Josip Stanišić is welcoming the competition at Bayern Munich rather than fearing it.
Speaking about his role following the arrival of Nathaniel Brown, the Croatian defender emphasized that earning a place in the starting XI has always been a part of life at a club like Bayern Munich, and that mentality has not changed.
“My role hasn’t changed. Even before, when Hiroki arrived – and he can play in that position too – it was already up to me to make the coach’s decision a difficult one. As a team, it’s
great to have another good player in the squad,” Stanišić said (as captured by @iMiaSanMia). “We’ve got so many matches; in the end, almost everyone was fit because we’d made plenty of substitutions and not everyone had to play every game. The way football is developing, you need a big squad with top-class players to be able to win at the end of a long season.
“You see PSG won the Champions League twice in a row, because they can just field their second team in the league. Not every time, but they can make more changes than in many other leagues. It’s good for us; for me, it makes me even more determined to find my place – then it’s up to the coach to decide who should play.”
It is the kind of mindset Bayern Munich will need throughout the season. With four competitions to navigate and an increasingly demanding schedule, quality depth is no longer optional. Every position requires multiple players capable of starting, and internal competition is what keeps standards high.
Rather than seeing Nathaniel Brown’s arrival as a threat, Stanišić views it as another opportunity to prove himself. If every player approaches the season with that same mentality, Vincent Kompany will have the kind of selection headaches that usually lead to success.
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