So now it's Kompany and Davies instead of Laimer. Why did he do that? After all, Laimer and his like-minded counterpart Josip Stanisic are among the unsung heroes of this impressive season. Both impress as tenacious tacklers and, above all, as driving forces in attack. Laimer has already racked up 15 points this season, while Stanisic has scored ten.
Lately the only debate has been which of them plays left and which plays right. "We discuss this at least once a week in our coaching room," Kompany revealed last week. "None of us knows whether Konrad or Stani is better on the left or the right. If you ask me which of the two plays best on the left and which on the right, it's almost impossible to answer. For us, that's a luxury."
Against PSG, however, Kompany surprisingly left both on the bench and turned to Davies. The former first-choice left-back had been sidelined for months with a cruciate ligament tear. Following his December comeback from a cruciate ligament injury, Davies suffered several setbacks and was even linked with a summer transfer. Most recently, he had made a positive impact as a substitute and started two consecutive Bundesliga matches, leading many to assume he was merely being rotated with Laimer and Stanisic. That proved incorrect.