MY ACCOUNT
Kolo Toure believes working under Pep Guardiola was the perfect crash course in management for Vincent Kompany.
Former Manchester City captain Kompany has enjoyed a fine season in charge of Burnley, leading the Clarets straight back to the Premier League and the Championship title.
Kompany, 37, left City in 2019 to become player-manager of Anderlecht.
He joined Burnley last year, and his success at Turf Moor has seen him become one of the most highly coveted young managers, with Tottenham reportedly interested in taking him to north London.
Kompany’s ex-City team-mate Toure, who endured a difficult, short spell as Wigan Athletic boss earlier in the 2022-23 campaign, always felt the Belgian would go onto big things in management.
“You could feel that [he would be a manager],” Toure told Stats Perform.
“Vincent has everything. He has the manager skill. I could see it already as a player. Even when he wasn’t captain you could see he had a great relationship with players.
“A great relationship with the fans, a great relationship with the media, and a great relationship with the owners.
“He’s always been somebody who is very intelligent, somebody who can connect with people very easily and speaks both languages really, really well. And he prepared himself very well.”
Kompany played under Guardiola for three years of his 11-season stint at City, and Toure believes the Spaniard was the perfect teacher to learn from.
“I think for me what is the best thing that happened to him is to be able to play and be managed by Pep Guardiola because he learned from Pep, and Pep is an unbelievable manager,” Toure said.
“What he’s been learning under him is incredibly great in that’s what he’s showing really there. Of course, he has a little bit of detail that is putting on the way he wants this team to play. But when you look at his team, he is taking that from Pep Guardiola, definitely.”
Toure’s first foray into management was not quite as successful as Toure’s endeavours; he lasted just 59 days in charge of Wigan.
He failed to win any of his nine games and left Wigan with the club sat bottom of the Championship. They were relegated on Saturday.
Toure, though, is keen to carry on in coaching.
“I would say that it was a great learning moment for me because, during my career as a player, I never experienced fighting for relegation. When the opportunity came, I took it because, for me, it was a great opportunity to start my managerial career,” he explained.
“I wanted to challenge myself because you cannot wait for the perfect moment to get the perfect job. I wanted to do that job. I found players who are top guys, and I was my mission was to change the style of play and keep the team up.
“Unfortunately, it didn’t work really because defensively we conceded so many goals, and attacking-wise we were dangerous, and we created chances but we never scored them.
“I learned, and you have to be honest, you try things with the level of players with the pressure that the players had, it wasn’t easy for them. Next time I have another opportunity, I make sure to assess the situation even better, and just try to help the team win games by taking some of the pressure out of the players.”
“I’m definitely looking for a job now,” Toure added. “I’m more hungry than ever. I’m looking forward. I’m looking to get a new job. My passion for the game is there to push players to really win games and be the best that they can be.”
