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Vincent Kompany is bold and innovative – he can be Tottenham’s Mikel Arteta
I said Arsenal should be brave and appoint Spaniard almost two years before they did — the Belgian would make a similarly transformative impact at Spurs
Tony Cascarino
Tuesday March 28 2023, 12.00pm, The Times
https://www.thetimes.co.uk/topic/premier-league
It must hurt Tottenham Hotspur fans watching Arsenal this season; to see a rookie manager like Mikel Arteta having his side playing the best football in the league, while their own team — blessed with two of the best attackers in the league – are just about pushing for fourth place.
It probably hurts even more, given the way last season ended, when Tottenham were showing signs of momentum, like they were building towards something. But now, they look as if they are going to have wasted another season and, more importantly, the club, owner, players and fans are not together. They need a leader and a change.
What they need is a manager that respects the club and fans, but has an identity and an ability to bring those parts of the club together by the force of their character and the style of football that can energise and bring the fans together. And in my opinion, there is no better-suited person than Vincent Kompany.
Kompany is brave and bold. He does not shy away from challenges. But unlike José Mourinho and Antonio Conte, who were also immensely competitive, Kompany is, above all else, humble. What he brings is harmony: he unifies people through his qualities as a leader. A manager that respects the club, and puts it first but also has a real ambition and competitive edge is exactly what Spurs need. He is honest and he speaks straight, but without the coarseness of someone like Conte, who tried to tell some home truths but just turned off the supporters and players.
Conte, and Mourinho before him, were conservative and pragmatic, but what Tottenham need is a manager who can lead and embody the direction the club wants to move in. Kompany’s style of football is innovative, forward-thinking, aggressive and exciting. It’s exactly what will unlock the potential of the club. When a team plays that kind of football — all-in, exciting, compelling stuff — it brings the fans on board. We have seen at clubs such as Arsenal and Liverpool how formidable teams can be when the fans are behind them. At times we have seen the potential of Tottenham at their new ground too, but those moments have been too rare.
The players and the supporters need to enjoy their football again; I have watched Son Heung-min look miserable all year. A manager who encourages expression and playing with energy like Kompany would be perfect for reviving his fortunes.
There are, of course, other managers out there, not least Mauricio Pochettino or Julian Nagelsmann, but Spurs need something completely new and bold to shake the club up. I said Arteta should be given the Arsenal job nearly two years before they appointed him, because he was at the vanguard of this new generation of coaches that are tactically sharp and young enough to have the energy and fight to lead an entire club. Kompany fits into that category too.
I believe the story of him at Burnley this season is the best across all four of English football’s divisions. It is special. With a group of players who for several years were playing a very straightforward game, he has coached them into a team that is innovative, intelligent and brilliant to watch. He completely reinvented Burnley and the mentality there. And he did all this a season after being relegated, with a club that seemed to be in turmoil and had lost many of its leaders and most experienced players, such as Ben Mee, James Tarkowski and Dwight McNeil.
Like Arteta, who was also his club’s captain, Kompany learned under Pep Guardiola. He has a rich and wonderful footballing education which is needed in the Premier League to compete at the top, but he also has the energy and character to lead and invigorate a club with positivity and humility — and that’s what Spurs crave most.
Kompany’s experience is unique, too. He joined Manchester City in 2008, just as they were beginning their ascent. That version of City was a long way from the side he led to league titles and left in 2019, and being part of a transformation of a club, from top to bottom is unlike any other. He has lived and breathed what it means to fundamentally change a football club and turn it into a winning one.
One reason I am so excited about Kompany is because I have heard about the way his players speak about him, behind closed doors and when he is not around: they sing his praises.
Importantly, I don’t think he would fear losing Harry Kane. Some managers would shy away from a situation where the team’s best player is likely to leave, but Kompany knows what it is like to lose big players in the dressing room — those with character and quality, such as Yaya Touré and Sergio Agüero — and understands how to lead a team without them.
Tottenham have tried all sorts over the past few years, but taking a chance on a clearly intelligent manager with the ability to harmonise and unite the club is a risk worth taking — you only need to look across north London to see why.
