Bayern is In A Tough Spot With Some Crucial Fixtures Ahead

A multitude of days late and a dollar short. I promised to write a piece on Bayern Munich and I’m sorry about the delay. Nonetheless, the German superpower has just sacked their manager despite losing only three games this season. Regardless of the drama, this is a team that I think has more potential than people think.

Kovac Out

I think you can get away with saying that Bayern embodies a “big club mentality”. The club is 4th in the German Bundesliga and they’re only four points behind league-leading Borussia Monchengladbach. They’re also the first-place team in their UCL group with the second-placed, Tottenham Hotspur, five points behind them.

Nonetheless, Niko Kovac is out and a multitude of coaches seem to be eager to succeed him. The question is… who is the best fit?

Wenger In?

If Arsene Wenger wants the job, Bayern needs to give it to him. Despite a couple of rough years at Arsenal before he stepped down, Wenger is an all-time great manager. I don’t think there is a better fit. The energy he would bring to the franchise would be priceless and his experience is something that Bayern could use, especially with an abundance of young talent in the squad. If I was the owner, I’d be going all out for Wenger.

Other viable options are Jose Mourinho and Massimiliano Allegri. Both coaches boast credible experience at some of the biggest clubs in Europe. Even so, neither are as good as Wenger in my opinion. Regardless of who takes over as Bayern’s manager, there is an abundance of talent in this squad. Munich’s board just needs to pick the right man to lead it.

Now let’s talk players. over the course of the summer, Bayern’s made a series of spectacular moves that have gone unnoticed. The number of big moves that transpired stole the headlines, but Bayern has quietly been improving. Let’s look at their moves.

Defense

In 2018, France won the world cup and the team’s starting full-backs were thrust into the limelight. Both Benjamin Pavard and Lucas Hernandez both had incredible campaigns in Russia and they were instrumental in France’s world cup success. So Bayern not only went out and signed one of them, the club signed both players.

But why? At first, I was incredibly surprised by this move. This team already was home to David Alaba and Josh Kimmich, two of the world’s best fullbacks. But a few months into the season I see why Bayern went after the two players.

One can simply look at it from a depth perspective but it’s a bit more than that. Both Pavard and Hernandez can feature as full-backs and center-backs allowing for flexibility throughout Bayern’s back-line. Plus, with Kimmich’s ability to play as a defense mid-fielder, Bayern can now do that while being able to deploy a world-class right-back in Pavard.

Even with a multitude of world-class defenders in the squad, Bayern has been dealt a tough hand. Niklas Sule is out for the entirety of the season with a torn ACL, and Lucas Hernandez is set to miss an extensive period of time after suffering an ankle injury (Wilfred Lawrence - 90 min). Plus, with Jerome Boateng picking up a red-card against Frankfurt on Saturday, Bayern will be without three defenders and next up in the Bundesliga for Bayern is a huge clash with Borussia Dortmund.

Regardless of the current predicament, Bayern signing both Pavard and Hernandez is huge. With a UCL clash against Olympiacos today, Bayern’s interim manager, Hans-Dieter Flick (he was an assistant coach under Kovac - CNN), will have his hands full. Perhaps a back four of Alaba, Martinez, Pavard, and Kimmich (left to right) would be the safest setup.

Bayern’s defense isn’t the only thing that has seen significant upgrades. The midfield has improved drastically and so has Robert Lewandowski who despite Bayern’s struggles, is in incredible form.

Coutinho

Let’s just start off with how happy I am that Coutinho got out of Barcelona. His struggles weren’t worth him remaining at the Spanish club and he’s thrived at Bayern thus far this season. He’s playing in the #10 role which is his most natural position. The 27-year-old Brazilian helped pilot Brazil to a Copa America trophy sitting behind the striker and he’s served as the motor for a Bayern attack that was in dire need of his services.

Coutinho has two goals and four assists in all competitions (transfermarkt.com) and although his stats aren’t jaw-dropping, he’s unlocked doors for Bayern’s most prolific scorer, Robert Lewandowski.

Lewandowski

I remember over the summer when people were counting him out. Robert Lewandowski seemed to be slowing down and just how he’d perform was subject to debate. But he’s put the speculation to bed in spectacular fashion.

Lewandowski has benefited greatly from the arrival of Coutinho. In 16 games, the Polish striker has 20 goals to his name. Lewandoski is the Bundesliga’s top scorer with 14 goals (Bundesliga.com) and he is second in UCL scoring with five goals (uefa.com).

Lewandowski is arguably the most lethal striker in world football right now. And despite Kovac being shown the door, he should take some credit in getting the best out of his world-class striker. Let’s just hope Lewandowski can keep up his incredible form.

Wings

One area that I questioned if Bayern was strong enough in was at winger. An injury to Serge Gnabry and Kingsly Coman would see Bayern in a world of hurt. Alphonso Davies is a capable player but to be relied upon as a starter at just 19 years of age is a big ask of the young Canadian. Moving for Ivan Perisic was an incredible move.

The 30-year-old Croatian winger is world-class and he adds experience to Bayern’s wings and that’s something Bayern were in dire need of considering the average age between Davies, Coman, and Gnabry is 22.

Whether or not the trio listed above is the future of Bayern remains to be seen. If the German giants wish to win the Champions League can they rely on Coman and Gnabry? That question is subject to debate but I think that they are the future of the team. All three players are well on their way to being world-class and they have their entire careers ahead of them. Nonetheless, it was a great move by Bayern to bring Perisic in. He adds much-needed experience and depth. Perhaps throwing him a 2-year deal this summer would be a smart move if it isn’t too expensive.

Despite me having faith in Coman, Gnabry, and Davies, they should definitely hit the market hard this summer. Bayern needs to target a world-class forward and while a handful of Premier League clubs will be in all in for Jadon Sancho, Bayern could make a move for him and I think they will. I wouldn’t be surprised if Bayern snatches him right from Dortmund and doesn’t Erling Haland have Bayern written all over him? Anyways Bayern will most likely be in the market for a world-class forward next year.

Center-mids

Lastly, let’s talk about the center of the pitch. With injuries to both Hernandez and Sule plus a Boateng red card, Martinez will most likely be recalled to center-back. This will leave room for someone to step up in a defensive midfield role.

There isn’t a clear-cut defensive midfielder that can take over but a combination of Coutinho, Thiago, and Tolisso is a solid midfield. Bayern can most likely get through the two Bundesliga matches with Tolisso and Thiago picking up more of a defensive role. Perhaps Michael Cuisance or Leon Goretzka will see an uptick in minutes

Regardless, Bayern has the manpower to get through their next two Bundesliga fixtures. Even so, they better hope nobody else gets injured especially on defense.

What’s Next?

For Bayern, November will be challenging. As for the future of the club… it’s looking promising. The club boasts an abundance of stars as well as promising young players. Nonetheless, Bayern would be stupid not to be active this summer regarding transfers. As for the manager, Bayern’s board need to chose wisely as the future of the club depends on it. Despite being at a crossroads, this team has the potential to be special. As for now, all eyes are on todays’s Champions League clash against Olympiacos where a win would most likely see them into the knockout stage.