His Burnley team are about to face arguably the best team in the world, but Vincent Kompany has told his players to relish the test ahead of the 2023/24 Premier League season opener.
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The Clarets host last season's Premier League champions Manchester City and Treble winners on Friday night, on the back of claiming the Championship title to seal an immediate return to the top flight.
Kompany, a former title-winning captain at Man City, is not daunted by the task ahead against Pep Guardiola's men.
‘Best challenge you could ask for’
“I’m excited,” said Kompany. “We play against such a good opponent, a team filled with people and players I know.
"The best challenge you could hope for; I want the players to embrace it and hope the fans can too."
See: Guardiola: My players must forget about another Treble
Kompany, 37, was honest about how his team will set up heading into the campaign, and how his tactics of possession football that was such a success last season may need to change when coming up against teams such as City.
“I’m used to change," Kompany said. "I’ve not had the luxury as a manager to have a pre-season without it. I have an idea of my team, but the start of the season is about building cohesion as fast as you can without it costing too many results."
Busy transfer window
It has also been a busy transfer window for Burnley, with the recent signing of Sander Berge from Sheffield United the eighth arrival of the summer. Kompany felt the Norwegian was a useful addition.
“He’s [Berge] is a player with Premier League experience and we don’t have a lot of that," Kompany said. "Everyone knows, he is technically good, able to receive the ball in the first phase, in the build-up, or between the lines. Good physicality and a player we hope we can bring to his full potential."
The Clarets manager is not finished in the transfer market either, saying that a deal for Aaron Ramsey from Aston Villa is in motion.
“He’s not our player yet but I hope he will be soon,” Kompany said.
