Vincent Kompany exploded at midfielder Johann Berg Gudmundsson during Burnley’s fly-on-the-wall documentary about last season. The former Manchester City captain fought tooth and nail to guide the Clarets away from Premier League relegation danger.
But he was ultimately unsuccessful, as Burnley finished the season second from bottom and eight points behind 17th-place survivors Nottingham Forest. Kompany left Turf Moor to take over as Bayern Munich manager shortly afterwards.
A behind-the-scenes insight into Burnley’s failed attempt to survive in the top flight showed just how tight a ship Kompany ran in Lancashire, with Gudmundsson bearing the brunt of one particularly furious tirade.
In a trailer teaser for season two of the documentary series ‘Mission to Burnley’, Kompany is filmed shouting: “Joey, don’t f***ing test me. Do not f***ing test me. Enough with the f***ing moaning.”
Kompany then charges towards the 33-year-old with his finger pointing towards him, and he continues: “F***ing play! How many times do I have to tell you? Stop f***ing moaning.”
With the pair almost going forehead to forehead, Gudmundsson walked away, before Kompany asked: “Have you got something you want to communicate to the team? You want to communicate something, you big boy? You’re a big boy? You want to talk?”
Gudmundsson then turned around for a confrontation with the Belgian as players watched on worriedly. “What have I moaned about?” he asked. Midfielder Jack Cork stepped in to separate the pair as Kompany snapped back: “Body language is f***ing s*** and I’m not accepting it. F***ing hell, man. It’s f***ing life or death! Play!”
Gudmundsson is then led away by team-mate Josh Brownhill as a furious Kompany turns his attention back to the session. Gudmundsson has gone down to the Championship with Burnley to compete in what will be his ninth season at Turf Moor.
The Iceland veteran has made more than 200 senior appearances for the Clarets since signing from Charlton Athletic in 2016. Led by new manager Scott Parker, Burnley will get their second-tier campaign underway against Luton Town tonight (Monday).
Kompany, meanwhile, is preparing his Bayern team for the new Bundesliga season. And the pressure he faces in Bavaria could be even greater than his time as a Premier League boss, with the German giants desperate to restore their status as top dogs after missing out on the league title to Bayer Leverkusen in 2023/24.
