Can Douglas Costa and Kingsley Coman succeed Robben and Ribery at Bayern Munich?

Douglas Costa and Kingsley Coman – Bayern Munich’s new speedy wingers

When Pep Guardiola was originally announced as the Bayern Munich manager in the winter break of 2012, the Munich faithful were elated. His time at Barcelona had yielded a surfeit of trophies, and he had been universally lauded as the best tactical mind in the modern game.

But the initial jubilance quickly transitioned into skepticism, as the side assembled by his predecessor Jupp Heynckes went from strength to strength, winning every imaginable title, leaving Guardiola with the seemingly insurmountable quest of improving upon perfection.

Guardiola’s mixed start to life in Bavaria

His first two seasons with the German giants can best be described as polarizing. His side established an impenetrable stronghold domestically, wrapping up the domestic titles in both the seasons in record time, but they never quite managed to scale the heights achieved in the treble winning season.

They fizzled in the Champions League, which is ultimately the yardstick of success for managers of the German giants. In the 2013/14 season, they were blown away by the imperious Real Madrid while in the following season they succumbed to the overpowering genius of Pep’s own divine protege Lionel Messi.

In his third season, however, all the hard work, nuanced relationship building and creed of possession is finally starting to coalesce into a genuine attempt at attaining the footballing perfection that Guardiola has constantly been questing after. As Bayern have blitzed past nearly every opposition with their imperious and highly fluid attacking style and technical brilliance, Pep’s incessant tinkering and fine-tuning seems to have finally paid off.

His puritanical style has rejuvenated the side and unlocked the brilliance of Polish striker Robert Lewandowski while others like Thomas Muller, David Alaba and Philipp Lahm have been as reliable and remarkable as always.

The arrival and impact of Costa and Coman

But another aspect that has been centric to their success has been the influx of two youthful speed merchants who have lit up the wide areas with constant spritzes of magic – Douglas Costa and Kingsley Coman.

A lot of Bayern's problems in the latter half of last season were down to how ineffectual they were on the wings. Injuries to Arjen Robben and Franck Ribery meant that Thomas Muller and Mario Gotze had to be deployed out of position in the wide areas. Despite being stellar deputies, their services were found to be lacking when matched up against European bigwigs like Barcelona.

Pep Guardiola knew exactly what he was getting when he signed Douglas Costa

Yet, when the signings of Costa and Coman were initially announced, they elicited a lukewarm response and raised a fair share of eyebrows. The two were birds of the same feather – quick, agile, yet frustratingly mercurial, and were widely regarded to have been recruited in order to provide cover for the dynamic yet perennially injured pair of Rob-bery.

Their potential was easily identifiable, but their inability to consistently produce at the highest level had left many questioning whether they would ever truly fulfil it. Both had been courted by a multitude of European powerhouses, and critics were quick to malign them for preferring glory over playing time.

But the manner in which they have seamlessly slotted into Bayern’s thrillingly intense attacking lineup has left very few doubting their ability and value to the German juggernauts. It is not uncommon to hear pundits pronouncing Douglas Costa, in particular, as the best summer signing of 2015.

The mobility and punch that they offer has helped abate the Germans’ over-reliance on midfield and has balanced the team's attack by making it more powerful and diverse. The pair provide traditional wing play and added quality in one-on-one situations that has been vital to Bayern's recent invigoration.

Costa has taken to the meandering midfield maestro role, usually manifested by Robben, like a duck to water. He has already broken innumerable ankles with his labyrinthine Brazilian trickery while Coman’s stop-start explosiveness and mazy running has perplexed a fair share of defenders.

Full-backs, beware!

There is a ruthless, decisive kind of beauty to their craft and effortless acceleration, as they blitz past opponents with an almost disdainful haste. All upright shimmy and feint, those spindly legs, instruments of torment, have quickly become the cause of chagrin for full-backs all around Europe. The steady and reliable stream of dribbles, crosses and explosive thrusts they offer is perfectly suited to the clinical and minimalistic finishing of Lewandowski and Muller.

And the ludicrous amount of goals that the pair has been directly involved since arriving just a few months ago is an overt testament to the crucial impact that they have had. In 20 appearances for the club in all competitions, Costa has racked up 5 goals, 9 assists and created 44 chances, while Coman has scored 4, set up 6 and crafted 26 chances.

Long-term successors to Robben and Ribery?

While Robben and Ribery are generally considered exceptions to the truism that wingers cannot operate at the highest level beyond the age of 30, there is no hiding the fact that they have already entered their twilight years. Their combined chequered injury history is hardly an indication of players who have many years left ahead of them.

Since his arrival, Costa seems to have found the consistency that had been so elusive in his Shakhtar Donetsk days and has begun to look the part of a top-drawer attacker who could become a mainstay with the Bavarians for years to come.

Franck Ribery and Arjen Robben are not getting any younger

Coman remains a raw product, and his ruthless technical prowess and brilliant mobility is often overshadowed by questionable decision-making and patchy finishing. But all of that can be attributed to his tender age of 19. Under the tutelage of Pep Guardiola, a coach whose proficiency at nurturing young, promising players is widely renowned, he could very well blossom from an embryonic talent into a genuine world-beater.

Xherdan Shaqiri and Mitchell Wieser are just a couple of names on a long list of players who were assigned the unenviable task of serving as long-term replacements for Ribery and Robben, but ended up fading into obscurity. But the comprehensive impact that Costa and Coman have had already suggests that the German champions could finally have stumbled upon the elusive solution to that particular problem.

And while the millions that they shelled out for the pair of mercurial talents were initially frowned upon, the manner in which they have thoroughly vindicated their hefty price tags once again showcases the club’s astute vision. It also highlights the importance of picking transfers tailored for the team rather than simply plugging holes with wildly expensive established names, as has become the norm these days. It also helps cement Bayern's claim as the undisputed kings of the transfer market.

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