Vincent Kompany interview: Burnley manager on complacency, Sean Dyche, his young stars and inspiration | Football News

With a 16-point lead in third place with 19 games to play this season, it would be easy for Burnley to be dissatisfied with their position, and could be planning for the Premier League.

However, the reason he is where he is, is because Vincent Kompany will not allow that to happen.

“My blood boils just hearing the word satisfaction,” he said Sky Sports, after picking up the Sky Bet Championship Manager of the Month award for December. “It was very difficult for me to accept as a human being.

“I think complacency is the biggest threat to our game and the way we play now.

“Sean Dyche was here before me and this club is always tough and has a natural aggressiveness about the players. Grit is something that is important, and I want to do this just to see how we can do more. It’s part of what we do.

“It has helped us a lot in our transition.”

And some transitions have already taken place. In terms of playing style you can throw everything you know about Burnley out the window.

Kompany’s side is attacking, possession-based, full of talent, passion and goals. They have won seven in a row and will surely bounce back after relegation.

A slow-ish start filled with a lot of draws – seven in the first 12 – has been replaced with an even win almost. They have only dropped points twice in their last 15 Championship matches.

Kompany has a smile when he speaks, but also an aura of steel. The drive that took him to the top as a player did not elude him as a manager. There is a desire to be the best that has rubbed off on his players.

Success breeds success. And he will not let his squad to achieve their goals.

“I’m very happy,” he said. “I’m never satisfied.

“I feel comfortable that the team will improve and progress, so it is understandable because there are many new players coming in.

“But I still think he can get better, and that’s what we’re looking for every day. If he’s not coachable and willing to improve, then I might not like it, but he’s done well in that aspect.

“I can’t score goals for anybody. I can’t keep goals either. I’m just sitting here in appreciation for what the players have done. All the credit goes to them. I just want this to continue. .”

We could sit here all day and talk about the players Kompany has brought in this season who have impressed.

The likes of Anass Zaroury, Manuel Benson and Vitinho who he recruited from his knowledge of the Belgian market after his time in his previous role at Anderlecht are some of the standout examples, while a trio of loanees from the Premier League in Nathan Tella, Ian Maatsen and Taylor Harwood-Bellis has also proven to be pivotal.

Maatsen is a 20-year-old Dutch left-back from Chelsea who is likely to start for the Blues now because of all the problems in the position, but he excelled in the Championship – and Kompany feels he is on the right side. point for its development.

“Ian did what he had to do,” Kompany said. “With his stature, he doesn’t make the game about what other players want, it’s about his abilities and tools.

“He is part of a list of very strong players who have done well for us this season. The ingredients are always the same. tell him and finally learn from his mistakes. He has to be willing to work hard, he did well, and get better .

“He’s just transformed into what we want him to be. He’s a versatile full-back with a lot of energy and great potential.”

Alongside Maatsen is another 20-year-old defender in Harwood-Bellis, on loan from Manchester City and an England U21 international who can’t be far off Gareth Southgate’s radar.

“For his age as a centre-back in the league to be physically like this, and to have the consistency of the performances he’s had, that’s something that speaks volumes about his talent and potential,” Kompany said. “It’s not easy to do and you don’t have to respect it.

“I’ve known him since he was young, and as long as he keeps going, he’s going to have a bright future in the game. I’m just happy to help a little bit.”

It must have been an inspiration for Harwood-Bellis to play under a manager he watched growing up. Both joined Manchester City in 2008, although Harwood-Bellis was then just six and Kompany was 22.

The Clarets boss spent his formative years in Belgium and then in the Bundesliga, but would consider himself a crack at the second tier if the opportunity presented itself.

“I said before I was a Championship player at heart! I just have a little more ability, which helps me get more,” Kompany said.

“There’s nothing in this league that I don’t like as a centre-back. This championship is entertaining. There’s nothing else out there. To be honest, it’s unpredictable.

“It always looks easy because we get a lot of points, but it’s the opposite. Every game is a challenge, and there’s no real difference between the top and bottom teams. It’s very difficult, and I expect it to be the same until the end of the season.”

Another aspect of the second tier that Kompany has enjoyed immensely is the camaraderie between the other managers – even noting this season’s incredible turnover.

Anyone who can call Pep Guardiola for managerial advice has already got a lot from his Championship teammates.

“I’m starting to get more inspiration from other places than I thought,” he says. “Pep has always been a point of reference for me, and a starting point, but I can talk to a lot of managers.

“There’s a real environment here where there’s a lot more support among managers than you might think from the outside.

“So I spoke to the manager before I went to the Championship, and I spoke to the manager in the Championship who gave me tips on how to do my job in this league. I’m very open about it.”

Kompany may enjoy life in the Championship, but the nature of the league is that the more successful you are the less time you get.

It is unlikely that they will stay for very long, but, even if you try to ask questions about the future, they will not be ahead of you in any way.

Doing things like that is what brings satisfaction. And he didn’t want his blood to boil again.

“I don’t want to set too high a target or ceiling,” he said. “You just have to keep getting better and we’ll see.

“If we will put a target at the beginning of the season we have said mid-table, just because of the problems we have to endure in the summer. But it has become a little better since then, and we want to continue to improve from that.

“But I will not let people pin us down for random benchmarks. We still have 19 games to play. Ask me that question again in three or four months, if we are even in the running.

“What I will tell you is how to win the next game.

Even against West Brom on Friday night – alive Sky Sports Soccer – it will be very hard to back down against Kompany’s winning machine from continuing to rise to promotion.