What midfield role best fits Corentin Tolisso at Bayern Munich?
Corentin Tolisso became Bayern Munich’s most expensive ever signing this past summer. Where does he best fit in the Bayern midfield under Jupp Heynckes?
Naturally, being signed on for a grand amount of €41.5 million brings some hefty expectations. By paying this massive fee, the Bayern Munich higher-ups clearly indicated they see something special in the young player. But there is always a risk involved when splurging cash on a relatively young player.
Bayern Munich aren’t known for making poor transfers often. However, their record isn’t spotless. The most recent example being the Renato Sanches dilemma. Last summer, the Bavarian club dumped a whopping €35 million on the Portuguese midfielder.
Unfortunately, most of us know how that decision has so far played out. The young Euro 2016 champion is currently riding out a poor loan spell at Swansea City. Given this, Tolisso’s success is imperative at Bayern Munich. Especially with Coco being intended to fulfill the role in central-midfield that Renato couldn’t, finding the perfect role for him is key.
Tolisso does not fill well as a defensive-midfielder
Tolisso honestly did not have much of a significant role under Carlo Ancelotti. Frankly, even some of Bayern’s top performers were lacking in the early stage of the season under the Italian boss. Now under Jupp Heynckes, the Frenchman seems to be gaining more trust. In addition to trust, Tolisso seems to be slotting into more comfortable positions in the Bayern XI.
Whether this is down to injury problems, Heynckes’ genius or a combination of the two, things are looking up for Tolisso. His most recent impressive exploits being his brace in the 3-1 revenge-match against PSG. In doing so, the young starlet continued to highlight where his true strengths lie.
Tolisso’s best qualities are ball distribution and well-timed runs into the attacking third from midfield. He thrives and is most dangerous with potent attacking teammates who can create chances for him. Most, if not all, of his goals — and both against PSG — came from excellent runs he made that were met with precise deliveries from his teammates.
But being confined to the number 6 role, or holding/defensive-midfield, restricts this aspect of his game. This is where Ancelotti often placed the Frenchman. He can be average as a defensive player, but Tolisso isn’t best defensive shield.
Box-to-box or attacking-midfield brings out the best
Box-to-box central midfield or central-attacking-midfield are both potential positions for Corentin Tolisso. Playing in either of these roles would allow him more creative freedom. Now that Ancelotti’s roles aren’t restricting him and the current injury to Thiago has left a hole in the Bayern midfield, it is the perfect time for some experimentation.
In box-to-box midfield particularly, Tolisso would be asked to cover plenty of space at both ends of the pitch. As such, this gives him the opportunity to make use of his positioning awareness and deep runs into the opposition penalty box. Defensively, he can still track back to contribute in numbers with the team. He can do this without being tied to being 1/2 of Bayern’s defensive-midfield pivot.
Meanwhile, there’s still the role of a straight-forward attacking-midfielder. This position obviously allows for Tolisso to focus his attacking contribution and forward passing the most. Being pushed further up-field, Tolisso will be more of a direct part to the Bayern attack. Consequently, this also lets him work more on his distribution game.
Crunch time approaching for Bayern Munich
The season will soon enter its second-half. With that, the most crucial run-down of matches are looming. The Champions League will enter its deep stages as well as the DFB Cup, not to mention the Bundesliga.
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Bayern Munich must now hit their stride more than ever. This could potentially be the time to fully try out these strategies with Corentin Tolisso. It’s time for all hands on deck in Munich.