How can Bayern Munich get the best out of Renato Sanches?

Renato Sanches has experienced a return to form this season, but how can Niko Kovac ensure he gets the best out of the Bayern Munich youngster?

Renato Sanches has seen a resurgence in form and confidence under new manager Niko Kovac. After a poor debut season with Bayern Munich and an unsuccessful loan spell in the Premier League with Swansea City, he’s finally earning more time on the pitch.

There has been a notable rise in his attitude and an apparent drive to succeed when he’s featured in the starting lineup or joins the match from the bench. His newfound confidence and form can be a massive boost for Bayern that could erase the doubt that previously surrounded the 2016 Golden Boy winner.

Where Sanches fits best

In order to properly profile Renato Sanches best, let’s take a look at his best attributes and biggest downfalls individually. Beginning with his strengths, Renato is physically dominant on the ball. Once he gains possession of the ball, it is difficult for the opposition to force him off on physical power alone. This partially leads to his next attribute: he’s useful at regaining possession.

Sanches has an abundance of energy to track back defensively and fight back for the ball when needed, making him a useful player to complement someone like Thiago. At the other end of the pitch, Sanches is good at driving offensive play forward. His fine positional play and eye for a good pass make him a strong catalyst for attacking plays.

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Despite all these strengths Renato Sanches is capable of displaying when at his best, he has one notable weakness that exposes him. Despite his proficiency at driving play forward, he lacks proper finishing. He needs to learn to maintain his composure and keep his head up in order to be more clinical.

This was made evident in Bayern’s recent match against Augsburg. The Portuguese youngster was in inspired form for the match, but his finishing was woeful. Sanches’ build-up play was excellent, as was his chance creation, and he could have scored a couple goals on his own. Ultimately, though, he failed to put away his chances or even truly test the keeper on most occasions.

Based on the evidence, Sanches’ strongest position on the field is made relatively clear. His abilities would best be exploited playing in a box-to-box central midfield role. This gives him the freedom to roam both ends of the pitch, contributing both offensively and defensively.

How to keep from restraining Sanches

Now that his profile as a player has been made evident, how can Niko Kovac best keep away from restraining or holding back the youngster? The answer to that is to keep him away from the more strict midfield roles on the pitch.

For instance, despite his drive and hunger in winning the ball back while on the defensive, he shouldn’t be fielded as solely a defensive midfielder. Doing so would inhibit his ability to drive play forward. This could also expose him by way of making him enter too many challenges recklessly. Renato Sanches is no stranger to the occasional yellow card.

Conversely, Renato also shouldn’t be defined concretely as an attacking midfielder. While he would certainly enjoy the freedom of attacking almost exclusively, it would limit his defensive contribution. Though Sanches isn’t perfect in avoiding the occasional reckless challenge, his workhorse attitude is a strong defensive attribute in winning back possession.

In conclusion, the box-to-box midfield position provides the best balance of offense and defense for Renato Sanches. This complements his strengths without restricting and relegating him to one specific end of the field or the other.