Not Afraid of Brown: Stanisic Takes on the Competition at Bayern | OneFootball

Competition at FC Bayern is set to become even more intense in the coming season. With the addition of Nathaniel Brown, the Munich club has further strengthened its defense. Josip Stanisic, however, doesn’t see this as a disadvantage—on the contrary: The Croatian national team player wants to rise to the challenge of internal competition and, through his performances, force the coach to make difficult decisions.

The personnel situation in Bayern’s defense has changed once again compared to last season. Nathaniel Brown expands Vincent Kompany’s options on the flanks. Added to this are versatile defenders like Konrad Laimer, Hiroki Ito, and Josip Stanisic, who can play multiple positions.

For Stanisic, however, the new competition is no cause for concern. Ahead of the friendly against Aston Villa, the 25-year-old spoke openly about his situation.

Stanisic wants to embrace the competition

“My role hasn’t changed. Before, when Hiroki arrived—he can play that position too—it was already up to me to make the coach’s decision difficult. As a team, it’s great to have another strong player on the squad,” explained the Croatian.

The defensive all-rounder made it clear that, in his view, a high-quality roster is essential for sustained success at the highest level.

“We have so many games; in the end, almost everyone was fit because we made a lot of substitutions and not everyone had to play every game. The way soccer is evolving, you need a large roster with great players to be able to win at the end of a long season.”

PSG as a Role Model

Photo: IMAGO

Thanks to his versatility, Stanisic is one of Kompany’s most important tactical options. The national team player can be deployed in both fullback positions as well as at center back, giving the Bayern coach additional flexibility.

For Stanisic, a look at top-level European soccer also shows that rotation will become even more important in the future.

“Paris has led the way because they can sometimes field their second team in the league. They can make more substitutions there than many others. It’s great for us; for me, it fuels my hunger to earn my spot—then the coach has to decide who should play.”

With this attitude, Stanisic embodies precisely the spirit of competition that Vincent Kompany wants to establish at FC Bayern. No player should feel assured of a starting spot—instead, performance and form should determine playing time. The greater squad depth could prove to be a decisive advantage in the battle for the Bundesliga, DFB Cup, and Champions League, especially in a season with numerous competitive matches.