Arjen Robben and Franck Ribéry helped shape an era at Bayern for almost a decade with their inimitable wide play. They were loved by fans and feared by defences across Europe. Now six years on, a new wing duo has emerged in Munich looking to emulate the pair of legends. With Michael Olise on the right and Luis Díaz on the left flank, they left Wolfsburg in a complete spin on Sunday as Bayern ran out 8-1 winners in the Bundesliga.
Eberl lauds wingers
There may not yet be a catchy nickname for the two like Robbery, but the parallels with their prominent predecessors are there for all to see. “We just spoke about it in the changing room. Olise is sort of the new Robben. And with Lucho on the other side we’ve got our Ribéry,” said board member for sport Max Eberl after full-time at the Allianz Arena. “So we’ve got the fine, elegant and creative side with Michael. And we’ve kind of got the creative chaos-maker with Lucho.”
Impressive numbers
Their impact on Bayern’s game is easily borne out in their numbers. Both had a direct hand in three goals, with Olise scoring two and setting up one, while Díaz scored one and teed up two. The pair both also forced Wolfsburg’s two own goals with their dangerous deliveries into the six-yard box, which doesn’t even appear in the official match stats.
You can tailor the highlights from the Wolfsburg game to how you like:
However, the Bundesliga could only choose one Man of the Match, with fans voting for Olise in the end. The France international took five and set up three of Bayern’s 15 attempts on goal during the game, while he also contested the most one-v-one duels (30), just ahead of Díaz in second (27). It was a just reward for an outstanding 50th Bundesliga appearance, as the 24-year-old also brought up his 24th assist in Germany’s top flight – the fastest a player has ever reached that total since detailed data collection began in 2004/05.
Only Kane out ahead
That isn’t to say Díaz’s performances in Bayern red have been any less impressive. It was the third time that the Colombian had a direct hand in three goals in a Bundesliga game, which can only be topped by free-scooring Harry Kane this season (four games). The 28-year-old has also demonstrated a previously unknown strength with three headed goals, which is only bettered by Borussia Mönchengladbach centre-forward Haris Tabaković (four). Both he and Olise are now on nine goals for the campaign to sit in joint-second on the Bundesliga scoring list alongside Tabaković and Deniz Undav, only trailing the unstoppable Kane (20).
The Bayern striker also had words of praise for his fellow attackers and their work in helping him score a few goals this season. “They harmonise so well and are so dangerous. Robben and Ribéry obviously did it for a longer period of time. Michael and Lucho have many years ahead of them to perform so consistently. I think that’s what made the pair so great, performing consistently year after year and being so dangerous. They’re on the right track there,” said Kane.
Only Vincent Kompany wanted to rein in any big talk about the pair and avoid comparisons with their historic predecessors. “I have too much respect for those wingers I played against. If we end up winning the big titles, then we can maybe discuss this topic,” the coach stated at his post-match press conference. Given the form of both Olise and Díaz, many might expect that day to come quite soon.
If you want to see Robbery in action again, you need to watch the Legends Cup on 18 January:
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