FC Bayern drew 2-2 against Arsenal. The evening provided some insights—and possibly the solution to a roster problem.

FC Bayern had to settle for a 2-2 draw in the Champions League showdown against Arsenal. Harry Kane and Alphonso Davies turned the tide after the visitors had taken the lead, before Arsenal equalized in the closing minutes.

Despite the missed victory, the matchup against one of Europe’s strongest teams provided some interesting insights. Above all, a surprising lineup decision by Vincent Kompany could prove to be of great significance for the rest of the season.

1. Kane Redefines the Game

When FC Bayern signed Harry Kane, the Englishman was primarily expected to fill the void left by Robert Lewandowski at center forward. Kane has long been scoring goals at a steady pace. But he has since become far more than a classic center forward.

The match against Arsenal demonstrated this impressively. At times, Kane dropped back to align with the center backs, popped up in central midfield, and was still the decisive player up front.

German national team coach Jürgen Klopp expressed surprise at Kane’s unusual role in an interview with DAZN: “Harry Kane is everywhere today. I think that’s fine with the ball, but without it…”

Later, Klopp added: “And again, I’m not the pope of soccer—everyone can do what they want—but I haven’t fully bought into it either.”

With the ball, however, Kane showed why Kompany gives him this freedom. His pass leading to Davies’ equalizer was world-class —a through ball from deep that even the best midfielders don’t consistently pull off. Later, Kane drew the handball penalty himself and converted it to make it 2–1.

Especially with the Ballon d’Or in mind, it’s therefore too narrow a view to reduce Kane solely to his goal-scoring rate. He initiates attacks from deep, distributes the ball like a playmaker, works hard off the ball, and remains one of the most dangerous goal scorers in the world.

Kane has long since moved beyond simply redefining the center-forward position. At the moment, one almost gets the feeling that he is redefining the game itself.

2. Davies could suddenly solve a major problem for Bayern

Alphonso Davies on the left wing was one of the biggest surprises in Bayern’s lineup. Because Luis Diaz was injured and couldn’t start, Kompany deployed the Canadian a row further up the field.

Davies seized his opportunity. On the 1-1 goal, he broke deep off a pass from Kane, used his tremendous speed to his advantage, and kept his cool in front of David Raya. Beyond that, he repeatedly created danger with his pace.

This strong performance could prove crucial for Bayern. Since the start of the season, there has been discussion about the lack of a genuine alternative to Diaz on the left wing. Most recently, it was even reported that Munich might spend a lot of money on another winger this coming summer.

Now, the solution might already be right there in their own squad.

Davies originally joined FC Bayern as an attacking winger himself and was only retrained as a left back once in Munich. Against Arsenal, he returned, in a sense, to his roots.

Whether this approach could work in the future depends on the changed squad situation. Nathaniel Brown can play left back, as can Josip Stanisic. This would give Kompany the opportunity to use Davies more frequently in an attacking role.

Of course, one strong performance doesn’t immediately solve all problems. But ironically, a player whom Bayern once moved from the wing to the defense could now move back up front—and thereby significantly reduce one of the squad’s biggest areas of concern.

3. The Stavanger blunder is now catching up with Bayern

Taken in isolation, the 2-2 draw against Arsenal isn’t a bad result. The real problem dates back a week. In the 3-3 draw at Viking Stavanger, Bayern dropped two points. As a result, after three games, the Munich team has only five points.

Serge Gnabry summed up the situation after the Arsenal game succinctly: “We have to win at Atlético.”

That’s easier said than done. Atlético Madrid is a top European team and is currently performing strongly in Spain as well. Under normal circumstances, even a single point on the road in Madrid would be a decent result. However, due to the slip-up in Stavanger, Bayern has narrowed its own margin for error.

In each of the past two Champions League seasons, 16 points were enough for eighth place. Anyone who really wants to play it safe should be aiming for closer to 18 points.

Bayern therefore still need at least 11 points from their remaining five games. After Atlético, they travel to Lille, followed by a home game against Slavia Prague, an away match at Manchester United, and, to wrap up the group stage, a game against Real Betis.

The home games against Slavia and Betis are must-wins. Bayern should also pick up three points in Lille. To do that, they’ll need to earn points in the tough away games at Atlético and Manchester United.

That’s exactly why the loss in Stavanger hurts so much right now. Against a Champions League newcomer from Norway, Bayern would have had the chance to secure a comfortable position early on.

If they ultimately fail to make the top 8, their only option would be the detour through the playoffs. Bayern know from their own experience just how unpleasant that can be: Two years ago, they had to face Celtic Glasgow in the intermediate round and, although they prevailed, they had to play two additional knockout matches to do so.

The pressure in the Champions League has thus increased significantly. The slip-up in Stavanger is now coming back to haunt Bayern.

This article was translated into English by AI. You can read the original version here https://fcbinside.de/2026/10/22/erkenntnisse-nach-arsenal-ein-grosses-bayern-problem-scheint-ploetzlich-geloest/.