Bayern Munich XI: 4-2-2-2 Kinglsey Coman to start as Sadio Mané set to face VfL Bochum

Serge Gnabry, the attacker, is having injury problems, therefore Julian Nagelsmann might decide to change up his front four.

Following the completion of his three-game suspension for receiving a red card in May, winger Kingsley Coman is once again eligible. The timing is interesting for Bayern Munich because Serge Gnabry, one of their two forwards, is now sidelined with an injury. In order to make room for Coman’s comeback, it has been suggested that Thomas Müller would switch to a new position as one of the two offensive midfielders in head coach Julian Nagelsman‘s 4-2-2-2.

From Tz, as captured by @iMiaSanMia:

With Serge Gnabry currently not 100% fit, there’s a chance Kingsley Coman would start on the right half space against Bochum on Sunday, with Thomas Müller playing upfront alongside Sadio Mané. Jamal Musiala to keep his place on the left.

This season, Bayern is not exactly playing with traditional wingers, nor traditional forwards, instead opting for a fluid front four and trying to make the most of the direct paths on goal through the half-spaces. That was always going to pose a question for a player like Coman, an out-and-out winger known for his pace and his ability to take people from on either flank. However, it has already been reported that he was being looked at for a position switch this year.

Thomas Müller spent a fair amount of time out on the right wing last week against VfL Wolfsburg, an asymmetry between the tens that might develop further with Coman’s pace — and Müller’s likely propensity for dropping down into a playmaker’s role even as a forward.

We’ve also actually already seen Coman at work in attacking midfield this season. Here he is in the second half of the DFL-Supercup against RB Leipzig, having just come on for Jamal Musiala. He receives a pass through the lines from Marcel Sabitzer, drives forward with pace, and creates the hockey assist for Gnabry’s goal to make it 4-1:

Müller will offer something unique to the attacking line, but it may just fit him. The Raumdeuter lacks Serge Gnabry’s electrifying pace, but he is noted for his pressing zeal and flair for strange, unconventional goals. When another forward is unavailable, keeping him more center and closer to the box makes sense.

Finally, there’s Leroy Sané, a half-space playmaker by trade who may be more at home on the left than the right. Sané, on the other hand, appears to be trailing Coman, Müller, and Musiala for the time being.

Because the season is going to be long, there should be enough time to see all of these combinations. Whether Nagelsmann anticipates like-for-like drop-ins and adaptations to defined roles in his system or plans to deploy a broad range of change-ups based on his front four people will be a crucial topic this year.