How will Bayern Munich adapt to life without Aleksandar Pavlović
By Tom Vinall
During Saturday evening’s thumping win against VFB Stuttgart, Bayern Munich midfielder Aleksandar Pavlović picked up a serious looking shoulder injury, with some reports ruling the 20-year-old out of action until 2025.
So, how might Bayern Munich look to adapt to life without Pavlović over the next few months? Let’s take a look at how things may be tweaked tactically in the key midfielder's absence.
It does not take a genius to figure out that this should mean a lot more game time for João Palhinha. The Portuguese midfielder replaced Pavlović early on in the win over Stuttgart, and immediately looked very settled, given his lack of game time and rhythm so far.
The 29-year old recorded; 66 touches, 54/56 passes, one chance created, 3/3 long balls, 1/1 dribble attempts, 6/9 ground duels won, four tackles, and one foul won, in 82 minutes of action.
Of course, for better or worse, Palhinha is a very different type of player to Pavlović. In play style, age, stature, etc. As a result, things cannot be exactly the same as they were before. There will have to be tweaks accordingly.
Although Palhinha’s ability on the ball is better than some people think, with the above stats suggesting as much, it is safe to say that it is not what he is known for. He is also not used to playing for teams that have as much of the ball as Bayern, and is not used to the volume of touches that come with playing in midfield for Die Roten.