3 Areas Kingsley Coman Can Improve on to Become a Bayern Munich Great

By all accounts, Kingsley Coman has had a remarkable debut season at Bayern Munich. Signed on loan from Juventus late in last summer's transfer window, he looked to be an afterthought—an addition of far less immediate importance than high-profile signings like Douglas Costa and Arturo Vidal.

Yet as the season has progressed, it's become more and more clear that the 19-year-old is less a bright prospect for the long-term future and more a key player for here and now.

That became evident in the fall as he started to play regularly due to injuries to Franck Ribery, Arjen Robben and Mario Gotze. He even earned his debut cap for France in November.

However, he's really come of age in recent days with a hat-trick of assists against Werder Bremen followed by a performance off the bench against his former club, Juve, that helped turn the Champions League round-of-16 tie in Bayern's favor: He crossed to Thomas Muller for a late equalizer before scoring the goal that put the result beyond doubt in extra time.

It's clear now that Coman is a great match for Bayern and has all the potential to be a superstar, but where can he improve in order to achieve even greater success?

Click "Begin Slideshow" to see three areas B/R has picked out where he could use a bit of work.

Finishing

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Coman has incredible natural ability to be a terrifying, direct threat on goal—he has pace, agility and great dribbling skill. Imagine what that could be when combined with reliable finishing: It would make him very much like Robben.

For now, though, Coman is more like Robben in his earlier years, a player who, for all his skill and talent, is not yet a great scorer of goals.

Prior to his strike against Juve, he'd scored just five in all competitions, half his assists tally. What made Robben and Ribery such a great combination in their prime is that they complemented one another; the Frenchman with assists and creativity, the Dutchman with a more direct style of play.

Bayern now have another creator in Douglas Costa, and if Coman is to become a legend at the club, he'll have to develop his game to complement the established star on the opposite wing.

Per Squawka, he's put less than half his shots on target this Bundesliga season and hasn't often scored, so shooting is one area where he can improve.

Passing

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It's been established that Coman is not yet a great scorer of goals, but he is a good attacking player. One might assume he, therefore, is a great passer of the ball, but that also isn't exactly true.

In reality, Coman is, above all, a great dribbler. His pace at full sprint as well as his acceleration over the first five and 10 yards are rivaled by few. He also is surprisingly agile for a player of his height, making him very similar to Robben in athletic terms. 

Beyond his physical attributes, Coman also has an excellent touch in the dribble and great instincts to beat his marker one-on-one. These skills help him assist goals.

At the same time, Coman's passing still could use a bit of work. According to Squawka, he's completed under 40 percent of long passes (excluding crosses) in the Bundesliga, a disappointing figure compared to Robben (70 percent) and Douglas Costa (60 percent). Being able to reliably switch the ball from one wing to another is important for a winger, and that isn't yet in Coman's toolbox.

As well, Coman could work on his creativity, which seems to be only a matter of paying more attention to events happening around him.

It's a skill of his to understand how to beat his marker, and by default, he seems to intensely focus on one-on-one situations. But that often comes at the expense of seeing everything else happening around him, which can lead to bad decisions.

Great playmakers like Mesut Ozil first entertain the idea of passing, then either play the ball with their first touch or dribble in such a way to make the right pass possible.

Coman appears to try to beat his defender first, then assess the options and figure out what to do. Given his extreme pace, that leaves almost no time to think.

Off-Ball Play

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It can be said that Coman has good instincts for where to position himself. When Bayern have the ball, he has a sense for where to run to make himself useful, but otherwise, the teenager could use a bit of work in terms of play off the ball.

Coman seems to have been trained in the old-school way of forwards who perhaps are willing to put in effort when in possession, but are not so likely to do much after losing the ball. His work rate has improved this season, but there is still more he can do.

Generally speaking, Coman isn't aggressive enough for a player of obvious athletic gift. He has a sturdy frame, is strong and exceptionally quick and agile, so he could be a pressing monster. Yet he doesn't make enough attempts to win back the ball, and his tackling technique leaves plenty to be desired.

His limited off-ball contribution may explain why Coman was benched against Juventus despite Robben's absence and Ribery being rather short of match practice. But it's something he's already improved upon during his time at Bayern, and—with the right coaching—he can develop further.