Vincent Kompany promising more 'organised chaos' for Bayern Munich's UEFA Champions League semi-final renewal with Paris Saint-Germain

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Vincent Kompany's move from Burnley to Bayern Munich surprised few who know his football mind, as Owen Hargreaves gets straight to the point on reunion.

Kompany breaks down 'organised chaos' of first leg against PSG

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A week on from Paris Saint-Germain and Bayern delivering one of the greatest UEFA Champions League games of all time in the first leg of their semi-final, understanding how nine goals in 90 minutes of absolute cinema came about is often easier if you start at the end.

There is, of course, a logical explanation. During Kompany’s playing days, knockout football often favoured teams with the strongest defences, but the scrapping of the away goals rule has encouraged a more expansive approach - particularly in the first leg.

Add two teams that have mastered transitional football, and Europe was treated to - as Hargreaves described it - a ”basketball game” for the ages.

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For Kompany, however, dissecting the Champions League semi-final at the Parc des Princes was more akin to a chemical reaction where two forces collided.

"It’s actually quite simple," he told TNT Sports. "If you reflect on the perception, it’s often that high pressing creates the space - but in reality, the space usually appears in the moments in between.

"The rules haven’t really changed. The simple goal is still to win the game - to score one more than the opponent.

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"We want to put the game to bed in whichever way we can. We’ve been able to do it against PSG a couple of times in the past and the first leg was a case where any small amount of space was exploited to the maximum by both teams.

"The traits of these teams are similar. If PSG’s front line weren’t pressing as high and as hard, we wouldn’t give the ball away. They’re extremely intense, so they force you to work hard just to create an angle or a bit of space to move the ball into the right areas.

"We do exactly the same, so they have to work just as hard to get the ball to their best players - and that lasts the entire game. It creates immense stress for everyone on the pitch, and at some point, it gives an advantage to one team or the other.

"If they leave even one player on the back line without an opponent, we escape and attack. So, to recover the ball, they have to commit everyone to the press - and I mean everyone.

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"In those moments, that small window of chaos can go either way: they attack, or we regain the ball and continue ours.

"The same applies when we attack them. If you don’t pressure Vitinha, [Warren] Zaire-Emery or Fabian Ruiz, you can forget about a high press.

"At that point, you must decide: ‘Do we give them the ball and sit back?’ These are the choices available. But logically, both teams have been successful playing this way - so who yields?

"That’s what you’re seeing: a clash of ideas, a refusal to concede ground, and that’s why the games are so intense."

The beauty of this emerging modern rivalry not culminating in this year’s final in Budapest is that we get to see it all over again this Wednesday, live on TNT Sports and HBO Max.

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While the margins for error will be even finer, Kompany does not believe the players will drastically alter their mindset in pursuit of a place in the final.

”It was special - and I expected it, to a degree," the Belgian reflected on the first leg. "Of course, I would have preferred to score as many goals as we did and concede none but, rationally, you have a clash between two teams with clear ideas, both successful - in their case, winning the Champions League last season playing this way.

”Every time we’ve played each other, it’s been on a knife edge. We’ve faced each other four times now [under my management], and it’s always that type of game.

”It’s not always produced that type of result - it could have happened in previous matches, but it didn’t. This time, it did.

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”It's organised chaos but it comes down to fine margins. How much do you sacrifice what you do? Because in the end, it’s about winning, simply put. Over the season, we want to entertain our fans and represent something Bayern can identify with.

”That applies to every team: you must stay aligned with what the club stands for. But in the moment, in the game itself, it is simply about winning.

”Then it becomes a question of what you are willing to give up to achieve that result - and what you risk losing from the qualities that brought you here.”

Kompany in pursuit of the perfect picture

When Manchester City qualified for the Champions League for the first time in 2011, Roberto Mancini described Kompany as one of Europe’s best defenders. While lifting the trophy eluded him as a player, he now stands potentially 90 minutes away from reaching his first final as a manager.

The 40-year-old has risen quickly in the dugout. Once considered Bayern’s fifth choice to replace Thomas Tuchel in 2024, that perception has long since faded.

Back-to-back Bundesliga titles may be expected in Munich but becoming only the fifth manager in the club’s history to win the European Cup - and the first in six years - would elevate Kompany above his former mentor Pep Guardiola, who failed to achieve the feat in three seasons, in Bavaria.

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”When I started this job, I decided very early that I would do it for the players," Kompany added. "I don’t care about anything else. I don’t want praise - if we win medals, I’d happily give them to the players. For me, it’s their game.

”I know what I did as a player in big moments, how much impact I had. I’m not naive enough to think it’s all down to me as a coach.

”I’m there for them. When they go through tough periods, I want to be able to tell them: ‘Ignore the noise, don’t worry.’ Criticism comes, but so does praise - and both are dictated by your next performance.

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”I love going through difficult moments with the team. Even when we lose, it doesn’t scare me or change my motivation.

”Burnley were two things for me. We achieved promotion with 101 points - it was incredible. Then we were relegated but it didn’t change how I approached the job or how I interacted with the players. That was an important realisation: I can truly enjoy this work.

”I don’t depend on praise or validation. I love doing it with the players, for the players. I’m happiest when I see them enjoying what they do together on the pitch.

”In my career, I have experienced that ‘perfect picture’ only a few times. Over 20 years, you might get it for two or three seasons, if you’re lucky.

”Seeing them experience that now - moving as one, attacking, defending, even losing in the right way - I want that to last as long as possible.”

Enrique: We are not going to change

Bayern will again be spearheaded by a frontline that has scored 100 goals between them this season, with Harry Kane flanked by Luis Diaz and Michael Olise.

Ordinarily, given Bayern's formidable form this season domestically, overturning a one-goal deficit at a febrile home ground is perfectly achievable - but PSG's own arsenal of attacking options means it would be foolish to make either side clear favourites.

In the immediate aftermath of last week's first leg, Enrique said with a straight face that his side would need to "score another three goals" to progress - and the Spaniard acknowledged that focusing on a containing mission would be setting up to fail.

Enrique insists PSG will 'change nothing' in second leg against Bayern

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"I'm not sure if we're going to watch again a match at that level," Enrique told TNT Sports.

"The second leg normally is different from the first but it's going to be the same mentality for both teams.

"We're not going to change anything. We don't want to change because it's our style and I think it's the key of our success because it doesn't matter the result that we got in the first leg.

"If you ask the players, we need to win the second match. It's the best way to approach it. We've been working that way the last three years, and it's not the moment to change."

Enrique is bidding for back-to-back appearances in the Champions League final having ended PSG's wait for European glory - but the 55-year-old knows his team will have to suffer if they are to reach their objective.

He added: "I'm very lucky because I achieved a lot of things in football that I never thought I would.

"We are one step away from the final and when we play here, it's a good memory, because we won the Champions League final here in Munich.

"We need to show everybody that we're ready, to show everybody that we respect Bayern Munich, but we want to go to the next step and that's our goal."

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