Vincent Kompany asked Pep Guardiola stop insisting that he will one day take over as Manchester City manager.
Kompany will be in the opponent’s bunker at the Etihad Stadium for the first time on Saturday, when he summits the Championship. Burnley Side faces Premier League champions in FA Cup quarterfinals, but City boss Guardiola tipped Belgian to replace him in the future.
Shortly after the FA Cup draw had matched the two clubs earlier in the month, Guardiola said it was Kompany’s “fate” to manage City, reiterating that view on Friday, saying he was “more convinced” after taking a closer look at Burnley. would never be.
“He should stop saying that!” Kompany said with a laugh. “I’m a Championship manager, I don’t know what you want from me!
First of all, I think he should stay at Manchester City for another 10 years. Secondly, City is racing to win the Champions League and we are racing to win the Championship, so I don’t think that kind of talk makes sense.
“They need to have the best manager in the world. I understand that the problem comes because I have a connection to the club, but I also want to be extremely respectful of the club I’m managing, so I don’t want to respond to any speculation and it’s not speculation because it’s too far-fetched.
“This club means everything to me. I want this club to get better.”
Kompany certainly benefited from what he learned from his own coaching under Guardiola, but conceded that much of it was very useful in the very different environment of the Championship.
“Pep has always been very connected with ex-players who have moved to the other side of the game,” he said.
“He has helped a lot of former players after coaching them. I’m no different, but I went to the Championship.
“I’m still going to talk to him and have a glass of red wine after the game but I have to deal with my problems in the Championship, balls in the channels, headers and throw-ins, I’m not saying it’s a different sport but in the Championship you have to find your own solutions.
First of all, I think he should stay at Manchester City for another 10 years. Secondly, City is racing to win the Champions League and we are racing to win the Championship, so I don’t think that kind of talk makes any sense.
Vincent Kompany
“The people I’ve spoken to are people who have been promoted from the Championship like Steve Cooper of Nottingham Forest, Scott Parker at Bournemouth.”
Kompany cut off lines of communication with friends and former teammates in the City locker room this week, and spent Tuesday evening viewing video clips of midweek rivals Hull rather than watching City’s 7-0 Champions League win over Leipzig.
But after Kompany’s 11-year stint at the club, the connections remain deep, even if one doubts that his inside knowledge of how Guardiola and his team work will be so helpful on Saturday evening.
“To Championship teams that have gone to Etihad in the past, you can give them the team and tactics and they still go through the toughest challenge they’ve ever faced,” he said. “My only goal is to do our best.”