What to expect from Vincent Kompany’s Burnley

After three years at Anderlecht, Vincent Kompany is returning to the North West as Burnley manager. It was a move that surprised more than a few onlookers, with Kompany reportedly turning down multiple other offers to lead the Clarets as they return to the Championship.

The Belgian is clearly highly regarded throughout the game, and there will be no adaptation problems as Kompany’s family still live in the region following his long spell at Manchester City. However, the Championship is a ruthless league, and even the slightest slip up can be a struggle to return from. Bearing that in mind, many who bet on football are curious just what Kompany will deliver in the dugout at Turf Moor.

Looking back at his spell at Anderlecht, he took over during a tumultuous time for the Belgian giants. They needed a reset when Kompany arrived in 2019 and, initially filling a player-manager role, the first year was a trying time as Kompany oversaw a year of transition. However, he hung up his boots and took up the managerial role full-time in 2020, leading to an upturn in the club’s fortunes.

Anderlecht finished fourth after a squad overhaul, with Kompany coaching the youngest squad in the league, and he followed that with European qualification via a third-place finish, and a cup run which took Anderlecht to the final of the Belgian Cup. While it’s not the most successful managerial spell in Anderlecht’s history, it’s easy to see why he caught Burnley’s eye.

He showed an ability to deal with significant player turnover in less-than-ideal circumstances, and the job he did bringing together a football club going through a slump should be no surprise, given his exceptional leadership qualities.

Key players such as Ben Mee, James Tarkowski, and Nick Pope, as well as Nathan Collins, have all departed the club, while Wout Weghorst departed on loan for Besiktas, having arrived for over £15m in the previous season. In addition, the likes of Wayne Hennessey, Erik Pieters, and Phil Bardsley, whose experience would have been invaluable in the second tier, will not be at the club next season.

With Burnley looking at a significant rebuild, Kompany may be just the man to steady the ship. The move away from Sean Dyche’s style of football started last season, with Mike Jackson’s time in the dugout towards the end of the season, but it will still be a significant change for Kompany to make at the club.

It remains to be seen how Burnley will do on their return to the Championship. Last time they were relegated, they bounced back up right away, but that was in the context of a wider cycle, where Sean Dyche was building a side for the Premier League, and they planned for the possibility of relegation during that journey.

Nothing is impossible, and Burnley could find themselves heading back up, but it’s much more likely that the Clarets find the rebuilding process will take a few years, and Kompany will likely find himself coaching a young side as Burnley target promotion in two or three years.