Central Defense
Having parted ways with Eric Dier over the summer, the German Champions did well to acquire Jonathan Tah on what was initially a free transfer from Leverkusen, despite ultimately having to fork out €2million for his early release ahead of the recently concluded FIFA Club World Cup.
In the few games that the 29-year-old German international has represented Bayern so far, it appears that he has formed a solid, if not bulletproof, partnership alongside 26-year-old French international Dayot Upamecano in the heart of the defense. Upamecano was arguably Bayern’s best defender last season. However, Tah is likely to assume to role of leader at the back.
With Bayern seemingly no longer in a rush to sell Kim Min-jae, the 28-year-old South Korean international will be the first man to get off the bench in the absence of either Tah or Upamecano. Hiroki Ito, when healthy, will be an option at left center-back in addition to the left-back position, similar to how Stanisic can play at both right-back and center-back.
Bayern’s back four clearly has room for improvement. The players need to be fully dialled in to Vincent Kompany’s high-line tactics, but its execution won’t be at peak levels until the Roadrunner-Alphonso Davies, with his exceptional pace and recovery ability, returns to the starting lineup.