He took a risk against PSG! Vincent Kompany avoids a harsh verdict at Bayern Munich

For no apparent reason, manager Vincent Kompany altered the back four that had excelled in numerous top-flight matches this season, doing so in the biggest game of all. The move inevitably recalled his mentor, Pep Guardiola. The Catalan coach was famous for believing that the bigger the game, the bolder the tactics needed to be. During his three years at Bayern Munich, Guardiola often overthought matches—some would say he over-managed them. 

In the 2014 Champions League semi-final second leg against Real Madrid, he pressed his side into a high-risk 4-2-3-1 with Bastian Schweinsteiger and Toni Kroos as a double six. Far from overturning the 1-0 first-leg deficit, Bayern were brutally exposed on the break and lost 4-0. Two years later, in the first leg of the semi-final against Atlético Madrid, he surprisingly left out Thomas Müller and Franck Ribéry, preferring Uli Hoeneß's favourite, Juan Bernat. Bayern lost 0-1 and were ultimately eliminated once again.

So now it's Kompany and Davies instead of Laimer. Why did he do that? After all, Laimer and his like-minded counterpart Josip Stanisic are among the unsung heroes of this impressive season. Both impress as tenacious tacklers and, above all, as driving forces in attack. Laimer has already racked up 15 points this season, while Stanisic has scored ten. 

Lately the only debate has been which of them will occupy the left or right side. "We discuss this at least once a week in our coaching room," Kompany revealed last week. "None of us knows whether Konrad or Stani is better on the left or the right. If you ask me which of the two plays best on the left and which on the right, it's almost impossible to answer. For us, that's a luxury." 

Against PSG, however, Kompany surprisingly opted out of that luxury and chose Davies instead. The former first-choice left-back had been sidelined for months with a cruciate ligament tear. Following his comeback in December, he suffered several physical setbacks, and there was even speculation at times about a summer transfer. Most recently, Davies had made a positive impact coming off the bench and had started two Bundesliga matches in a row. Many assumed his inclusion was merely to rest Laimer and Stanisic – they were wrong.

By introducing Davies, Kompany prioritised pace over patience, choosing to match the opposition's tempo rather than sticking rigidly to his own game plan. The move exposed him to potential criticism: if it backfired, he risked the ultimate managerial rebuke—"mismanaged"—just as Guardiola once did. 

Shortly before half-time, Davies did concede a penalty—ultimately justified—for a debatable handball, which Ousmane Dembélé converted to give Paris a 3-2 lead. Apart from that, however, the full-back delivered a decent shift, and the whiff of Guardiola quickly faded at the Parc des Princes. Although the move did not prove decisive, Kompany cannot be accused of being "out-coached". 

Davies looked sharp and controlled his left flank better against Desire Doue than the Bavarians' weakest link, Stanisic, managed on the right against brace-scorer Khvicha Kvaratskhelia. His headed clearance also sparked the counter-attack that led to the spot-kick giving Munich a 1-0 lead.

Nevertheless, Aaron Danks, standing in for the suspended Kompany on the touchline, replaced him at half-time. Laimer came on but never quite reached his usual level; in the build-up to the 2–4, he left his flank exposed. He was indeed involved in attacks, yet he completed only 74% of his passes; Stanisic's 75% was only marginally better. Davies, by contrast, boasted a 96% pass accuracy, the highest in Munich's starting XI. 

With the return leg in Munich next Wednesday, the full-back spots are up for grabs. Kompany could drop Stanisic and deploy Laimer on the right, a role he handles just as comfortably as on the left.