I said Arsenal should be brave and appoint Spaniard almost two years before they did — the Belgian would make a similarly transformative impact at Spurs
Tony Cascarino
Tuesday March 28 2023, 12.00pm, The Times
https://www.thetimes.co.uk/topic/premier-league
It must hurt Tottenham Hotspur fans watching Arsenal this season; to see a rookie manager like Mikel Arteta having his side playing the best football in the league, while their own team — blessed with two of the best attackers in the league – are just about pushing for fourth place.
It probably hurts even more, given the way last season ended, when Tottenham were showing signs of momentum, like they were building towards something. But now, they look as if they are going to have wasted another season and, more importantly, the club, owner, players and fans are not together. They need a leader and a change.
What they need is a manager that respects the club and fans, but has an identity and an ability to bring those parts of the club together by the force of their character and the style of football that can energise and bring the fans together. And in my opinion, there is no better-suited person than Vincent Kompany.
Kompany is brave and bold. He does not shy away from challenges. But unlike José Mourinho and Antonio Conte, who were also immensely competitive, Kompany is, above all else, humble. What he brings is harmony: he unifies people through his qualities as a leader. A manager that respects the club, and puts it first but also has a real ambition and competitive edge is exactly what Spurs need. He is honest and he speaks straight, but without the coarseness of someone like Conte, who tried to tell some home truths but just turned off the supporters and players.
Conte, and Mourinho before him, were conservative and pragmatic, but what Tottenham need is a manager who can lead and embody the direction the club wants to move in. Kompany’s style of football is innovative, forward-thinking, aggressive and exciting. It’s exactly what will unlock the potential of the club. When a team plays that kind of football — all-in, exciting, compelling stuff — it brings the fans on board. We have seen at clubs such as Arsenal and Liverpool how formidable teams can be when the fans are behind them. At times we have seen the potential of Tottenham at their new ground too, but those moments have been too rare.
The players and the supporters need to enjoy their football again; I have watched Son Heung-min look miserable all year. A manager who encourages expression and playing with energy like Kompany would be perfect for reviving his fortunes.
There are, of course, other managers out there, not least Mauricio Pochettino or Julian Nagelsmann, but Spurs need something completely new and bold to shake the club up. I said Arteta should be given the Arsenal job nearly two years before they appointed him, because he was at the vanguard of this new generation of coaches that are tactically sharp and young enough to have the energy and fight to lead an entire club. Kompany fits into that category too.
I believe the story of him at Burnley this season is the best across all four of English football’s divisions. It is special. With a group of players who for several years were playing a very straightforward game, he has coached them into a team that is innovative, intelligent and brilliant to watch. He completely reinvented Burnley and the mentality there. And he did all this a season after being relegated, with a club that seemed to be in turmoil and had lost many of its leaders and most experienced players, such as Ben Mee, James Tarkowski and Dwight McNeil.
Like Arteta, who was also his club’s captain, Kompany learned under Pep Guardiola. He has a rich and wonderful footballing education which is needed in the Premier League to compete at the top, but he also has the energy and character to lead and invigorate a club with positivity and humility — and that’s what Spurs crave most.
Kompany’s experience is unique, too. He joined Manchester City in 2008, just as they were beginning their ascent. That version of City was a long way from the side he led to league titles and left in 2019, and being part of a transformation of a club, from top to bottom is unlike any other. He has lived and breathed what it means to fundamentally change a football club and turn it into a winning one.
One reason I am so excited about Kompany is because I have heard about the way his players speak about him, behind closed doors and when he is not around: they sing his praises.
Importantly, I don’t think he would fear losing Harry Kane. Some managers would shy away from a situation where the team’s best player is likely to leave, but Kompany knows what it is like to lose big players in the dressing room — those with character and quality, such as Yaya Touré and Sergio Agüero — and understands how to lead a team without them.
Tottenham have tried all sorts over the past few years, but taking a chance on a clearly intelligent manager with the ability to harmonise and unite the club is a risk worth taking — you only need to look across north London to see why.
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