Vincent Kompany had to improvise quite a bit during the Champions League showdown against Arsenal. Several key offensive players were either unavailable or injured for the Bayern Munich coach. The Belgian therefore surprised everyone with an unusual lineup decision: Alphonso Davies moved to the left wing and rewarded the coach’s trust with a goal. After the 2-2 draw against the Londoners, Kompany revealed that another option had originally been on the table.

The personnel situation was far from ideal for the record champions. Michael Olise was suspended, and Jamal Musiala was unavailable due to injury. In addition, Luis Díaz was physically shaken up after the most recent Bundesliga match against RB Leipzig and was initially not an option for the starting lineup.

Kompany therefore had to reshuffle his offense at the last minute. While Davies normally plays on the left side of the defense, the Canadian was allowed to play much further up the field against Arsenal. It was a decision that would pay off.

Kompany considered Brown as an offensive option

At the postgame press conference, the Bayern coach offered interesting insights into his thoughts leading up to the Champions League match. “Lucho was a big question mark, Michael wasn’t available. Jamal wasn’t available either. We thought about using Nene Brown in the attack,” Kompany revealed.

Ultimately, however, the Munich team decided against this option and went with Davies instead.

The 25-year-old brought an important quality to Bayern’s attack with his tremendous speed. The 1-1 equalizer in particular showed why Kompany had chosen the Canadian.

After a superb pass from Harry Kane, Davies used his speed to score the crucial goal against the Londoners.

Davies as a left winger? Kompany already had the plan in mind

For Kompany, deploying Davies in the attack was by no means a spontaneous stopgap measure. “We knew we could use Phonzy in that position in situations like this and that he could help us there. We discussed this with Max and Christoph. Right now, we have enough defenders. That’s why we decided to put him there.”

The decision had therefore also been coordinated with sporting director Max Eberl and technical director Christoph Freund.

Kompany also made it clear that Davies could be a serious option for the left wing in the future. “We knew a moment like this would come eventually, and we took advantage of the opportunity.”

The Canadian has repeatedly demonstrated his offensive qualities in the past. His speed, dynamism, and penetrating power make him an interesting option even in a more advanced position.

Against Arsenal, the plan worked—at least in part. Davies impressed with his runs and was one of Munich’s most prominent offensive players.

Whether Kompany will resort to this tactic more often in the future will likely depend primarily on the team’s personnel situation. With Olise, Musiala, and Díaz, FC Bayern essentially has top-tier alternatives at its disposal.

However, the Arsenal game showed that Kompany can call upon another offensive weapon when needed.

This article was translated into English by AI. You can read the original version here https://fcbinside.de/2026/10/22/ueberraschende-taktik-gegen-arsenal-kompany-erklaert-davies-experiment/.