Among tactical implementation, developing players and dealing with the media, keeping a healthy dressing room atmosphere is one of the most important roles for a football manager. Managers can be strong tacticians but a failure to keep the dressing room under control could lead to total collapse-something Vincent Kompany's predecessors, Julian Nagelsmann and Thomas Tuchel, learnt the hard way. In contrast, the 39-year-old Belgian manager is capitalizing on his emotional intelligence to find the perfect balance at Bayern Munich.
Breaking through at Bayern Munich as a youth player is exceedingly difficult. Lennart Karl may have made it look easy, but usually one has to compete with an array of stars as an academy player to get game time. Felipe Chavez is in a fairly similar boat. He caught the eye with a bright display in the big 5-0 friendly against RB Salzburg before making his Bundesliga debut against VfL Wolfsburg.
Harry Kane has been a revelation with Bayern Munich, regularly scoring or assisting goals and even started several attacking moves that end in a goal. That's what he embodies: goal, goal, goal. Bayern has a goal too: to extend his contract before anyone can have a sniff, much like they did with Vincent Kompany when Manchester City were on the prowl.
It actually felt quite good. We'll have to watch it again. It's often the case against Bayern that you think you could've got more out of it. At the same time, you have to be honest and say that their individual quality is just outstanding. You have to be alert for 95 minutes,