Double a bit very important

Six scorer points in February: No offensive player at Bayern Munich is currently in better shape than Kingsley Coman. The 26-year-old Frenchman benefits from his flexibility and is a bit very important for the team in two ways.

For Kingsley Coman, the Champions League round of 16 first leg against Paris Saint-Germain two weeks ago was a homecoming: Born in Paris, he started his professional career at PSG, but he was denied a breakthrough there. As a leading player at FC Bayern Munich, the once-spurned talent has now returned – and has been nominated to speak at the press conference before the game.

At FC Bayern, Coman is the spokesman for the French faction, and the squad currently includes seven French-speaking players. Above all, the 26-year-old should represent their interests in the five-strong team council, which also includes the currently injured captain Manuel Neuer, Thomas Müller, Joshua Kimmich and Leon Goretzka.

Asked about his role in the team, Coman said the wonderful sentence in German at the press conference in Paris: “I’m on the team council, so I’m a bit important.”

Kingsley Coman: FC Bayern’s best-form offensive player

Coman is currently not only important as a communicator, but above all as a footballer. Coman is FC Bayern’s most formative and most effective offensive player. After the PK, he scored the decisive 1-0 against PSG, just like in the 2020 Champions League final.

Before that, he quickly took a 2-0 lead in the 4-2 win over VfL Wolfsburg and also scored in the 3-0 win over VfL Bochum. In the following 2: 3 bankruptcy against Borussia Mönchengladbach, Coman was absent due to calf problems before he naturally returned to the starting XI in the top game against Union Berlin – and decided the duel with an assist and a goal early on in favor of Bayern.

First he shoved a cross onto Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting’s head, then he rounded Union keeper Frederik Rönnow and shot in confidently. In addition to his two goals, there were two notable statistics: Coman won every one of his tackles and every dribble he made.

FC Bayern: Julian Nagelsmann praises Kingsley Coman

“If he’s healthy, he’s one of the top two or three wing players in the world for me,” praised coach Julian Nagelsmann. “For him, it’s just about being fit and feeling absolutely fit, that he’s also completely free in his head.” How is he currently doing? “I feel very good,” said the chronically injury-prone Coman on Sunday.

That was not the case for long stretches of the previous season. In the first half of the season, Coman had to pass again and again due to two red card suspensions and a torn muscle fiber. At the World Cup he was only a substitute in the French national team, and also at the start of the second half of the season in Munich. Serge Gnabry and Leroy Sané were given preference on the offensive.

But then Coman fought his way back into the team in a remarkable manner. In the month of February he got six scorer points and thus exactly the same number as in the entire course of the season up to that point.

FC Bayern: Kingsley Coman convinces with his versatility

On his way back into the starting XI, Coman made a tactical change at the right time: Since signing Joao Cancelo, Nagelsmann has increasingly formed his team with a three-man defense. In addition to the new signing and Alphonso Davies, Coman in particular comes into question for the outside positions that are so important in this system. “He interprets the role very, very well,” praised Nagelsmann.

The coach used a hybrid system against Union: when the opponents had possession (which, admittedly, hardly ever existed), FC Bayern acted in 4-2-3-1, when they had their own in 3-1-4-2. Coman’s advantage is his flexibility. He can play on the rails and as a winger, he can play left and right. It doesn’t matter which system option Nagelsmann chooses for the second leg against PSG next week on Wednesday, Coman should be set.

Because the coach will hardly do without his control center, consisting of Joshua Kimmich and Leon Goretzka, neither Jamal Musiala’s finesse nor Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting’s power, there is only one open space on the offensive.

In addition to Thomas Müller, who is strong against Union, Gnabry and Sané, who are looking for form, are also possible. Most recently, however, they made headlines, especially off the field: Gnabry with his trip to Paris, Sané with repeated unpunctualities. Sadio Mané, who made his comeback after a three-month injury break against Union and could also gain match practice in the upcoming Bundesliga game against VfB Stuttgart, has outsider chances.

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