Corentin Tolisso is showing improvement with regular playing time at Bayern Munich.
Bayern Munich dominated against top clubs in Europe largely due to a superior midfield department. The German Champions inflicted 8-2 defeat on Barcelona in the quarterfinals by dominating them in the center of the park.
Despite having a very good mix of midfielders, Die Roten had to spend money in the market to bring in Marc Roca from Espanyol. Thiago Alcantara wanted a new adventure, so he left for Liverpool. Mickael Cuisance also sealed a loan move to Marseille on the deadline day.
At the start of the year, it looked certain that Corentin Tolisso could be leaving Bavaria in summer. The French midfielder was struggling to get playing time under Hansi Flick. Just before the restart, he suffered a serious injury that ruled him out for two months. With Italian clubs showing interest, Tolisso was close to ending his three years tenure in Bavaria.
The departures of Thiago and Cuisance changed Tolisso’s fortunes in Munich. The French midfielder moved up in the pecking order. He is going to get consistent playing time this season after enjoying a strong start to the season. Speaking to media on Monday (via AZ), Flick also heaped praise on the French midfielder.
"“You can tell during training that a burden has been dropped from him.”“That is extremely important for him because then he has a certain degree of relaxation. Then he can play with his very own class, which gives him more self-confidence. He is very strong. He has this quality, good finishes from the second row, but he also pits.”"
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Tolisso delivered a dynamic performance against Atletico Madrid last week. He rounded off a strong midfield performance by drilling the ball into the top corner from 40 yards. The Frenchman was all over the pitch throughout the game, pressing the opponent and winning the ball higher up the pitch.
The French midfielder can play as number eight and number ten in the midfield. Tolisso offers goals from the midfield as he can time late runs in the box to perfection. Whenever Flick wants to pack the midfield, then Tolisso becomes a very strong option to use along with Leon Goretzka and Joshua Kimmich.
The former Lyon midfielder arrived in Bavaria for then club-record fee. He enjoyed a terrific debut campaign, contributing to goals consistently from the midfield. Tolisso also got minutes for France in the 2018 World Cup. He was expected to get better in his second season, but a knee ligament injury derailed the campaign, keeping him on the sidelines for close to ten months.
Tolisso took longer to get back to his best shape after this injury, but competition for places in midfield reduced his playing time. Things are finally falling in place for the Frenchman as he enters the peak of his career. He has started strongly this season, and long may it continue.