Jerome Boateng accepts Bayern Munich rotation policy
Jerome Boateng understands the need for rotation at Bayern Munich, even if it means he misses several games as he has recently.
After arriving as the new Bayern Munich manager this summer, Niko Kovac expressed his desire for a smaller squad. The club accepted his wish and offloaded a few players who were deemed less important than others. Even so, Kovac has consistently rotated his squad since arriving in Bavaria and is yet to name the same starting XI in consecutive matches.
This rotation policy has come under scrutiny, however, as Bayern went on a winless run of four games before the international. The lack of continuity in the starting lineup is largely considered one of the main reasons for this poor streak. It was even widely reported that many Bayern players were unhappy with their playing time at the club.
Speaking to Sky Germany, Jerome Boateng explained why rotation is necessary at a club like Bayern. The German defender asserted that there has to be changes in the starting lineup because the squad is full of exceptional players.
"“There are no guaranteed starters here. We have so many players who also play for their national team. Everyone plays a lot over the course of a season. We have two top players in every position; everyone will get their time on the pitch.“I don’t see any players who start every game — except Manuel Neuer and maybe Robert Lewandowski.”"
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Boateng didn’t get a chance to play against Wolfsburg or AEK Athens, but he started the game against Mainz. He was initially set to feature on the bench, but a late injury to Mats Hummels meant Boateng got his spot in the starting lineup. Kovac was happy with the performance of his veteran defender, despite his side’s failure to keep a clean sheet.
The Croatian manager has been changing his center-back pairing for nearly every game. Niklas Sule has been the main man in central defense for Kovac, while Hummels and Boateng have switched off between partnering him at center-back. Hummels, however, has been given the nod more often in recent matches. The former Borussia Dortmund defender has also publicly supported Kovac’s rotation policy, though.
Uli Hoeness, on the other hand, publicly expressed his skepticism of Kovac’s approach. Rotating will always keep the players on their toes and avoid accumulation of fatigue, which will eventually decrease the chances of serious injuries.
On the other hand, no consistency in the starting lineup only destroys the cohesion of the squad as a unit. This lack of cohesiveness might not cost them in smaller games, but they may struggle against bigger clubs in the Champions League.
Next. Alphonso Davies is ready for his Bayern Munich move. dark
Boateng would ideally like a run of games after his good performance against Mainz on Saturday. He’ll no doubt be looking to prove Bayern were wise not to sell him this summer. The Bavarians were willing to offload him but never received an adequate offer. He has been on a steady decline in the past few seasons, though, and Bayern may have missed their opportunity to offload him for any sort of significant fee. The German might fall even further down the pecking order next season if Bayern follow up their interest in Stuttgart’s Benjamin Pavard.