Diaz and Olise, Bayern’s new winning combination on the wings
Luis Díaz has made a fast start at Bayern Munich with Michael Olise giving the Bavarians their best wingers since two legends.
Bayern Munich spent a lot of time this summer pondering a number of different attacking targets. They wanted Florian Wirtz before Liverpool broke their then-transfer record to land him from Bayer Leverkusen. They wanted Nico Williams too before the Spanish international performed a Jordan Belfort-esque U-turn to stay at Athletic Club. Bayern were in for countless players.
Bradley Barcola, Christopher Nkunku, Nick Woltemade, Rafael Leão, Leandro Trossard and Takefusa Kubo, just to name a few more, were all linked with the German champions at one point or another of the summer transfer window. In the end, though, Luis Díaz was the signing they settled on and the early indications are that Bayern’s messy process may have led to the ideal outcome.
Díaz has the ground running in Germany, registering three goals and two assists in his first three appearances for his new team. Bayern Munich are already sitting top of the Bundesliga table after two games of the new season and their new Colombian winger will help them stay there.
On the other side, the Bavarians also have Michael Olise who has notched three times in his first two Bundesliga outings this term. The pair are Bayern Munich’s best wingers since the days of Franck Ribery and Arjen Robben. Díaz and Olise could take Vincent Kompany’s team to even higher heights this season.
Last season was a broadly successful one for Bayern. They reclaimed the Bundesliga title at a canter as Kompany put in place new foundations in his first season as manager. Indeed, Bayern Munich became more possession-oriented. They controlled more matches. There were, however, some deficiencies.
One such deficiency was Bayern Munich’s vulnerability in defensive transition. Kompany generally likes his backline to play on the halfway line, but this left the Bavarians too exposed against opponents with pace. This was most brutally exploited by Inter Milan in the Champions League quarter-finals.
Jonathan Tah has arrived from Bayer Leverkusen to offer more recovery speed in defence, but Díaz’s signing could be just as crucial to Bayern Munich making themselves tougher to play through this season due to the Colombian’s willingness and ability to press high and hard from the front.
This was one of the things that made Díaz such a good fit for Liverpool. His energy and intensity made him effective on both sides of the ball. The Colombian already ranks among Bayern Munich’s most effective players at winning the ball back in the attacking third with Olise also up there.
The scary thing about Díaz’s early-season output for the rest of the Bundesliga is that he could have scored even more. The 28-year-old has spurned a number of big opportunities, most notably against Augsburg on Saturday when Díaz somehow failed to find the net from just two yards out, but there’s no doubt Bayern’s forward line is now even more fearsome.
“When you watch the game closely, it’s not always his teammates preparing the chances for him. He works himself a lot for these chances because he’s always active,” said Bayern Munich boss Vincent Kompany when asked about Díaz’s misses. “For me it’s more important to score a goal in the right moment than maybe score four or five in a game and then go without scoring for five months. He’s always there, always a threat and we’re happy with his energy.”
It remains to be seen how Díaz will be impacted once Jamal Musiala returns from injury. The German international is a number 10 by trade, but likes to drift out to the left side to get on the ball. This could affect Díaz who does his best work when he can get isolated and get one-on-one against opposition defenders.
The deadline day addition of Nicolas Jackson from Chelsea has also added another elite-level player into Bayern’s attacking rotation, meaning Díaz might face a sterner fight for game time even if the Senegalese striker plays a different position. Kompany could deploy Harry Kane and Jackson as a front two. He now has that flexibility.
Bayern Munich still have flaws. They still lack a natural number six at the base of the midfield. There are concerns over the right back position with Konrad Laimer still moonlighting there. Many supporters believe the club should have done more in the summer transfer window to round out the squad.
In Díaz, though, Bayern Munich found themselves a proven difference-maker who is already contributing just a few matches into his career at the Allianz Arena. This comes after a debut 2024/25 season from Olise which put him among the best wingers in the world. The spirit of Ribery and Robben can be found in Bayern’s two current wide threats.
(Cover image from IMAGO)
You can follow every game from the Bundesliga with FotMob this season – featuring deep stats coverage, xG, and player ratings. Download the free app here.