Data Analysis: Vincent Kompany At Anderlecht 2019/20

In the summer of 2019, Vincent Kompany left Manchester City and the EPL after being at the club for 11 years and captaining the side to many major honours. He left to start his managerial career. The club in need of a new leader was his boyhood club Anderlecht, from where Kompany graduated from the academy and played for the first team before pursuing a playing career around Europe, including the Premier League and the 2. Bundesliga. The added interest when looking at Kompany’s managerial position at Anderlecht was the fact that he was up taking a player-manager role, a role often criticised within modern football.

This data analysis will investigate Kompany’s time at Anderlecht so far. The piece will perform an initial analysis of Anderlecht’s 2018/19 season, Kompany’s philosophy influencers, tactics, the player-manager dynamic and an appraisal of performances thus far in the season.

Anderlecht in 2018/19

Anderlecht are historically the most successful team in Belgium, holding the record for the most First Division A titles. In the 2018/19 season, Anderlecht finished the regular season period in fourth position. Whilst fourth does not seem to be a disaster by wider footballing contexts, for Anderlecht, as stated, they believe they should be winning or at least competing for the title every year. When finishing fourth, Anderlecht were 12 points behind the leaders Genk. However, during the championship period, Anderlecht’s performances and results fell lower than fourth. They won one of 10 matches, drawing three and losing six.

Overall, the poor results, combined with the less than successful change of ownership and multiple managers, Anderlecht sought a change that would take them back to their roots. Vincent Kompany, Anderlecht academy graduate, was the choice to revive the Anderlecht DNA and add some stability to the club with a three-year contract provided. With Kompany 33 years old, the decision was made for him to take the role as a player-manager, leading by example on and off the pitch, should his injuries allow.