Vincent Kompany isn't wasting any time looking back. After Bayern Munich's heartbreaking Champions League semi-final exit at the hands of Paris Saint-Germain, the 40-year-old coach is already plotting his next assault on Europe's biggest prize.
"I'm already motivated for next season," Kompany said after Wednesday's 1-1 draw in Munich, which saw PSG advance 6-5 on aggregate. "I know how hard it is to win this prize and I know how much depends on details. I'm convinced we'll take another step next season."
The narrow defeat—keeping the holders' one-goal lead from a wild first leg in Paris—was a bitter pill to swallow. Ousmane Dembele stunned the Allianz Arena with a goal just 140 seconds after kick-off, and PSG showed remarkable defensive grit to match their celebrated attacking flair. Harry Kane's stoppage-time equalizer came too late to spark a full comeback, setting up a final showdown between PSG and Arsenal in Budapest.
But here's the stat that should make Bayern fans optimistic: this campaign, the German giants have lost just three of 52 games across all competitions. Two of those came away from home—against both Champions League finalists. That's elite consistency.
Kompany, a relative coaching novice in only his second season at the helm, has already accomplished something that eluded both Thomas Tuchel and Julian Nagelsmann: navigating Bayern's famously turbulent politics while building a brilliant, cohesive team. Two years ago, he was fighting relegation with Burnley in the Premier League. Now, he's molding a squad that Joshua Kimmich—a veteran of Bayern's 2020 treble-winning side—calls the best version he's seen.
"Sitting there in the dressing room, I have the feeling that it is still possible to win the Champions League with this team—just not this season," Kimmich told reporters.
Kompany's message is clear: the principles won't change, the ambition won't waver, and Bayern will "attack again" when the competition returns. For a club that measures success in European trophies, that's exactly the attitude champions are built on.