Bayern Munich's wealth of wide men - giving wings to their title push?
In Michael Olise, Kingsley Coman, Serge Gnabry and Leroy Sané, Vincent Kompany has a quartet of wingers in sparkling form to choose from. Other first-class options create an embarrassment of riches in the wide attacking positions, which is giving lift-off to Bayern Munich's title hopes.
Harry Kane's return to the top of the Bundesliga goalscoring charts has rightfully earned attention, but much of the momentum behind the charge of Vincent Kompany's Bayern to the top of the table while becoming the first side in Europe's top five leagues to net 50 goals this season has been provided by the immense collection of wing rockets.
Left-winger Coman has exemplified that in recent weeks. Having rarely earned a starting spot in the opening games of the campaign (two from the first seven Bundesliga fixtures), the Frenchman's cut inside from the left and scorching drive into the top corner earned him the honour of Bundesliga Goal of the Month for October and rekindled memories of former Bayern legend Arjen Robben's trademark trick.
Watch: Kingsley Coman's October Goal of the Month!
A goal and an assist in the ensuing 3-0 win over Union Berlin brought Coman to four goal involvements in his last three Bundesliga encounters - thus cementing his place in Kompany's fiercely fought-over plans. It raises the question as to whether Bayern are just as well equipped now down the flanks as when Robben and Franck Ribéry tore opposing defences to shreds and clocked up title after title over a devastating decade from 2009 to 2019.
bundesliga.com checks out Bayern's current wing wonders:
Kingsley Coman
Age: 28
Bundesliga appearances: 208 (44 goals)
An irony of Coman forcing his way into the forefront of Kompany's thinking is that he is already pretty much the finished product - an experienced operator who has won almost everything possible in the game (eight Bundesliga titles, one UEFA Champions League crown and a beaten finalist in the 2022 World Cup).
Watch: The best of Kingsley Coman
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Coman has shown beyond doubt this season that he still has the speed and dribbling ability to go with his incredible experience. "He is back where he belongs, and fit above all. He is playing his part in us succeeding," said Bayern's board member for sport, Max Eberl.
With a number of injury issues ruling Coman out of the second half of the 2023/24 campaign, he is indeed making up for lost time and matching the kind of output he showed in his most productive seasons of 2022/23 (13 goal involvements in 24 appearances) and 2020/21 (17 in 29 appearances). Memories of him scoring perhaps the most significant goal in Bayern's recent history - the winner in the 2020 Champions League final - are certainly not going to go away either, especially with the final of this season's competition in Munich being a tantalising aim for a buoyant Bayern side.
Serge Gnabry
Age: 29
Bundesliga appearances: 222 (86 goals)
Despite missing out on the chance to represent Germany at a home European Championship over the summer due to injury, Gnabry was able to build seamlessly on a promising end to an injury-disrupted last season to impress in the opening weeks of the current campaign under Kompany.
Watch: All of Serge Gnabry's Bundesliga goals prior to 2024/25
Slotting in a late-winner in a 3-2 opening-day triumph in Wolfsburg proved a useful way to endear himself to his new boss with a reminder of his clinical touch. And by the time he had struck in a 6-1 victory in Kiel, Gnabry had contributed four goal involvements in the opening four games. Surely that was the kind of form that would make him a shoo-in to start on Bayern's left flank - until Coman had other ideas.
While acknowledging the stiff competition Gnabry faces for playing time, Eberl praised him for being "fully on his game again."
Michael Olise
Age: 22
Bundesliga appearances: Nine (Five goals)
France star Olise has made huge splash since signing from side Crystal Palace in the summer, immediately earning a place in Kompany's starting XI - in the very competitive right wing slot - and wowing crowds with his spectacular dribbling, pace and keen eye for goal.
Watch: The rise of Michael Olise
After a summer spent helping France's Olympic side to reach the final, Olise landed in Munich and hit the ground running, to say the least. He needed just two matches to settle in before hitting his first goal, in the 6-1 win over Kiel on Matchday 3, and that seemed to set him off. Next time out, he bagged a brace and cooked up another two for his teammates in the 5-0 win in Bremen. And he has since taken his stats to five goals - including a wonderful free-kick against Bochum - and three assists in an incredible debut Bundesliga campaign.
"He's a special talent. Michael did very well. His start at Bayern couldn't have been much better," said Kompany after Olise's star turn against Bremen. "I haven't got the feeling that he's a player who feels much pressure. He just enjoys football."
Leroy Sané
Age: 28
Bundesliga appearances: 175 (41 goals)
Although a persistent groin issue limited Sané's playing time at the end of last season and the beginning of the current one, his performances off the bench under Kompany have shown that the Germany international still has what it takes to play a key role for the Rekordmeister as they look to reclaim the Bundesliga title.
Watch: Bayern's romp in Bochum, including Leroy Sané's screamer
Looking to put an end to the painful struggles that saw him sit out the end of last season, Sané underwent groin surgery in the summer and has only featured off the bench in 2024/25. This hiatus has seen Olise step more than ably into the breach, but if Sané's superb curler against Bochum and his match-winning display off the bench against Benfica in the Champions League are anything to go by, he could soon be pushing the Frenchman for a place in the Bavarians' starting XI.
After all, Sané is no unknown quantity, boasting a consistently impressive track record for Bayern with an average of 16 goal involvements in each of his four seasons at the Allianz Arena. What's more, his injury-hit 2023/24 campaign was his best yet, with eight strikes and a personal-best 11 goals cooked up for his teammates, which saw him finish second on the assists chart for the season. All of which suggests that if he can put his fitness issues behind him, he still poses a massive danger to opposing defences.
But wait, that's not all
Should anything prevent these four world-class wingers from doing the business, however, Kompany has even more options. Jamal Musiala, although undoubtedly most effective through the middle, can also turn it on in wide positions, and France U21 prodigy Mathys Tel is a more than credible option on the left. On top of that, full-backs Raphaël Guerreiro and Alphonso Davies boast strong attacking credentials while untested youngsters Arijon Ibrahimović (18) and Nestory Irankunda (18) provide even further cover. And you can never forget the wily Thomas Müller drifting out there.
Such competition for wing places could spell selection headaches for Kompany, but the Bayern boss appears perfectly happy with the state of play: "We have a lot of games. Particularly in this position, you need that number of players. They're all giving a lot and supporting each other. The boys know we need everyone."
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