Bayern Munich’s attack plan going forward has been leaked...and it does not include Harry Kane

Bayern Munich have set a clear(?) plan for their offensive structure going forward.

According to Sky Sport’s Florian Plettenberg, Bayern want to stick to their classic 4-2-3-1 and their four-pronged attack. The planned personnel for the four positions are as follows:

Striker: Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting, Thomas Müller, Mathys Tel

It seems Bayern’s plans to sign a big name striker will have to take a back seat for the foreseeable future. Rumored top target Harry Kane’s chances of joining Bayern are apparently diminishing, mainly for financial reasons, but also because it’s admittedly hard to imagine that England’s captain would leave the Premier League for the Bundesliga. According to Plettenberg, Bayern are planning to stick Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting up top next season as well. A one-year contract extension, not to mention a pay rise to 10 million euros, is on the cards. The likes of Marcus Thuram and Dušan Vlahović are not up for consideration.

Meanwhile, Thomas Müller is also planned as a striker for some reason, despite the failures of many coaches to play him at the No. 9. Youngster Mathys Tel joins the list as a potential long term solution. Judging from what we’ve seen from him so far, the signs look promising.

Attacking Midfield: Jamal Musiala, Thomas Müller

Meanwhile, in the No. 10 role, Jamal Musiala is pretty much nailed down as the heir to the throne. He has been enjoying a very good season so far, and has impressed in the No. 10 role multiple times. However, recent games show that maybe he needs a bit more fine-tuning to be a surefire starter. This is where Müller comes into his favorite position. Müller has proven that he still has what it takes to spearhead Bayern’s attack, which only looked really promising once the veteran Bavarian took to the pitch against Köln yesterday. Julian Nagelsmann would be wise to extend Müller’s minutes as much as he can if he wants his attack to retain the ferocity it was once known for.

Left Wing: Sadio Mané, Serge Gnabry

Bayern’s marquee signing of the 2022 summer transfer window is currently out injured, but expect him to retain his starting spot once he returns. He has been one of the more consistent wingers out of the current bunch (which isn’t really saying much), and it is hard to imagine that Nagelsmann would bench him. However, should Mané be unable to play, Serge Gnabry is supposedly planned as his understudy. From what he showed against Köln, Gnabry would not deserve a place in the starting lineup, but that’s the beauty(?) of Serge Gnabry: he’s unpredictable. One day he can look like prime Franck Ribéry, another day (like against FC Köln) he’d look more at home at a pickup game in the park. Judging from the iffy form and spotty injury records of all of Bayern’s wingers, it’s probably safe to assume they’ll be rotated in and out.

Right Wing: Kingsley Coman, Leroy Sané

The same can be said for the other side of the flanks. Both Kingsley Coman and Leroy Sané have been very on and off all season, so they’ll probably be playing on and off as well. If current form is anything to go by, Coman may have just won a starting spot with his runs and dribbling. However, it’s not like Sané has been abysmal recently; he wasn’t anything special, but he was not the worst player on the pitch. It’s something of a toss-up at the moment, hard to determine who has better form. If anything, they could both start together and relegate Gnabry to the bench. For the moment, though, Plettenberg has put both down as candidates to play on the right.

Conclusion

Keep in mind that this supposed “plan” is just a blueprint to take note of. Again, any two out of Coman, Sané, Gnabry, and Mané could start on either side of the pitch, with Musiala and Tel possibly joining them. In fact, the only player whose position seems to be nailed down is Choupo-Moting, but even he could be dropped if he doesn’t rediscover his form. And of course, there’s our beloved Müller, who can theoretically (emphasis on theoretically) play in any one of the four attacking spots. The truth is, as Nagelsmann said before, no one can be a surefire starter at Bayern. Only those who have proven their worth and form on the day should start. Who those players will be will likely change on a regular basis.