Former Manchester City captain Vincent Kompany has been named the 2022/23 Championship Manager of the Season, after leading Burnley to promotion back to the Premier League.
The Belgian, who played for City between 2008 and 2019, winning four Premier League titles, scooped the accolade at the annual EFL Awards in London on Sunday evening. Appointed Burnley boss last June following their relegation to the Championship, he has guided the Lancashire outfit back to the top flight at the very first attempt with ease.
They clinched promotion with seven games to spare, beating Middlesbrough 2-1 at the Riverside on Good Friday. Although they have not yet clinched the Championship title, they are on the cusp of putting the icing on the cake in that respect.
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Kompany, who watched his side suffer a shock 2-1 home defeat to QPR on Saturday afternoon, marking their first defeat at Turf Moor this season, saw off competition from Middlesbrough head coach Michael Carrick and Coventry City boss Mark Robins, both of whom are former Manchester United players, to win the award.
Burnley have been near-faultless in their quest to win the Championship title this season, losing just three league matches. Saturday's defeat to QPR was their first reverse in the league since being beaten 5-2 by fellow automatic promotion hopefuls Sheffield United on November 5.
Although Kompany had experience in management prior to taking charge at Burnley last summer, spending three years in charge of Anderlecht in Belgium, he has excelled in his debut campaign as a boss in England. He has transformed the Clarets' fortunes, resulting in them playing some of the most attractive football ever witnessed at Championship level.
He has earned praise throughout the season from all corners, particularly from pundits and fellow managers. City chief Pep Guardiola is among those to have waxed lyrical about his coaching credentials, hailing his ability after the Blues beat Burnley 6-0 in the FA Cup quarter-finals last month.
"The movements they do always make sense, every single action, and you realise when you see them that there is work behind it, and good knowledge, and that's why I said what I said about him sooner or later coming here," said Guardiola. "It's not because he was an important figure here as a football player, although that helps, or the connection with the fans, or knowing the club and the Premier League, although that is important.
"I'm talking about his understanding of the game, he knows it exactly. I heard a rumour about his incredible work ethic. He is a guy who puts pressure on every department to do its best.
"When you combine your knowledge of the game with experience and love for the club you love, these kind of things finish together."
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