Workaholic with empathy: Vincent Kompany before his tough test as Bayern coach

Chilled down to 22 degrees Celsius, room temperature. What a relief. When Bayern face Paris St. Germain in the quarterfinals of the Club World Cup on Saturday (6 p.m. CET, Sat.1 & DAZN live), the Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta will be set to a comfortable 22 degrees Celsius, according to FIFA. Thanks to air conditioning and a retractable roof. A blessing – for the players and the fans.

It's conceivable that PSG will be more focused on possession in this match and will therefore want to control the game. Perhaps Luis Enrique (55), the French coach for two years, will also leave the ball to Bayern to find their way in transition. The PSG collective poses a tricky challenge for his rival Vincent Kompany (39), the toughest one currently in club football.

The Belgian will approach it calmly – outwardly. Internally, at the base camp in Orlando, one sees a completely different Vincent Kompany. The one known from his first season at Säbener Straße. Someone who approaches training and match preparation with the utmost meticulousness. He personally scrutinized the preliminary round clash between Benfica Lisbon and Boca Juniors in Miami, both of which were Bayern's group opponents. He accepted the stress of traveling along Florida's Turnpike.

No detail should remain hidden from him and his coaching staff. They don't want to be accused of anything, even from outsiders. Kompany approaches his players, jokes with them, and even hugs them. A workaholic with empathy. The fact that he occasionally joins them for training and demonstrates his (only slightly faded) class as a central defender in one-on-one duels with the first team impresses the "boys," as he calls them.

Lennart Karl (l.) and Raphaël Guerreiro have fun during training.

Source: Sven Hoppe/dpa

And how does the family man relax away from his loved ones? "For me, it feels like the days are short," said Kompany during the World Cup, "luckily I love my job. I work a lot, I like it. It's nothing out of the ordinary." After the easy 10-0 opening win against Auckland City's amateurs, he took part in the Disney World tour in Orlando. "You mustn't forget: We're all just human." It was fun, too, even though Kompany had to be forced to be happy ("It was good and the right decision"). This speaks volumes about the good relationship between the team, coaching staff, and head coach.

His players spent their free time in the quarters with a mix of relaxation and casual exercise, such as putting on the golf green, playing table tennis, or a round of teqball. "The boys also need to relax sometimes; that's very important in a tournament like this. When you're together for several weeks, the days get long," said Kompany, who expects full focus and discipline during the training sessions. His interim conclusion: "Everyone's doing very well so far. And if that's true, then I know the team is ready for the next game." As was evident in the 4-2 win in the round of 16 against Flamengo from Rio de Janeiro.

For all clubs and their coaches, the Club World Cup, held for the first time in this format, is a new experience. A club team is never together for so many weeks at training camps (maximum one to ten days). The former defensive leader of the Belgian national team and all the international players in the squad have only experienced this at a European Championship or World Cup. This time, it's at the club level. "We're well-rehearsed and are therefore working on the details here," Kompany analyzed. "With a national team, it's more about the basics."

By reaching the quarterfinals and beating Boca Juniors (2-1) and Flamengo, Kompany has essentially already fulfilled its sporting targets – including the bosses' associated financial expectations. So far, the club has earned nearly €49 million in FIFA bonuses. Given the elimination of giants like Manchester City and Champions League finalist Inter Milan, reaching the last eight represents more than just the minimum goal.

Would a win against PSG mark Kompany's greatest triumph on the Bayern bench to date? The fact that he calmed the club down through his efforts and broke the dominance of double-winner Bayer Leverkusen is highly credited to him by the bosses. The narrow quarterfinal exit against Inter, in which key regulars and a lack of cleverness were missing, was dismissed internally as "unfortunate."

If his Bayern now defeat PSG on the world stage of the Club World Cup, that would enormously raise the hurdle for expulsion if things don't go so well in the future.