the pitch, of course.”

They may have scored nine in their opening league stage game against Zagreb, but Kompany hinted at the sky-high standards that the club set.

“It’s Bayern Munich, so I still got 50% of the questions about the two goals we conceded,” he continued.

“The standards are set really high, the bar is set really high. I also love that kind of environment. We moved on pretty quickly from this game to the next games. The next game against Villa is another opportunity for us to be on the main stage again.

“We have goal threat in the team and squad. It’s not just the players who start, it’s the players who we can bring off the bench. The club has got high ambitions so you can’t compete on this level without this sort of depth. We still have to put it in the back of the net, and hopefully we can keep doing that.”

England captain Harry Kane leads the line for Bayern and already has 10 goals in seven games in all competitions.

Kompany is very familiar with the former Tottenham Hotspur striker, having played against him in his time at City.

“He’s been impressive,” Kompany said of his No. 9.

“I remember playing against him, of course. They were good battles, let’s be honest, for club and country. Then you get to work with someone and you understand his mindset.

“He’s improved since I played against him. To see and witness the progress that he’s made over the years and to pick it up, I get a real insight into his mindset and understand why he’s been such a prolific goalscorer and leader. He’s got many good years ahead of him.”

Looking ahead to Wednesday’s game against Aston Villa, Kompany lauded the work that had been done by Unai Emery to upset the apple-cart and get Villa into the Premier League top four.

“We all know how many teams of high quality and how much investment goes into the Premier League,” Kompany said.

“To be able to put yourself amongst the top four in this league is an incredible achievement. For this club to experience their very first Champions League night in such a long time, him and his staff have achieved that.

“The squad we’re going to face is a squad that is super motivated. I never had any doubt, it’s a team filled with quality players and a quality manager. For us, it’s always great to measure ourselves against these types of coaches and these types of teams.”

Serge Gnabry, who has returned to the Bayern side following a lengthy injury lay-off that forced him to miss Euro 2024, also emphasised the desire that he and his team-mates have to get Bayern back on the trophy trail once more.

“[Not winning a trophy has given us motivation]I would say so, of course,” the former Arsenal winger told TNT Sports.

“Every time you fail in a kind of way, it gives you a little bit of an edge of more motivation. We want to win every game. We’re coming here tomorrow [to Villa Park] to win the game. We have a great group together. We’re all pulling on the same string. Very hungry, very motivated.

“[Kompany has taught me] to stay hungry. We’ve shown that at the moment. Our games are very consistent. We always keep pushing until the last minute to not let anything slip in the game or let loose. Always keep control of the game. For us attacking players, it’s good to have a lot of chances to score a lot of goals.”