Left-back is not Holger Badstuber's favoured position, but it is where he is needed right now - and he's just fine with that. “I accept this role and completely embrace it. I'm giving everything, and I'm trying to repay the coach’s faith," he said. David Alaba is still recovering from a stress fracture of the foot, and Diego Contento has also been sidelined recently, prompting boss Jupp Heynckes to turn to Badstuber.
The 23-year-old has filled the position in all three Bundesliga matches this season so far, and he looks increasingly comfortable there, providing an assist with a pinpoint cross in last Saturday's victory over Mainz. “I'm slowly but surely getting into it. You need a little time to properly remember the runs and the positioning," he remarked.
Remember? Indeed, because the FCB youth product already has some experience of the wide position in defence. Louis van Gaal played him regularly at left-back, in both the DFB Cup and Champions League finals in 2010, for example. He also performed there for Germany in the first two group matches at the World Cup in South Africa.
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