Bayern Munich: Omar Richards pleased to deliver against Hoffenheim

Bayern Munich had a decision to make regarding team selection in the back four on Saturday against Hoffenheim. Alphonso Davies was not yet completely fit to start after suffering a knock against Bayer Leverkusen a week ago. Josip Stanisic was favourite to get the nod on the left side of the defense, but Die Roten decided to hand first league start to Omar Richards.

The selection of Richard did turn out to be a positive one for Rekordmeister. The 24-year-old English defender delivered a steady performance. He defended well whenever Rekordmeister was subject to counter-attacks and provided width while going forward.

From a statistical point of view, Richards made three tackles and one clearance, which eventually helped the team to keep a clean sheet. He does need to be more efficient with his passing as he managed 78.6% accuracy on Saturday but completed three out of four long passes he attempted. (Stats courtesy: Whoscored)

Nevertheless, Richards did deliver an assured performance on his first league start. The young full-back was grateful for this opportunity after the game. In his post-match interview (via Bundesliga.com), Richards was chuffed to bits for getting the first Bundesliga start for Die Roten.

"“I’m very happy to have got the chance in the starting eleven today and that the coaches believed in me. I’m happy with my performance and with my team. The most important thing is that we got the home win today.”“It’s been an amazing time for me at the club, and really I just feel the support from the fans in the stadium, it’s amazing. I enjoyed every minute today.”"

Richards has to be patient for opportunities since arriving from Reading in the summer transfer window. The 23-year-old defender probably needed time to get used to the methods of Julian Nagelsmann. Moreover, the incredible form of Alphonso Davies meant that Richard had to bide time for his chance.

Davies will return to the starting lineup as soon as he is fit. However, Richards’ good performance against Hoffenheim will allow Nagelsmann to manage the workload of Davies. Nagelsmann has been proactive in terms of rotation in defense, so Richards should get more chances as the season progresses.

Richards should be in line to get the nod in the left-back position against Borussia Monchengladbach on Wednesday. Davies will be available for this game, but he might start from the bench since he has just recovered from a knock.

Meanwhile, Leon Goretzka might also make his comeback from a minor injury on Wednesday. The German midfielder missed the last two games due to injury, but he was spotted training on the pitch at the end of last week. It remains to be seen whether Julian Nagelsmann will be on the touchline for this game. The German manager is currently isolating from the squad after testing positive for coronavirus before last week’s game against Benfica in the Champions League.