Tag Futebol

Bayern Munich manager Vincent Kompany revealed that he remains in regular contact with Manchester City coach Pep Guardiola. The Belgian, who played under Guardiola during his time at City, credited the the Spanish coach with playing a key role in his promising career and said their relationship continues to be strong.

• Kompany's mentorship under guardiola

  Kompany joined Manchester City in 2008 and went on to spend 11 successful years at the club, becoming one of its most iconic captains. During his time in Manchester, he played under several managers, but it was under Guardiola, between 2016 and 2019, that his tactical understanding of the game reached new heights. Kompany made 62 appearances under Guardiola, scoring six goals and providing two assists, while playing a key role in City’s dominant era. Together, they won back-to-back Premier League titles in 2017-18 and 2018-19, along with the FA Cup in 2019.

  Guardiola’s focus on positional play, ball control and tactical flexibility had a strong influence on Kompany. His current coaching style shows that impact, as he uses a similar system based on structured build up play, fluid attacking movements, and disciplined pressing. These principles have shaped the way he manages his teams.

Advertisement

• AFP
  

  Kompany confirms 'regular contact' with Guardiola

  "Pep played a very important role in my career as a player and my development as a coach," Kompany said at a press conference when asked about his current relationship with the Catalan coach. "He is currently busy getting back to the top of the Premier League, we are in regular contact and get along well."

  After finishing a disappointing third in the Premier League by City’s lofty standards in the 2024-25 season, Guardiola's team are currently second, six points behind league leaders Arsenal. 

• Bayern's resurgence under Kompany

  Bayern's incredible start to the season continues, with the team winning all 16 of their matches across all competitions so far. Their flawless run has caught the attention of many, with Koln coach Lukas Kwasniok declaring Bayern strong contenders for the treble this season. Much of the team’s success has been attributed to Kompany’s distinctive style of play, which emphasises perseverance, sacrifice and collective responsibility. His approach has revitalised several players, most notably star striker Harry Kane and midfielder Konrad Laimer, both of whom have thrived under his leadership.

  Kane has maintained his scoring consistency, while Laimer has earned widespread praise for his tireless work rate and tactical intelligence. Kompany’s man management and commitment to discipline have brought unity and balance to Bayern’s squad. Bayern and France defender Dayot Upamecano has experienced a resurgence under Kompany after struggling for consistency under former coaches Julian Nagelsmann and Thomas Tuchel. The French centre-back has openly praised Kompany, calling him an example to follow both on and off the pitch.

  In a recent interview, Upamecano said: “We all watched him when we were young; he was a legend for Belgium and Manchester City. He was a very aggressive defender in duels, a leader on the pitch too, a good example for me. He helps me a lot; we do a lot of videos, he talks to me about my positioning. With him, it's always very intense.”

ENJOYED THIS STORY?

Add GOAL.com as a preferred source on Google to see more of our reporting

• Getty Images Sport
  

  Kompany's pursuit of Guardiola's record

  Bayern will travel to face Union Berlin on Saturday as they look to continue their perfect start to the season. A win would see Kompany equal his mentor Guardiola’s record of 10 consecutive victories in his first 10 Bundesliga matches of a campaign, a milestone the former Barcelona boss set during the 2015-16 season. They are already five points clear of nearest challengers RB Leipzig.

  Bayern fans will be eager to see star striker Kane continue his fine form and get on the scoresheet once again against a team sitting 10th in the table and coming off the back of a goalless draw against Freiburg. With Bayern already showing remarkable consistency and confidence under Kompany, another win would further underline their dominance and strengthen their status as favourites for the Bundesliga title.

Newcastle United had midfield star Bruno Guimaraes to thank yet again on Saturday as the dependable Brazilian bailed his inconsistent Premier League team out once more.

Without the South American popping up with a last-ditch effort, the Magpies would have likely had to make do with a disappointing share of the points versus Fulham.

In the right place, at the right time, to sneak an effort home after a William Osula shot nearly caught Bernd Leno out, Guimaraes has only further cemented his reputation as a Newcastle “talisman” with his heroic moment, as Match of the Day pundit Michael Carrick glowingly labelled him when assessing the dramatic 2-1 win.

Away from the beloved Toon captain, though, it isn’t entirely rosy in the Newcastle midfield ranks at the moment, with Joelinton showing visible signs of rust.

Joelinton's decline at Newcastle

When looking over some of Newcastle’s recent, modern greats, Guimaraes’ fellow compatriot is surely right at the top of the list as one of the Toon’s most loved talents.

