FC Bayern Munich: Assessing options in midfield department
Ample amount of depth in holding midfield position
The holding midfield position was a conundrum last summer. Bayern decided to solve the problem by moving Joshua Kimmich permanently in midfield. The German midfielder will play even more in that role since the club signed Bouna Sarr to provide competition to Benjamin Pavard in the right-back position.
Thiago Alcantara was also playing in this position against top European clubs. The Spaniard left the club in the summer to join Liverpool. Thiago is going to be a big miss for Die Roten, but Flick will have to adapt accordingly.
The German Champions replaced the Spaniard with his compatriot– Marc Roca. The young midfielder arrived from Espanyol in the final week of the transfer window. Roca is not similar to Thiago, but he will provide more robustness in the midfield since he is good at winning duels. With more experience under his belt, his passing will get better.
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Leon Goretzka can also fill in this position as he recently did against Arminia Bielefeld. The German international is becoming a versatile midfielder under Hansi Flick. Javi Martinez also provides cover in this position since he couldn’t get a move away from the club in the summer.
Adrian Fein was expected to get chances as number six this year, but he was loaned out to PSV Eindhoven on deadline day. Flick has four options for a single position, giving him the luxury to choose one depending upon the opponent and game situation.