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"I'll answer this question very, very honestly": Vincent Kompany reveals a recurring topic within the FC Bayern coaching staff

Bundesliga
Bayern Munich
V. Kompany
K. Laimer
J. Stanisic

Full-backs Konrad Laimer and Josip Stanisic are seen as the unsung heroes of Bayern Munich’s season, yet manager Vincent Kompany is still racking his brains over them.

In big matches, FC Bayern’s full-back spots are firmly occupied by Konrad Laimer (28) and Josip Stanisic (26). Manager Vincent Kompany relies on them in his starting XI, and opponents rarely find a way past them. Both deliver defensively and contribute going forward: Laimer has amassed 13 goals and assists across all competitions, while Stanisic has provided ten.

  • Kompany is repeatedly confronted with a tricky selection headache: who starts on the right and who on the left? Both players are comfortable on either flank. In the first half of the season, when both were in the starting XI, he typically deployed Laimer on the right and Stanisic on the left. Lately, however, he has flipped them, as seen in the Champions League quarter-final against Real Madrid and Wednesday’s DFB-Pokal semi-final versus Bayer Leverkusen. 

    “I’ll answer very honestly,” Kompany said at Friday’s press conference. “We review this at least once a week in the coaching room. 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 each wing, I can’t say. That’s a luxury.”

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    FC Bayern: Alphonso Davies is pushing for a place in the starting line-up

    At left-back, the recently recovered Alphonso Davies is pushing for more playing time. The 25-year-old Canadian missed several months with a cruciate ligament tear. After returning in December, he was sidelined briefly by illness and then suffered a muscle tear in February. Davies has been fit since early April and, according to Kompany, is “slowly getting back to his best”. 

    Last Sunday he started against VfB Stuttgart and scored, then followed up with impressive cameos against Real Madrid and Leverkusen.

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