Ribery: losing Kingsley Coman was a shock to all of us

Losing Kingsley Coman in the first Bundesliga match of the season to the same ankle injury that he suffered last year was a massive blow for Bayern Munich. His battery mate on the left flank, Franck Ribery described to Bild the predicament that Coman’s injury puts his teammates in:

It would be better if there were four of us players on the wings — now there are only three of us left! I hope we’re enough. Arjen [Robben] and I are up for it, we’re fit. Serge [Gnabry] is also back with us. We three have to stay in peak form; then we’ll make it through the season. But look: Kingsley’s injury came as a surprise. That can always happen in soccer.

Coman’s injury is especially frustrating because the winger was finally starting to get back to peak form. He was wreaking havoc on Hoffenheim’s back line for the better part of the first half until he went off injured. Ribery revealed that he spoke with Coman after the match and that the young player is in a difficult place psychologically:

I spoke with Kingsley on the phone right after the game. It’s a very difficult time for him. The injury is a shock for all of us! It’s the second time in a year. He got past the first operation well; now he needs a lot of support from us. He’s still young, and he had a very good preseason. Now he’s sad. We have to talk a lot with him; the whole team has to stay positive despite it.

After a successful operation, Coman will be sidelined for at least several weeks, likely missing out on Bayern’s first pair of group stage matches in the Champions League. As Ribery himself indicated, coach Niko Kovac will likely have to give increased minutes to both himself and Arjen Robben. Serge Gnabry, who has also just returned from injury, and theoretically both James Rodriguez and Thomas Muller could also find themselves positioned out wide, although it’s arguably not their best position.