Michael Olise combines Franck Ribery and Arjen Robben to get Bayern Munich ticking
A year ago when he was wandering around Croydon in London, no one could have expected Michael Olise to be the spark that would reignite Bayern Munich, but that’s turned out to be exactly the case.
The English-born France attacker was certainly on the radar of top sides, but his performance in the 2023/24 season for Crystal Palace left them with no remaining doubts. With a career-best 10 goals, the 22-year-old triggered the Olise sweepstakes, and Bayern won them, bringing in the former Chelsea and Manchester City prospect on a five-year deal.
That call, one of the first made by Vincent Kompany and Max Eberl, showed just how fruitful this new head coach and sporting director partnership could prove to be in Bavaria, with Olise going from an elite prospect to a certified superstar in just a few short months.
It began shortly after his signing, with Bayern allowing Olise to head to the Olympics with France where he shone with two goals and five assists in six games, picking up a silver medal. Many clubs didn’t release their players for the tournament, but Bayern did, and have since reaped the rewards.
France coach Thierry Henry began the reviews, saying: "He does some pretty extraordinary things with his feet. He can pass, he can score, he has a very good understanding of space and he knows how to press.”
That was music to the ears of Bayern, with Eberl explaining: "The fans come to the stadium for players like him,” and within weeks the prophecy was fulfilled. Olise carried his France form straight over to Munich and is now one of the Bundesliga’s main attractions.
The right winger, who is increasingly adept at coming inside and causing chaos, is on five goal contributions in the league and eight overall. His performance against Werder Bremen on Matchday 4 saw two goals and two assists, making Germany and the rest of Europe sure this was no longer a player of potential, but one ready to become world class.
"Michael did well from the start, he couldn't have started much better," Kompany said post-match. "But I don't have the feeling that he's a boy who feels a lot of pressure. He enjoys football."
Watch: Werder Bremen 0-5 Bayern Munich - highlights
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Delving more into Olise’s unique pressure-free playing style, former Bayern midfielder Didi Hamann took the point on further, explaining why the no.17 is such a joy to behold.
"He doesn't outplay his opponents, he just goes past them,” Hamann said. “The way he sets up Jamal Musiala's goal is simply world class.
"He is what they call a street footballer - like what we used to see. It's hard to learn these movements. You have to do that in the first eight, ten, twelve years of your life - he must have played football eight hours a day. You can't really teach someone that. What he does is intuition and instinct.
“He always does the right thing quite naturally. Often you know what he's doing, but you still can't stop it. That shows how good he is. He now plays in a team that is much more dominant. He has the ball more. He will score more goals, he will set up more goals.”
Watch: The best of Michael Olise
Olise isn’t free from the restraints of modern football on the pitch either, but also in his press conferences. In his Palace days he once went viral for the most hilariously blunt of interviews. When asked to describe his winning goal he simply said: “Wilf [Zaha] passed me the ball. Shot. Scored.”
Things haven’t been too different in Munich. His unveiling took a similarly brief tone, but he did give one insight when asked about players he idolised growing up.
“I liked Franck Ribéry,” he replied. “Obviously, he was the player when I think of French players at Bayern, he’s the one that I’d look at the most, but I think we’ll probably be a bit different.”
Olise certainly has Ribéry's street football tricks and skills, but another Bayern legend came up with a similar but different comparison, echoing Hamann's thoughts that you can't stop the winger, even when you know what he's going to do.
Lothar Matthäus observed: "We had Arjen Robben in his position. I would definitely see him there if he plays for Bayern for the next three or four years. He sees his teammates even better than Arjen Robben. He has speed, wit, he recognises different situations; yes, a bit like Arjen Robben."
Watch: Thank you, Arjen Robben and Franck Ribery
Robben and Ribery destroyed all before them in Bayern colours, becoming one of the most iconic winger duos the sport has ever seen from 2009 to 2019. A European treble, eight Bundesliga titles and 268 goals between them saw the pair affectionately nicknamed ‘Robbery’ set Bayern on a path to unparalleled domination.
The Bavarians looked to have replaced them with Serge Gnabry and Kingsley Coman helping land another treble in 2020, with Leroy Sané arriving shortly afterwards, but none of them quite have the X-factor that Olise is now using to keep them out of the team.
That era of domination also came to an end last season when Bayer Leverkusen finally knocked the record champions off their perch with a first-ever Bundesliga title ending Bayern’s unprecedented 11-year winning streak.
Now, though, Bayern seem to be back to their best. They’re top of the Bundesliga and firing on all cylinders, and it’s no coincidence that Olise bringing back a bit of ‘Robbery’ appears to have made the difference.
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