Indeed, the £40m battler has now tallied up a mammoth 232 games for Howe’s men, with 31 goals and 21 assists also coming his way, per Transfermarkt. Still, Newcastle won’t want to be bogged down by living in the past too much, with the number seven looking to be “nowhere near his best” so far this campaign, according to Magpies-based reporter Mark Douglas.

It has been a sad decline for the 29-year-old so far this campaign, with both Sandro Tonali and the aforementioned Guimaraes remaining at the very peak of their powers. In stark contrast, Joelinton doesn’t even have a single goal or assist next to his name so far this season in the Premier League, after collecting a weighty seven goal contributions last campaign.

Eddie Howe is clearly frustrated with his stalwart’s drop-off in form, having hooked Joelinton off at the half-time mark against Brighton and Hove Albion in the middle of October. Moreover, while Guimaraes stole the limelight versus Marco Silva’s men, his waning counterpart only managed to muster up one weak effort on Leno’s net.

He did win ten duels, in all fairness, but with Joelinton edging towards being 30 years of age next year, it could soon be an apt time for Newcastle to be on the hunt for some more midfield reinforcements, with the likes of Joe Willock, too, in reserve no longer cut out for the bright lights of the top-flight.

Rumours are circulating that Howe and Co. have their eye on one particular EFL star to boost their midfield options, as a dream Joelinton heir is potentially in the works.

Newcastle plot move for special star

Ross Wilson will view January as the perfect time to try and tie down some of the Toon’s best assets, as well, with talk now centring on the new Newcastle sporting director attempting to iron out an extended contract for Guimaraes.

Reports also suggest that Middlesbrough star Hayden Hackney is on the agenda, with TBR Football recently revealing that the Premier League outfit is monitoring the tenacious Boro ace ahead of a potential January move, alongside top-flight rivals Tottenham Hotspur, Manchester United, and Crystal Palace.

If Newcastle are searching for fresh blood to eventually replace Joelinton, they would strike gold in landing Hackney, with the “special” 23-year-old – as he was once labelled by analyst Ben Mattinson – very much capable of a fierce strike like the relentless Brazilian, as seen in this superb effort being rifled home last season.

With 111 Championship appearances now under his belt, and with two goals and two assists heading his way this season for Rob Edwards’ men, it really does feel as if Hackney might be the revamp Howe and Co. need centrally, so they don’t have to depend on a diminishing Joelinton as much.

Hackney’s league numbers for Boro (25/26)

Stat – per 90 mins*

Hackney

Games played

12

Goals scored

2

Assists

2

Touches*

80.4

Accurate passes*

52.0 (87%)

Key passes*

1.7

Ball recoveries*

5.3

Total duels won*

4.1

Stats by Sofascore

Staring at the above table in great detail further shows off Hackney’s obvious similarities to those of Joelinton, with 5.3 ball recoveries averaged per Championship clash definitely backing up Edwards’ claims that his number seven is a talent with “loads of energy”.

At his Toon prime, that was what Joelinton was very much known for. Yet, he pales in comparison here right now, with only 3.9 ball recoveries averaged on his end in the league above.

Of course, it’s a risk to assume that Hackney will immediately be as forceful in the Premier League. But, it could be a gamble worth exploring, rather than holding out hope on Joelinton returning to his intimidating peak.

Related Newcastle star who's in “form of his life” is as undroppable as Guimaraes

This Newcastle United star has now made himself as undroppable as Bruno Guimaraes after another fine display on Saturday.

Posts ByKelan Sarson Oct 26, 2025

In stark contrast to the last international break, there is a genuine feel-good atmosphere around Arsenal at the moment.

Instead of going into the long break off the back of a devastating loss at Anfield, the Gunners are sitting pretty at the top of the Premier League table thanks to a routine win over West Ham United and Chelsea scoring a last-minute winner to take all three points off Liverpool.

Moreover, there is now talk of the Emirates’ capacity being expanded in the not-too-distant future, and in yet more good news, David Raya is reportedly getting a pay rise to reflect his importance to the squad.

The Spaniard more than deserves his new terms, but he isn’t the only player in Mikel Arteta’s squad who should be getting a new contract.

Why Raya deserves a pay rise

Interestingly, while reports about Raya’s new payment terms mention the inclusion of an optional year in his contract, it is quite clear that this new deal does not actually increase the number of standard years the Spaniard has left at the club.

