Vincent Kompany banned Burnley tradition introduced under Sean Dyche before winning promotion

Vincent Kompany banned a Burnley tradition that started during Sean Dyche's tenure as manager, and it might well have paid off.

Burnley secured immediate promotion to the Premier League in Kompany's first season in charge achieving 101 points and finishing as champions.

The former Manchester City captain turned his hand to management just three years ago, but his impact on Burnley since replacing Sean Dyche as manager last year has been incredible.

Dyche did a remarkable job keeping Burnley in the Premier League for six consecutive seasons between 2016 and 2022, but his side were not known for playing the most expansive football in the world.

Under Dyche Burnley prioritised defensive solidity and attacks centered around winning knock-downs from long balls.

The Clarets were not a team that cared much about having much of the ball, preferring to pick their moments to try and score and conceding possession the rest of the time.

That's all changed under Kompany though, with the Belgian implementing a Pep Guardiola-influenced positional play system.

Supporters at Turf Moor have been treated to relentless attacking football under Kompany, with Burnley scoring 87 goals in the 46 game season.

Image: Alamy

Now it appears that the style of play is not the only thing that Kompany's changed when he arrived at the Lancashire club.

During Dyche's time in charge, it became something of a tradition that players were presented with a cake on their birthdays.

Kompany found this out for himself last summer when he arrived for pre-season training on midfielder Jack Cork's birthday.

The four-time Premier League champion wasn't having it though, and The Athletic say he swiftly banned his players from eating birthday cake.

Following the lead of other top managers, Kompany also banned sauces from the canteen as well as other high-sugar and fatty foods.

It might well be consequential, but Kompany's off-field decisions have certainly had no detrimental effect on his players.

Image: Alamy

The Belgian manager also shocked fans by bringing players back for pre-season training early in June before the season had even ended for some clubs. When speaking about why he brought players back so early Kompany said:

"I think it’s normal for us. We had three weeks off and on top of that we also had the winter break. That was another few weeks as well so I think we’ve had enough holiday for the year, for the season."

Burnley have had a tricky start to life back in the top-flight and are currently bottom of the table with three defeats in their opening three games.

Topics: Vincent Kompany, Sean Dyche, Burnley, Premier League, EFL Championship

Alex Brotherton

Alex Brotherton is a Sports Trends Writer at SPORTbible. He has previously worked with publications including the Manchester Evening News, GOAL and BBC Sport. He is a football fanatic, but also dabbles in tennis and American football. He enjoys running, cooking and watching non-league football.

@alex_brotherton