Speaking after Manchester City’s 5-1 win away at Club Brugge, Pep Guardiola revealed that he reached out to former Blues captain Vincent Kompany for some tips on how to beat the side.
The Belgian side struggled against last years Champions League finalists and Pep’s secret agent certainly proved his worth.
"I'm sorry, I have a secret, I spoke with Vinny Kompany, he gave me some good tricks,” he said.
"I got info from him because he knows Brugge better than me and how they are. He said be careful with this, they have a good association in the final third, they have a fast central defender - but normally that happens.
“I think we made a really good performance in many aspects, that's why we could not allow them to be how they are but I know perfectly how they are."
City Is Ours team writer and presenter Alex Brotherton and editor Dom Farrell spoke to Belgian football expert Scott Coyne about how Vinny is getting on as head coach of Anderlecht.
SC: “Anderlecht obviously are a big club, a famous club. Not so much struggling at the minute but the footballing landscape has changed so much. Even in the last three to five years.
“The club find themselves in a situation where they’re the top dog in Belgian football but they’re trying to build back towards that, which takes time. The difficult thing is that financially they don’t have the means to go out and but the talent they would like.
“They’re having to rely on their academy which is probably one of the finest academies in Europe and has been for a long time. It’s quite famous and in football circles.
“They were unfortunate this season and they failed to qualify for the Europa Conference League, losing their playoff game against Vitesse Arnhem from the Netherlands. It could have gone either way.
“There’s serious talent in that squad. But, they’re losing players every 12 to 18 months, when they’d rather not. They’re selling their best players and talent often earlier than they would like in order to keep the cycle moving.
“They’re facing these small setbacks every season with a partially new squad. I think all things considered Kompany is doing well. He is being given the time and support of the club. Going out of Europe early was a big blow.
“That’s kind of been Anderlecht’s profile and they’ve won European trophies in the past. Most people will know of them. Doing well in Europe and having a presence there is important for the bigger picture and they’ve had that setback this year.
“Trying to push for the title in Belgium is important this year. Whether they’ll be able to do it or not it’s difficult to say.
“On the whole, he’s doing well and has the general support of the fan and the hierarchy. I don’t think his position is in danger. He’s enjoying himself there which is important. The Belgian league is tough.”
As such, Kompany is not trying to cast himself as a committed Guardiola disciple and knows he must plot his own path in challenging circumstances.
SC: “I think he tries quite consciously to separate himself from his relationship with City because Anderlecht aren’t going to be able to play that way. Patience is the most important thing. He’s working with a lot of young players.
“Last summer was quite interesting because Anderlecht did noticeably bring in a bit more experience to get a better balance and reduce the inconsistency in the side.
“He’s having to be a bit more pragmatic and flexible in his approach. He likes to rotate a fair bit - more than you might imagine - and I think that’s to do with working with young players.”
Follow our new City Is Ours team members Alex, Dom, Scott and Renuka on Twitter to get involved in the discussion and give us your thoughts in the comments section below.