That might sound rather odd to some, and there is certainly an argument to be made that it is, but there are a few reasons why this pay rise more than makes sense.

Firstly, unlike when the former Brentford ace was first signed and there was an element of doubt over who would be the club’s starting goalkeeper between him and Aaron Ramsdale, he is now clearly one of the first names on the team sheet.

Therefore, it’s only right that his wage reflects his true importance to the squad. At the £100k-per-week he was earning before these new terms, he was making less than 14 other players, including Mikel Merino, Gabriel Martinelli, and Noni Madueke.

Second, in addition to starting most games for the side, the 30-year-old is undoubtedly one of the very best in his position in the Premier League, if not Europe.

For example, he’s won the league’s Golden Glove award in both of the last two seasons, and according to FBref, he sits in the top 4% of keepers in Europe’s top five leagues for percentage of crosses stopped, the top 7% for clean sheets, the top 8% for save percentage and more, all per 90.

Finally, from a purely social perspective, it keeps him happy and shows the other players that consistent results will be rewarded, which in turn helps foster a better atmosphere.

Goals Against

0.78

Top 2%

Post-Shot Expected Goals

0.92

Top 4%

Crosses Stopped %

12.5%

Top 4%

Clean Sheets

0.39

Top 7%

Clean Sheet Percentage

39.2%

Top 7%

Save Percentage

76.2%

Top 8%

Def. Actions Outside Pen. Area

1.78

Top 10%

Crosses Stopped

1.25

Top 14%

With all that said, there is another player in the squad who deserves the same treatment.

The Arsenal star who deserves a raise like Raya

The good thing for Arteta and Arsenal is that, following the slew of new deals agreed in the summer, there aren’t many players who’d be able to claim they’re currently underpaid in the squad.

Chalkboard

Football FanCast’s Chalkboard series presents a tactical discussion from around the global game.

However, there is one international who could make that argument, someone who at the very least deserves a raise, if not a new deal: Jurrien Timber.

Yes, the former Ajax gem, who joined the club for around £38m in the summer of 2023, is the player perhaps most deserving of new terms at the moment, and based on reports this month, it does seem like he may soon get them.

Being a right-back, and one that doesn’t tend to bomb forward as much as a Trent Alexander-Arnold or Jermaine Frimpong, means the Dutchman doesn’t always get the recognition he deserves from the wider footballing community.

But since recovering from his ACL injury, which ruled him out for pretty much the entirety of the 23/24 season, the 24-year-old has been incredible, and this season his performances are making him harder and harder to overlook.

Like Declan Rice in midfield and Bukayo Saka on the wing, the monstrous defender very rarely, if ever, puts in a less than a 7/10 performance and more often than not does better than that.

In the words of Arsenal podcaster Adam Keys, he’s like a “dementor for wingers” thanks to his brilliant anticipation, footballing IQ and surprising physicality. Yet, especially this season, he has also been improving his attacking play, with the performance against Newcastle United arguably his best offensive display since joining the club.

Unsurprisingly, the Utrecht-born titan’s underlying numbers from this season more than back up the eye-test and prove that he’s hitting a level few other full-backs can.

According to FBref, he sits in the top 2% of full-backs in the Premier League for actual and expected non-penalty goals, shot-creating actions, progressive passes and tackles, the top 7% for total shots and pass completion, the top 11% for touches in the opposition’s penalty area and more, all per 90.

Goals

0.34

Top 2%

Goals + Assists

0.52

Top 2%

Non-Penalty Goals

0.34

Top 2%

xG: Expected Goals

0.31

Top 2%

npxG: Non-Penalty xG

0.31

Top 2%

Progressive Passes

6.38

Top 2%

Shots on Target

0.86

Top 2%

Passes into Penalty Area

2.07

Top 2%

Through Balls

0.86

Top 2%

Shot-Creating Actions

3.28

Top 2%

SCA (Shot)

0.69

Top 2%

GCA (Shot)

0.17

Top 2%

GCA (Fouls Drawn)

0.17

Top 2%

Tackles Won

2.41

Top 2%

Tackles (Mid 3rd)

1.55

Top 2%

Tackles (Att 3rd)

1.03

Top 2%

Tkl+Int

5.34

Top 2%

Touches (Att 3rd)

23.10

Top 2%

Penalty Kicks Won

0.17

Top 2%

Ultimately, considering all factors, it’s hard to disagree with respected analyst Ben Mattinson’s claim that Timber is “one of the best Emirates-era signings.”

