Bayern Munich midfielder Thiago Alcantara not worried about criticism
Thiago Alcantara is not worried about people criticizing his game despite making a slow start to the season at Bayern Munich.
It has been a strange couple of months of this season for Bayern Munich. The defending Bundesliga champions have delivered some fine performances, but individual mistakes have cost them points in the league.
Die Roten has struggled to control the game over 90 minutes. It is no surprise that this particular pattern of performances has coincided with the poor form of Thiago Alcantara. The Spaniard has not been his usual self in the central midfield this season, surrendering possessions in dangerous areas and finding it difficult to dictate the tempo of the game.
Thiago was the key man in midfield for Niko Kovac last season. Kovac still considers him as a vital member of the squad but has been forced to drop him to the bench in some games this season due to his underwhelming performances.
The Spaniard has come under scrutiny previously for his performances in the Champions League. If he continues to struggle this year, then the spotlight will be back on him. However, Thiago is not fazed by criticism from fans and pundits. Speaking to the club’s magazine (via Sky Sport), Thiago admitted that he is just focusing on playing better instead of giving attention to the criticism.
"“I’ve been here for six years now, we’ve won the championship title every year and won three cups. In addition, we’ve advanced to the Champions League semi-finals four times.”“I respect what people think and say. I won’t say anything about that. I play.”"
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The competition in midfield at Bayern has improved this season. Renato Sanches left the club for Lille, but they replaced him with Mikael Cuisance. Moreover, Kovac has decided to move Joshua Kimmich in the midfield, while Benjamin Pavard plays in the right-back position.
This change of personnel in midfield provides more stability to Bayern as Kimmich has been superb in the holding midfield position. When Kimmich plays with Thiago, then the duo keeps switching their roles. However, Kovac has found more success this season when Kimmich has played with Corentin Tolisso.
The Croatian manager will have more selection headache when Leon Goretzka returns from a thigh injury. Thiago was a nailed-on starter for Kovac last season, but things have moved quickly this term. The Spaniard needs to find his consistency sooner rather than later to cement his place in the starting lineup.
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Thiago also refused to rule out retiring at Bayern Munich. The Spaniard has been playing in the Bavarian clubs for six years and feels completely settled in Bavaria. His current contract is set to expire in 2021, so Die Roten should be looking to open talks with him before the end of the current campaign.