My Probably Bad Takes: Leroy Sane should remain a super-sub and Jamal Musiala should be starting for Bayern Munich

At Bavarian Football Works, we are using this midseason break to expose ourselves (phrasing!). When working on Bayern Munich news and opinions on 24x7x365 basis, the entire staff develops some very good — and some very, very bad — takes. Whether these takes are relevant to past, present, or future opinions, we are going to let you in on some of the stupid things we think as part of a series. Without further ado, BFW will let is all hang out (damn it! phrasing again!).

My Probably Bad Takes: Leroy Sane should remain a super-sub, and Jamal Musiala should be starting for Bayern Munich

For this post, I debated with using former hot takes I have had — for example, “Sandro Wagner should have benched the arrogant and underperforming Robert Lewandowski in the 17-18 season.” Or, “how Bayern might as well sell Manuel Neuer and rely on Sven Ulriech.”

Yes...for a brief “hot takey” period in time, I had this opinion. However, I decided to go for a more current matter — controversial ideas on Bayern’s wing pecking order and the role of some of Bayern’s wingers. I have two especially spicy takes:

Leroy Sane should be a bench player for the foreseeable future

Leroy Sane’s start in Bavaria hasn’t gone to plan, the winger has not been included in Bayern’s champagne XI by Hansi Flick and seems to be struggling both in attitude and performances. Sane’s struggles were showcased as he was subbed off the field in Bayern’s match vs Leverkusen, after only taking the field 38 minutes prior.

But you know what? That’s completely fine in my opinion. Sane has recently come back from a devastating injury and just needs time. Furthermore, Sane plays best when he has lots of space in front of him. Therefore, subbing in later into games could prove to be an important tactic for Flick and utilize all of Sane’s attributes in 25-30 minute passages. Having Sane as the first sub, especially in the Champions League, will give Bayern a tremendous advantage in close games — games against the likes of Manchester City and Liverpool where space is aplenty, especially as the game nears its end.

Jamal Musiala should be starting on Bayern’s wings

Now, onto opinion number 2. With Sane not on the wings, it should be Jamal Musiala partnering Kingsley Coman in the champagne starting lineup. This is for a variety of reasons. First, Musiala is already very good. The youngster has a way of gliding past players that is utterly ethereal to watch, skipping past opposition defenders as if they are piles of bricks. When on the field, he always gives Bayern offensive impetus and can put in a defensive shift as well. Simply, he is destined for the top and already at a starting caliber.

Secondly, right now, both Serge Gnabry and Douglas Costa are doing pretty terrible jobs. The German has failed to shine, pretty much at all this campaign and constantly finds himself missing and lethargic in games. As for Costa, when he receives the ball, the flow of team moves evaporate and the Brazilian is still plagued by a lack of smart thinking and end product. Really, I believe Musiala has been much better than both of these players this season and for that, it should be him who is starting for Bayern on the wing.