Bayern Munich have endured a difficult start to Ruckrunde as they suffered a defeat at home against Werder Bremen on Saturday. The Bavarian club are seven points behind league leaders Bayer Leverkusen with one game in hand.
There was a lot of scrutiny over Die Roten’s performance against Bremen as they struggled to put pressure on the opposition in front of the home crowd. Tuchel has started the second half of the season with a new midfield pairing, as Joshua Kimmich started with Raphael Guerreiro in the center of the park for Bayern.
After an injury ravaged Hinrunde, Guerreiro ended the first half of the season with strong performances in the midfield. The Portuguese full-back excelled in central midfield along with Aleksandar Pavlovic. With Kimmich returning from suspension, Tuchel decided to utilize Guerreiro alongside Kimmich.
Leon Goretzka had to be content with a place on the bench due to the midfield reshuffle done by Tuchel at the start of Ruckrunde. The German midfielder responded to this demotion in the best possible way, as his cameo against Werder Bremen was one of the few positives from the game at Allianz Arena on Saturday.
Despite falling down the pecking order under Tuchel, Sky Sports in Germany is reporting that Leon Goretzka is not contemplating a transfer away from Munich. The German midfielder is ready to fight for a place in the starting XI. He is not even thinking about a move away from Bavaria in the summer.
Since arriving at Bayern, Tuchel was not completely sold on the midfield pairing of Kimmich and Goretzka. The German coach reportedly had doubts over the midfield balance by playing them together. He also advocated for the signing of a defensive midfielder in the summer, which would have allowed Kimmich to play in the number eight role.
After the pre-season tour, it looked certain that Kimmich would start alongside Konrad Laimer at the start of the season. However, Goretzka got the opportunity away at Werder Bremen in the first game of the Bundesliga. The German midfielder did a fine job whenever Tuchel started him throughout the first half of the season.
Goretzka is expected to start against Union Berlin later today. It wouldn’t be a surprise if he delivers a good performance and gets a long run in the starting XI. Regarding his long-term future at Bayern, there could be some sort of movement in the summer. The Bavarian club is planning to make tough decisions in the summer. It remains to be seen if Goretzka could be on the list of departures for the club chiefs.