Bayern Munich: Kingsley Coman may play as number nine
The ongoing inefficiency in the final third for Bayern Munich has led to alot of debate around the number nine position. Die Roten was blowing teams away at the start of the season, but goals have dried out in the last four leagues. Poor finishing and lack of big chances have made sure Bayern is on a winless run of four Bundesliga games.
Julian Nagelsmann had to rethink his strategy in the attack during the current international break. The team against Bayer Leverkusen could start in a different shape and have a lot of different personnel as the German coach looks to arrest the recent slump.
The recent update from Germany suggests that Kingsley Coman could end up playing an unusual role for Die Roten this season. According to Kicker (via iMiaSanMia), Coman can become a stopgap option for Bayern in the number nine role. It remains to be seen if the French winger will be used in this role straightaway after the international break.
Coman has been on the sidelines for more than two weeks due to a minor injury. The French international has started training on the grass, so he is expected to be back in first-team training days in the coming. It will be surprising to see Coman getting a start on Friday, so the striker experiment for him may have to wait a bit longer.
It would be a very bold and unusual move from Nagelsmann to use Coman in the number nine role. Firstly, there are much better options in the squad for this role. Sadio Mane excelled in this position early in the season before being moved to the left flank. The likes of Thomas Muller and Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting can also do a decent to a good job in this position.
Secondly, Coman’s best qualities are better utilized on the flanks. His trickery and pace help in isolating the full-back and create space for other forwards. The French international doesn’t have the best hold-up play that is needed in the number nine role. Using him as a striker may have a negative impact on the attack.
Nagelsmann should stick to the attacking principles/system that he used in the first three league games of the season. The German coach should utilize Mane in this position and surround him with creativity. He has done a terrific job as a number nine in the last eight months, so it is better to stick with him upfront.
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The preparations for the big game against Leverkusen will begin on Tuesday. Most of the players will return to Sabner Strasse tomorrow after playing two games for their national teams. Nagelsmann will be looking to implement ideas that he worked on during the break and extract a quality performance on Friday.