The decline of Kingsley Coman
Just a few years ago, Kingsley Coman looked good to become one of the world’s best wingers. With blistering pace and mesmerizing footwork, the Frenchmen had all the makings of a world-class player. Injuries and an overall lack of development have made Coman look out of place in this Bayern side. Almost every other player in the team has improved under Flick except Coman.
The winger isn’t detrimental to the team, and they aren’t losing because of his performances. He tracks back and works hard in defense, always willing to take defenders on. But that’s about it. When every other player poses some sort of danger in attack, his performances become that much more noticeable, negatively. This past weekend against Eintracht Frankfurt, backup winger Ivan Perisic looked more dangerous and involved as the starter.
The issues in this match were nothing new in terms of normal performance, and when it’s against a team of the caliber of Dortmund, those become exaggerated. Several times Coman would be one-on-one with a defender, taking his time to beat the defender and deliver a cross, but that hardly worked as his cross was blocked by the defender.
Several times he would be in a great position to shoot or cross the ball and would blast the ball over everyone’s head or drive the ball straight at the keeper. There is absolutely no final product to his game and against Bundesliga opposition that can be overlooked.
However, with Bayern’s aspirations of winning the Champions League, the team needs elite production from that position, and right now, Coman looks incapable of giving that. Despite his consistent injury issues, the Bayern board has put faith in him. If these performances continue, then the club hierarchy should look to sell Coman and move on. Especially with the acquisition of Leroy Sane looking more and more like a done deal.