Bayern Munich: Leon Goretzka shining in the new midfield role
The second season of Julian Nagelsmann at Bayern Munich was expected to be better than the first since players had adapted to his methods. However, the departure of Robert Lewandowski provided a stern challenge to Nagelsmann in terms of reshaping his team and extracting more goals from other players.
The Polish striker has consistently scored 40 or more goals for Die Roten in the past eight seasons. His departure was expected to dent Bayern’s goal prowess, but Nagelsmann has managed to extract more goals from different players in the team. Courtesy of handy contributions from all players, Die Roten is currently averaging just above three goals per game in the Bundesliga after 15 games.
Leon Goretzka is one of the players that had an added responsibility in the final third this season. The German midfielder is still playing as a number eight under Nagelsmann, but he has more license to push forward and make an impact in the final third.
Courtesy of a change in role, Goretzka’s numbers in the final third have significantly improved this season. The German international has already scored six goals across all competitions, twice his tally from last campaign. He also has four assists to his name, one more than he had in the 2021/22 season. (Stats courtesy: Transfermarkt)
Leon Goretzka is averaging two shots per game in the Bundesliga while maintaining a healthy pass success percentage of 82. The former Schalke midfielder is good at timing late runs in the box, so he always had the ability to come up with goals. The frequency of these dangerous runs in the box has gotten better this season, which has led to more goal-scoring opportunities for him. Along with scoring from open play, Goretzka is a threat from setpieces. (Stats courtesy: Whoscored)
At the current rate, Goretzka is expected to chip in with 10-12 goals across all competitions by the end of the season. It will be a massive output from the center of the park and gives Die Roten more options in the final third. Having a goal-scoring midfielder is like gold dust, as it causes a lot of problems for the opposition in the final third.
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There is a scope for improvement in Goretzka’s passing range, but he is doing a fine job in the new midfield role. Despite having a slow start to the season, Leon Goretzka has managed to come up with crucial performances when Bayern needed to get out of a poor run of form. Nagelsmann will be hoping that Goretzka remains fit for the rest of the season and maintains consistency in his performances.