Bayern Munich Squad Power Rankings – January and February 2017

Bayern Munich have slowly gained momentum since the beginning of 2017. Who were the squad’s best and worst performers of the past two months?

Tier 1: The Best of the Best

1. Robert Lewandowski – Bayern Munich’s number 9 has undoubtedly been the squad’s most important player thus far in 2017. Lewandowski scored 8 goals in his last 8 matches (prior to the March 1 match against Schalke), rescuing Bayern important points on more than one occasion. There is simply no better striker in the world right now.

2. Thiago – Having picked up an injury over the winter break, Thiago lost none of his first half-season form upon his return to the squad. Against Arsenal, Bayern Munich played with Thiago in the number 10 role, and the Spaniard rewarded Carlo’s faith in him by registering two goals and an assist, gathering a perfect rating of 10 from WhoScored.com.

3. Arjen Robben – The “Flying Dutchman” seems to only get better with age. When not injured, Robben is clearly one of the first names on the Bayern Munich team sheet. He managed three goals throughout January and February, but none were hit as sweet as his long-range strike in the Champions League clash with Arsenal.

4. Arturo Vidal – Bayern’s “Warrior” is proving yet again this season why he is one of the best box-to-box midfielders in the world. Finally shaking off a nagging injury, Vidal has given 100% since returning from the winter break. Typical from the Chilean.

Tier 2: Playing Well

5. Manuel Neuer – That Neuer is yet to keep a clean sheet in 2017 is less a reflection of his play over the last month and a half and more of a testament to some poor luck for the Bavarians. However, Bayern’s vice-captain misses out on Tier 1 for his error against Schalke which allowed them the draw.

6. Mats Hummels – Hummels wasted no time acclimatizing to wearing red again since his transfer from Borussia Dortmund. He has only built upon his excellent performances in the Hinrunde and is a trustworthy anchor for Bayern Munich.

7. Javi Martinez – There’s not much different to be said of Hummels’ and Martinez’s performances. Bayern’s record signing is only beaten out here because of the superior passing range of his defensive partner.

8. Douglas Costa – If there was one complaint that could be made about Douglas Costa, it would be his consistency. Electrifying in some games, non-existent in others. Fortunately, Costa showed up more often than not in his last 7 games where he registered 4 assists.

9. Philipp Lahm – Der Kapitan has been nothing short of solid thus far in the Ruckrunde. Having announced his retirement from club football, Lahm will surely be soaking up every moment as he closes out the end of a legendary career.

10. Franck Ribery – Only managed to feature in two of Bayern’s games throughout the two months, but assisted a goal in each. Ribery may be on the wrong side of 30, but he still has the ability to dance past any defender on his day. His importance to the team is summed up best by teammate David Alaba, per Goal.com:

"“Franck is a machine.”“It’s no secret that he cannot be replaced, on or off the pitch. He’s massively important for the team.”"

11. David Alaba – It is only fitting that the Austrian left back would follow right behind his French teammate in these rankings, as he does both on and off the pitch. Alaba was subpar for the first half of the season, but has since regained form and is demonstrating his ability as one of the best left backs in Europe.

12. Joshua Kimmich – The Wunderkind  has cooled down a bit since his electrifying start to the 16-17 campaign, but is still playing well. Despite his young age, Kimmich possesses a cool head with great tactical awareness, and he may be set to succeed Philipp Lahm as the next great Bayern right back.

13. Xabi Alonso – The 35-year old Spaniard may–like Lahm–retire at the end of the season. Currently, his precision passing is a great asset to Die Roten, although his lack of pace may prove to be his downfall.

14. Juan Bernat – Rarely featured in the past eight matches, but was reliable–if not spectacular–when called upon.

15. Rafinha – Featured once as a starter and thrice as a sub. Nothing to note of the twice-capped Brazilian, which is not a bad thing.

Tier 3: Room for Improvement

15. Thomas Muller – Understand that these rankings are for the whole of January and February and reflect form across all matches during that time. That being said, after a dull start to 2017, Muller found his way into some amount of good form. His goal in the Arsenal clash and stellar performance against Hamburg suggest good things to come for everyone’s favorite Bavarian.

16. Kingsley Coman – Like Muller, the young French winger struggled for much of the past month and a half, but finished strong. He scored two well-taken goals at the Allianz Arena against Hamburg.

Next: Why Joshua Kimmich Should Succeed Philipp Lahm ?

17. Renato Sanches – Europe’s “Golden Boy” has yet to settle in since his move to Bavaria, but understandably so. It is important to remember that Renato is only 19 and is still developing as a player. However, the maturity he showed in a recent interview with Bundesliga.com suggests that the future is bright for the Portuguese midfielder:

"“Every player wants to play, that’s completely normal.”“The solution is not to give up but to continue working, all the while knowing that my moment will arrive.”“I have faith in my efforts and for that reason I don’t feel down. Only 11 can play so I will work until my time comes. I knew this was going to be hard and it’s all part of integrating here.”"

Not Ranked

Jerome Boateng and goalkeepers Sven Ulreich and Tom Starke remain unranked due to lack of playing time.

*Note: Unless otherwise specified, statistics are taken from WhoScored.com.