Pep Guardiola has officially announced his departure from Manchester City, with his final game coming tomorrow at home to Aston Villa. Enzo Maresca is in line to succeed Pep, with reports circulating that the former Chelsea boss is already drawing up his summer transfer window plans for Man City. Despite all this, speculation still mounted (because of course it did) that Vincent Kompany could be the potential successor.
The Bayern Munich boss and Man City legend is not, we repeat not, a candidate for the gig.
Championship Sunday FYIs
Aston Villa at Manchester City
Kickoff: Sunday May 24, 4pm BST, Etihad Stadium, Manchester, UK
Team News for Both Sides: go here
Standing:
Manchester City- clinched second place
Aston Villa- Clinched UEFA Champions League qualification in two ways, by winning the Europa League title and finishing in the top five.
From either side, it’s just not going to happen…but someday down the line?
Following in Pep’s footsteps is going to be very difficult, for anybody. After all, the club literally announced on Friday that they are both naming a stand in the stadum after him, and building a statue in his honor.
However, getting the gig after the guy who succeeds Pep, now that’s an entirely different animal, and a much easier place to be; probably.
Kompany is only 40-years-old, but he’s already won the Bundesliga, as Bayern Munich manager, twice.
He’s also won the EFL Championship as boss of Burnley. As a player, he won the Premier League four times with City, to go along with two FA Cups and four EFL Cups. So he’s a proven winner.
Micah Richards, now an Analyst for CBS Sports, played with Kompany for seven seasons.
Richards was a part of CBS Sports’ virtual media session previewing the upcoming UEFA Champions League Final, and The Sports Bank participated in it.
During the call, Richards was asked about the potential of Kompany to potentially follow in Pep’s footsteps someday.
“I don’t want to start comparing him to Pep, that’s a different level, but I think you got to look at where he started,” said Richards.
“He started at Burnley, and he got them up from the championship, playing incredible football, but let’s not forget he got relegated with Burnley as well, trying to play the same way.
“So it’s a little bit of a risk taking him to Bayern, but I just thought it was a great appointment, because young managers playing that way, it’s very brave to play attacking football, but he also had the players to do that, and the players that he was managing to buy into it, because what he’s done at Bayern has been fantastic.”
Richards went on to say that he believed Kompany could have dialed back the attacking style a bit, in Bayern’s UCL semifinal loss to reigning holders Paris Saint-Germain. However, other than that, he was just full of praise for Kompany.
“In terms of his progress, I’ve got nothing but love and admiration for the guy, in terms of what he’s doing,” Richards continued.
“I always knew he had the IQ to do it, but saying he’s going to do it and doing it are two different things, and he certainly is doing it.
“So, yes, I’m not gonna compare him to Pep right now, but what I will say is that hopefully he’ll come to Man City.
“I know Maresca has been linked with the job if Pep leaves, but he needs to come home at some stage, and he is not now an elite manager, but he will be an elite manager without doubt.”
Paul M. Banks is the Founding Editor of The Sports Bank. He’s also the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He currently contributes to USA Today’s NFL Wires Network, Ratings and RG. His past bylines include the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune. His work has been featured in numerous outlets, including the Wall Street Journal, Forbes and the Washington Post.