Hasan Salihamidzic heaps praise on Bayern Munich defender
Hasan Salihamidzic praised Jerome Boateng after Bayern Munich defeated Mainz on Saturday.
Bayern Munich continued their good form in Ruckrunde on Saturday. The defending league champions clinched a 3-1 victory away at Mainz to make it six consecutive wins in the Bundesliga. This victory also helped Die Roten to go back to the top of the league table.
The visitors showed resilience and ruthlessness against Mainz. In the first half-hour of the game, they punished the home side by scoring three brilliant goals. For the rest of the game, they defended well to not give Mainz any chance of coming back in the game,
Die Roten’s defense was a big worry in Hinrunde as they conceded cheap goals. However, the team looks more solid defensively after the winter training camp. They concede fewer chances and look more solid when teams are trying to hurt them on the counter.
Jerome Boateng has been part of Bayern’s defense in all the three games this year. Hasan Salihamidzic was impressed with the German defender’s performance against Mainz. Speaking to Sport1, Salihamidzic revealed steps taken by Boateng during the winter break to improve his performances.
"“He played well again today. I know Jérôme, why should I be surprised?”“He also presented himself very well in the preparation and came back with less kilos. I think he lost four kilos. He did a lot on vacation and that’s exactly how he plays – and that’s why we’re happy.”"
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Boateng has grabbed his opportunities in the absence of Lucas Hernandez and Niklas Sule. The German was a bit shaky in December, but slowly and steadily improved after getting games under his belt. It will be interesting to see what Hansi Flick will do when Hernandez is fit to play games.
Bayern should not rush Hernandez straightaway in the starting lineup. The German club’s record signing has struggled with injuries in the past 12 months, so he must be slowly introduced into the action. Boateng’s good form provides Hernandez some breathing space to recover completely from the injury.
Boateng’s good performances may also help him to get a big move in summer. The German defender is unlikely to get a new contract extension, so the club will be looking to offload him in the next transfer window. He reportedly attracted interest from Arsenal in January, but Die Roten had no plans to part ways with him midway through the season.
Next. Four Takeaways as Bayern Munich defeat Mainz. dark
Bayern has a very busy schedule in the next two months as games come thick and fast across all competitions. Boateng’s good form is good news for Flick as he will be able to rotate the squad properly without sacrificing the quality of team performances.