The season is set to begin for Bayern Munich this weekend. The Bavarian club will not start their Bundesliga title defense until next week, as their first competitive game will be against arch-rivals Borussia Dortmund in the DFL Super Cup.
Ahead of every new season, ESPN FC has started releasing a list of the top 100 players. Considering the success Bayern had last season in Germany, it is not surprising to see several players from the current squad feature in different categories.
The top 10 for goalkeepers and full-backs didn’t have a Bayern player. Manuel Neuer is doing fairly well for Die Roten, but there is a good case for having 10 better goalkeepers ahead of him. It was surprising to see Konrad Laimer not feature in the list of full-backs, as he has done really well in this position for Bayern under Vincent Kompany.
Bayern’s defensive and midfield stalwarts get recognition
Jonathan Tah and Dayot Upamecano have been a formidable center-back partnership for Bayern. The Bavarian club added more experience to their defense by signing Tah from Bayer Leverkusen on a free transfer in the last summer transfer window.
Tah quickly formed a solid understanding with Upamecano in the heart of the defense. They both had a terrific season with Die Roten. Upamecano and Tah are seventh and fifth in the top ten center-backs list of ESPN FC. There is a good argument for Upamecano to be further higher in this list as he has been exceptional for Bayern over the last two seasons.
Joshua Kimmich has been the Mr. Consistent for Bayern in the center of the park. He finished seventh on the list, while Aleksandar Pavlovic made his first appearance on this list in the 12th position. The German midfield duo is central to Kompany’s plans at Bayern.
Bayern forwards dominate attacking lists
Bayern had a record-breaking season in the final third, so it is not surprising to see their forwards dominate ESPN FC’s top 100 list.
Harry Kane and Michael Olise have finished in the first position in the center-forward and winger list, respectively. Kane won the European Golden Shoe, while Olise had a brilliant season on the right flank. The French winger attracted interest from Real Madrid this summer, but Die Roten had no intention to even consider offers for him.
Luis Diaz had a brilliant debut season with Bayern after arriving from Liverpool for €75 million. The Colombian was the most productive left-sided forward in Europe last season.
Jamal Musiala and Serge Gnabry also featured in the list of attacking midfielders. Gnabry did a fine job as number ten in the absence of Musiala during the first half of the season. He was 15th in ESPN FC’s list, while Musiala finished in the 13th position. It was an underwhelming season for Musiala due to injuries, but he remains one of the best attacking midfielders in Europe.
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