Bayern expert warns Kompany: „Too many cooks can be problematic“ | OneFootball

Ex-Bayern co-coach Michael Henke warns against bloated coaching staffs at FC Bayern following the Fradley transfer

FC Bayern is consistently pushing ahead with the professionalization of its coaching staff. A few days ago, the Munich club signed Daniel Fradley , another assistant coach from Manchester City. The 35-year-old Englishman will join head coach Vincent Kompany’s team in the future. A move that is hardly surprising in modern top-flight soccer – but one that has also provoked criticism. Former Bayern co-coach Michael Henke has now spoken out with a clear warning

„A high level of expertise can also be counterproductive“

Henke, who worked as an assistant coach at both FC Bayern and Borussia Dortmund for many years, takes a differentiated view of the development. In an interview with ran, the 68-year-old explained: „This is in keeping with the spirit of the times. However, I would warn against inflating coaching staffs too much.“ Although it is no longer possible for a head coach to manage all tasks alone, size is not automatically a sign of quality. „If a coaching staff becomes too large and does not harmonize one hundred percent, then even a high level of expertise can become counterproductive,“ said Henke

At FC Bayern, Kompany’s staff has grown enormously in the meantime. With Fradley, the direct coaching team comprises eight assistants, plus analysts, athletic trainers, rehabilitation experts, physiotherapists, team managers and equipment managers. In total, the Belgian works with a functional team of more than 20 people – a clear sign of how much professional soccer has changed

Different in the past, but no less successful

photo: IMAGO

Henke knows this change from his own experience. Between 1998 and 2004 as well as 2007/08, he was assistant coach at FC Bayern, and before that for almost a decade at BVB. „When I was assistant coach, there was a head coach, me as assistant, no goalkeeping coach, no fitness coach, a masseur and a bus driver who was also the equipment manager,“ Henke recalls. And yet titles were won: two Champions League victories and several championships speak for themselves

From Henke’s perspective, the role of the assistant coach has also changed fundamentally. „I used to be the head coach’s closest confidant. We worked as a duo, almost like a married couple,“ he says, describing the way things worked back then. Today, everything is more fragmented, more specialized – but also more complex

Despite his cautionary words, Henke makes one thing clear: he trusts Vincent Kompany and his decisions. „For a top club like FC Bayern, that is absolutely appropriate when you are playing at the highest level on a permanent basis,“ he said. In his view, the signing of Fradley was not a snap decision, but the result of a precise analysis. „I have the impression that Kompany knows exactly what he is doing.“