Bayern Strikes
Fansided

Examining how Corentin Tolisso will fit in at Bayern Munich

By Benjamin Scott

TURIN, ITALY - NOVEMBER 02: Corentin Tolisso (R) of Olympique Lyonnais in action against Sami Khedira of Juventus during the UEFA Champions League Group H match between Juventus and Olympique Lyonnais at Juventus Stadium on November 2, 2016 in Turin, Italy. (Photo by Valerio Pennicino/Getty Images)
TURIN, ITALY - NOVEMBER 02: Corentin Tolisso (R) of Olympique Lyonnais in action against Sami Khedira of Juventus during the UEFA Champions League Group H match between Juventus and Olympique Lyonnais at Juventus Stadium on November 2, 2016 in Turin, Italy. (Photo by Valerio Pennicino/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
3 of 4
Next
MILAN, ITALY – NOVEMBER 15: Sebastian Rudy of Germany in action during the International Friendly Match between Italy and Germany at Giuseppe Meazza Stadium on November 15, 2016 in Milan, Italy. (Photo by Claudio Villa/Getty Images)
MILAN, ITALY – NOVEMBER 15: Sebastian Rudy of Germany in action during the International Friendly Match between Italy and Germany at Giuseppe Meazza Stadium on November 15, 2016 in Milan, Italy. (Photo by Claudio Villa/Getty Images) /

The Frenchman’s competition

Joshua Kimmich would easily be Tolisso’s biggest direct competition for playing time were it not for the German’s versatility. With Philipp Lahm retiring, Bayern are left with a hole in their defense, one that young Kimmich can fill wonderfully. And it seems Kimmich is set to do just that next season, leaving more space for Tolisso in the midfield.

Renato Sanches—despite winning the 2016 Golden Boy award—has come nowhere near reaching the dizzying heights of two seasons ago with Benfica. The Portuguese youngster has often looked out of place when playing for Bayern, but has even found those opportunities to be a rarity. He’s now being linked with a move out of Munich, which would free up even more space for Tolisso.

Sebastian Rudy could actually prove to be Tolisso’s main source of competition for the next season. As already mentioned, the former Hoffenheim captain just endured a fantastic season in the Bundesliga (he was WhoScored’s ninth highest rated Bundesliga player) and is ready to do the same at Bayern. While many doubt Rudy’s quality, the German international certainly has the potential to exceed all expectations.

Comparing the two midfielders is a bit like comparing to apples to oranges though. While Rudy plays deeper in the midfield in a holding role (see Xabi Alonso), Tolisso is much more versatile. He capable of filling in anywhere, making the likelihood of him featuring in the squad all the more likely.

Finally, while Javi Martinez is a capable midfielder, he will likely once again spend most of his season in defense.

Despite the addition of Niklas Süle, Bayern have lost Holger Badstuber and Medhi Benatia permanently. This leaves the club with only Javi, Boateng, Hummels, and Süle in central defense. And if anything can be learned from the past few seasons, it’s that injuries are inevitable and Bayern have to be prepared to replace any given player at any point in the season. Plus, Javi has become quite the center-back and seems only a few steps away from proving himself as one of Europe’s best.