Bayern are by some distance the top scorers across Europe's top-five leagues, which is in no small part due to a shrewd tactical tweak from Kompany. The former Burnley boss prioritised possession and controlling games in his first year at the helm, but Bayern are now a far more direct team that focuses on vertical passing and explosive counter-attacks.
They are also regularly retreating into a mid-block to tempt opponents forward and open up more space in behind, particularly after they go ahead. The aim is to break quickly and incisively as soon as the ball is recovered, and the results have been devastating.
Bayern now attack with up to six players to overload the defensive line as Kompany encourages his full-backs to bomb forward. It's an aggressive, high-energy approach that you'd think would leave Bayern vulnerable to counters themselves, but that has not been the case. With so many players in close proximity when they lose the ball, Bayern rapidly close down their opponents and force mistakes.
"He brought his own hunger to a team that was perhaps a little complacent," explained Koln coach Lucas Kwasniok of "giant, real bear" Kompany following their Pokal meeting. "He instilled a distinct identity in Bayern's work against the ball – there's no room for compromise. The players are fully committed because they see that they can devour their opponents this way. They practically squeeze air out of you."
Defenders like Jonathan Tah, Konrad Laimer and Josep Stanisic are not blessed with pace, but they're very rarely exposed because so few teams are able to play through the Bayern press. There's only a small window of opportunity when it does happen, too, because Bayern bust a gut as a collective to get back into a solid shape.
Interestingly, Gnabry now stays up instead of Kane when Bayern are defending, which also makes a big difference to the rapid turnovers. Kompany has turned the team from a slinky into a coiled spring, and it's been absolutely thrilling to watch their evolution.
"It's practically impossible to beat Bayern right now," Kwasniok added. "That's the truth, because they're simply incredibly good. I've rarely seen a top team willing to invest so much. They have the unyielding will to win the treble."