“I really believe we have players in the squad right now who one day will be the next Jack Grealish and win trophies,” says Burnley head coach Vincent Kompany boldly.
The Belgian is speaking at the launch of Mission to Burnley, a fly-on-the-wall documentary about the club’s return to the Premier League as Championship winners, which airs on Sky Sports on Friday.
In the episodes, we see how Kompany overhauls the Burnley squad and playing style and, working closely with the likes of chairman Alan Pace, transforms the direction of the club.
It offers an intriguing insight into how Kompany coaches. But at the heart of his methods is a belief in the players the club recruited during a huge turnover following their relegation in 2022, and commitment to the power of high standards and hard work on the training field.
Vincent Kompany led Burnley to the Championship title in his first season in charge
“[These players with potential are] with us right now and we have a chance to make them better quicker – and if they get better quicker with us then maybe we might be able to enjoy a little bit of that more prosperous time with them,” he says.
“That’s my goal. And then creating a team and culture around it to give us a foundation to build.
“I’m not thinking about struggling or not struggling [in the Premier League] but that in our way have a bit of fun and win games our way.”
Kompany speaks with an assurance of someone who won the big honours as a player with Manchester City. But during last season he also showed he can coach to a standard perhaps beyond the expectations of a young manager in just his second job.
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Vincent Kompany says Burnley are still playing catch-up in their transfer dealings this summer and he cannot wait for the opening game against Manchester City.
During the documentary, his work can be seen to rapidly reap rewards, his authority command respect and his ambition raise the level of those around him. But his work at Burnley is far from done.
“My goal every day is to see if there’s something more, to keep progressing,” he says when asked about the legacy he wants to leave at Burnley. “I said last year when we finished first, we were 21st in English football.
“I’d like to see how far up we can take the club and give people hope we can get better.”
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Vincent Kompany enjoyed some title-winning celebrations at Ewood Park!
Kompany has bought into the values of Burnley Football Club and he hopes the documentary reflects that he and his staff are working with the ethos shared by the local community.
“You get a long way in this part of the North West by working hard and being honest,” he says. “There’s a lot of good, honest people working their socks off [at Burnley].
“You’ll always get people wanting to do you well with that approach and we have that.”
Mission to Burnley went behind the scenes with Kompany and the club during their Championship-winning season
Since joining the club last summer, it has been an upward trajectory for Kompany and Burnley. But chairman Pace has been running the organisation since December 2020 and felt both the highs and lows of recent seasons.
Pace’s father was a Church of the Latter-Day Saints missionary to Burnley and, when Pace was young, encouraged his son to spend time living in the region if he got the chance.
During the documentary, there is a scene where he is met by some young fans who note he “was responsible” for the club’s relegation. It is some of the tamer criticism he has received during a turbulent time for the Clarets.
“To have people come up to the directors’ box on their way out, almost charge at the box, and yell and scream and tell you to F-Off and go die, I don’t think people are ready for that. I wasn’t,” says Pace.
“The hardest part is being with family when people say to go home. Well this is home. I don’t know what they’re really saying.
“We made the conscious effort when that happened to leave after a while because it wasn’t a good environment from that perspective.
“I’d say it’s way, way, way better when things are going well. Because then everyone is very respectful, very kind and I have to say for a number of those same people to have then come up and apologised, which I’d never have expected or asked for, has been amazing.”
The atmosphere at the club, hand-in-hand with their fortunes on the pitch, has turned around. As Kompany, Pace and their players prepare for their toughest mission yet, the documentary details how they got here.
What are the key dates for the 2023/24 season?
The Premier League season will kick-off on the weekend of August 11-13 and conclude nine months later on May 19 2024.
A mid-season player break will take place between January 14-20 and, in order to address the congested schedule across Christmas and New Year, no two rounds in this period will take place within 48 hours of each other.
Meanwhile, the Carabao Cup final will take place on Sunday February 25, the Europa League final will be held in Dublin on May 22 and the Champions League final will be played at Wembley Stadium on June 1.