Therefore, like Raya, he should be getting a pay rise as soon as possible, or better yet, a new contract altogether.

Big-money Berta signing could already be on borrowed time at Arsenal

Kai Havertz’s impending return is bad news for one player at Arsenal.

ByBen Gray Oct 8, 2025

It was the Ballon d’Or ceremony last night, but it was an underwhelming show from an Arsenal perspective – at least the men’s team.

Unlike last year, when four players from the club made it into the final 30, there was only one representative for the Gunners on the list last night: Declan Rice.

However, with the team’s development and the club’s long-term ambitions, there may well be more stars who make that list in the coming seasons.

Moreover, there is even a certain talent within the squad who could end up being Arsenal’s first winner of the award, and no, we aren’t talking about the incredible Bukayo Saka.

Arsenal stars at the Ballon d'Or

So to find the first Arsenal player to feature on a final Ballon d’Or list, we have to go back to 1979, when Liam Brady was nominated and finished seventh after helping the club win the FA Cup and becoming the first foreign player to win the PFA Players’ Player of the Year.

Things really began to pick up in the 1990s, with David Seaman, Marc Overmars, and Kanu all picking up won nomination each, while Dennis Bergkamp finished fourth in 1997 and eighth the following year.

Moving into the 2000s, we get to the man most would consider to be the Gunners’ greatest ever player: Thierry Henry.

Unsurprisingly, then, the Frenchman was a regular feature on Ballon d’Or lists during his pomp.

In fact, the multiple Premier League winner would feature on every list from 2000 to 2007 and came closest to winning the whole thing in 2003 when he finished second to Pavel Nedved.

Moreover, while the Juventus star was a brilliant player, many still believe it should have been the Les Ulis-born superstar who won the award that year.

It would be Cesc Fàbregas who’d be the club’s best representative in the competition when Henry left, earning five nominations between 2007 and 2011 before leaving for Barcelona himself.

Since 2012, only ten players have been nominated for the Gunners in the final, with four of those coming last year and two the year before.

In other words, Arsenal are finally starting to see their players recognised by the rest of the world again, and we have a feeling they may also have a future winner in their midst, and no, we are not talking about Saka.

Arsenal's future Ballon d'Or winner

So, it should be said that, given his performances over the last few years and the fact he still put up 26 goal involvements in an injury-riddled campaign last season, there is every chance Saka could find himself holding the Ballon d’Or one day.

Chalkboard

Football FanCast’s Chalkboard series presents a tactical discussion from around the global game.

However, in this instance, the potential future winner we’re thinking of is none other than Max Dowman.

Yes, while it’s still absurdly early in the teenager’s career to be talking about such things, it remains true that it feels as if the sky is the limit for what he could achieve in the game.

After all, it’s hard to think of a 15-year-old ever being as highly rated as he is in the Premier League, and on top of that, he’s been compared to Lamine Yamal, who many predict to win at least one Ballon d’Or in his career.

For example, respected talent scout Jacek Kulig has made the bold claim that he is the “most exciting prospect” he has seen “since Lamine Yamal.”

It’s not hard to see why Kulig would say such a thing when you take a look at the Hale Ender’s numbers from last season.

In just 23 appearances across a number of youth teams, totalling 1945 minutes, he scored 19 times and provided five assists for good measure.

Appearances

23

Minutes

1945′

Goals

19

Assists

5

Goal Involvements per Match

1.04

Minutes per Goal Involvement

81.04′

In other words, the “ridiculous” phenomenon, as dubbed by analyst Ben Mattinson, averaged 1.04 goal involvements per match, or one every 81.04 minutes.

Moreover, he has already made several appearances for the first team, including two competitive ones, in which he earned an assist for winning a penalty when Leeds United couldn’t stop him without fouling him.

Finally, Arteta and Co. decided to include him in the Champions League squad this year, so if he makes an appearance before the turn of the year, he’ll be the youngest player to ever grace the competition – not even Yamal had that record.

Ultimately, while it is really too early to be talking about things like this, it genuinely feels like Arsenal have a world-class superstar in the making in Dowman, and therefore someone who could one day win the Ballon d’Or.

Sold for £1m: Arsenal thought they had Foden 2.0 in Hale End's "best ever"

The young talent was supposed to be Arsenal’s next superstar.

1 ByJack Salveson Holmes Sep 23, 2025