By Oliver Trust
BERLIN, July 17 (Xinhua) -- Following warm words of appreciation and applause for the 33-year-old Robert Lewandowski heading for Barcelona, is the question of how Bayern Munich can compensate for the loss of one of football's leading strikers.
Despite counting on one of Europe's best-equipped attacking lines around Thomas Muller, Serge Gnabry, Kingsley Coman, Leroy Sane and Sadio Mane, the Bavarians' game will have to change significantly.
The flood of goals scored by an overall reliable spearhead will have to be distributed between several shoulders requiring precise and clockwork-like patterns.
While coach Julian Nagelsmann claims that the departure of the number nine opens doors for more tactical variability, the job remains a challenge with an unpredictable outcome.
The Bayern coach is speaking about an interesting task to restructure a team without a forward always good for 40 goals per season.
While the 34-year-old manager is preparing for a two-striker system as an additional option, former Liverpool star Mane is mentioned as a possible replacement up front.
"Sadio often has covered the striker's job at Liverpool despite him being a different type of player than Robert," Nagelsmann claimed, also mentioning "the skilled personnel we have around to change to a two-striker system."
Nagelsmann's perspective to be given "a great chance to all of us" in the end is being laid entirely on his shoulders. It is not sporting director Hasan Salihamidzic or chairman Oliver Kahn who has to pay the bill; it's solely the coach.
The coach is doomed to success, as Kahn put it. "He knows about the club's demand," the former German international said.
It seems unlikely that Bayern will replace Lewandowski with another top striker, as "markets don't seem well equipped at present, not to speak of the fact the club will have to finance the deal."
Despite Kahn saying eyes would be open to unexpected opportunities, it seems more likely Bayern will use the 45 to 50 million euros for Lewandowski to cover the costs of Juventus defender Matthijs de Ligt.
It will be a near-herculean task to make up for 312 league goals and 86 goals in the Champions League, not to mention the number of assists delivered by Lewandowski.
A total of 509 goals in 674 games next to 135 assists draw an impressive picture of the Pole's outstanding achievements in his professional career.
Bayern quickly announced the contract extension of winger Gnabry to ease fans' concerns. It's more than a bold guess that the reigning German champions may need the help of every one of its strikers to finally turn Lewandowski into an enchanting story of the past. ■
