Leon Goretzka enjoys his new Bayern Munich midfield role
Leon Goretzka has really excelled at Bayern Munich in recent weeks playing alongside fellow Germany international Joshua Kimmich in defensive midfield.
Bayern Munich clinched a third consecutive win across all competitions on Saturday. The Bavarians defeated Nurnberg in a convincing manner at Allianz Arena to go third in the Bundesliga, with Manuel Neuer keeping his first league clean sheet in months.
Niko Kovac has finally found some balance in his starting lineup. The Croatian recently confirmed he will stick with this starting lineup for the upcoming games unless an injury or suspension forces him to make changes. An key part of this lineup is the partnership of Leon Goretzka and Joshua Kimmich as a double pivot in defensive midfield.
Speaking to Sport1 earlier this week, Goretzka admitted that he is enjoying his new midfield role. The German international believes he and Kimmich assimilated so quickly because they previously played in similar positions with Germany’s U-21 squad. Though this new role diminishes Goretzka’s attacking qualities somewhat, he is happy to contribute to the team’s success.
"“It has worked very well so far. I also played with Kimmich in midfield at U-21 level for Germany. We complement each other very well.“It’s an important position, of course. The coach has given us orders to bring defensive compactness to midfield. Of course, my offensive game suffers a bit, but the most important thing is that the team is successful.”"
More from Bayern Strikes
- Bayern Munich: Tactical takeaways from 2-2 draw against Bayer Leverkusen
- Bayern Munich: Kingsley Coman set to be fit for Manchester United clash
- Bayern Munich unlikely to move for Trevoh Chalobah in January
- Bayern Munich: Key lessons from draw against Bayer Leverkusen
- Bayern Munich remains keen on hiring Max Eberl
Kimmich has been Bayern’s first choice right-back since Philipp Lahm’s retirement in 2017. The 23-year-old was one of the best right-backs in Europe last season, despite it being he first campaign playing in the position. He provided a new dimension to Bayern’s attack, as his marauding runs and pinpoint deliveries created many goals. Kovac recently decided to use him in midfield, though, with Javi Martinez struggling for form and Thiago Alcantara injured. He has been tidy in this position and provided a much-needed shield to Bayern’s fragile defense.
Leon Goretzka, on the other hand, is at his best playing closer to the final third thanks to his knack for scoring goals. His current role at Bayern is to recycle possession and keep things ticking in the middle of the park. Goretzka has done well in this role but it hardly does justice to his best qualities.
Javi Martinez is becoming a fringe player under Kovac, so he is unlikely to get a sniff in the holding midfield role anytime soon. Thiago was slowly becoming Kovac’s main man in midfield until he suffered a serious injury in October. The former Barcelona midfielder is now completely fit and will provide much better cover for this position.
Next. Kingsley Coman hopes for “Robbery” levels of success at Bayern Munich. dark
Kovac will eventually have to move Kimmich back to right-back due to Bayern’s lack of depth at the position. The Croatian will most likely stick with this formation til the winter break, though, as he desperately needs good results. He will have to convince the club hierarchy to sign a quality right-back in the January transfer window in order to stick with this midfield pairing.