Why Thiago is the heartbeat of Bayern Munich midfield?

Touch of Gold

Thiago is an influential figure in the midfield. He makes it easy for any team to progress the ball across the thirds. His constant movement between the lines helps him in becoming a reliable passing option.

Acting as a link-up player, Thiago makes Bayern tick. The maestro set a Bundesliga record in 2014 of 185 touches in the 5-0 victory over Eintracht Frankfurt. He remains a master in this art. The Spaniard has maintained an average of 104 touches per 90 in the Bundesliga since the 2017-18 season.

Apart from his movement, Thiago possesses an exquisite passing technique. His average pass success rate is around 91.5% in the UEFA Champions League this season. This makes him one of the best midfielders in Europe. When playing at the base of the midfield during the build-up, Thiago makes room for himself to collect and distribute the ball. Be it a long-ball across the width of the pitch or a defense splitting through-ball, Thiago’s flair seems unparalleled.

Using his composure and dribbling skills, he expedites the attacking flow. Thiago has seen a massive improvement in his dribbling success rate. The metric was recorded at 74.3% in the 2017-18 season, which now stands at 85.9%. It falls perfectly in line with Thiago’s surge in the number of passes under pressure. Thiago has made 16.9 passes per 90 under pressure situations in the current Bundesliga campaign. This figure stood at 13.5 and 12.5 in 2018-19 and 2017-18, respectively (both per 90).

Thiago Alcantara operates like an orchestrator on the pitch. He controls the tempo of the game with his slick touch and passing maneuvers. A technically gifted midfielder who has been among the top in the Bundesliga charts.