Bayern Munich squad preview 2024/25: Central Midfield

Bayern Munich have decided against adding more players to the squad before tonight's transfer deadline. We have already reviewed the defense and goalkeeping department of the squad. It is time to look at the engine room of the squad at Bayern.

Vincent Kompany has largely played a midfield pivot and a number ten during pre-season. The first game of the season also saw Die Roten field a 4-2-3-1 system against Wolfsburg. In this piece, we will be focusing on the options for the midfield pivot.

New Midfield arrival- João Palhinha

Former Bayern Munich coach Thomas Tuchel insisted last season that the team needed a more defensive-minded number six. One year later, new coach Vincent Kompany seemingly shares the same view. With Bayern having finally acquired highly sought-after specialist number six in João Palhinha, all bases are covered in the midfield department.

The acquisition of Palhinha adds an element to the midfield department that didn’t exist last season. Standing at 6ft. 3in, Palhinha is an imposing figure who is excellent at shielding the back four. The 29-year-old Portuguese international is uncompromising in the tackle and can cover a lot of ground. He possesses excellent range in his passing and can quickly turn defense into offense after winning the ball.

Though most of Palhinha's work is done nearer his team’s goal than that of the opposition, he is also an indirect set-piece threat in the opposition’s box thanks to his aerial prowess. When the Portuguese midfielder does venture into the attacking half of the pitch, he can also be a threat with his powerful long-range shooting.

Overall, Palhinha has most of the qualities that are cherished in a number six. However, there are concerns over his disciplinary record. He accumulated 13 yellow cards for Fulham in the Premier League last season. Notwithstanding that fact, having a player like Palhinha in front of the back four should result in fewer mistakes from the defenders and therefore fewer goals conceded.

Other Midfield options

Ironically, for the first two competitive games of the season, the starting number six hasn’t been João Palhinha. Instead, that honour has gone to Bayern’s find of last season- Aleksandar Pavlovic. Having missed out on playing for Germany at Euro 2024 due to tonsillitis, the 20-year-old talent reported back to training early and did enough to impress his new coach. Having said that, Palhinha isn’t being rushed into the starting lineup. Before too long though, it’s expected that the Portuguese enforcer will get to show fans why he was worth the wait. Palhinha and Pavlovic have dissimilar styles of play, but between the two Die Roten is well positioned as far as number sixes go.

Shifting focus to the more advanced central-midfield role, one may look back at Thomas Tuchel’s reign at Bayern, and offer a bit of sympathy towards him. As previously mentioned, Tuchel had expressed the view that the team needed a more defensive number six and believed that Joshua Kimmich could better serve the team higher up the pitch. One year later, that’s exactly how Vincent Kompany has chosen to deploy Kimmich, and one can’t fault him for that. Joshua Kimmich is a near-tireless runner and over the years he has scored some important goals in big games for Die Roten in both domestic and European competitions. With Palhinha/Pavlovic as options in the number six position, Kimmich is expected to shine higher up the pitch.

In Konrad Laimer, Bayern possesses an excellent alternative to Kimmich. At 27, Laimer is in his prime. The Austrian international is a natural box-to-box midfielder who excels at pressing the opposition in the middle of the park to regain possession. Considering his excellent work rate with and without the ball, Laimer is a good option to have in the squad.

Rounding out Bayern’s central midfield department is Leon Goretzka. Kompany has informed the 29-year-old midfielder that he is free to leave as he is not included in the coach’s plans going forward. However, as things currently stand, Goretzka is intent on staying and fighting for a place in the squad, at least until the January transfer window. That may not necessarily be a bad thing as it could promote healthy competition, but from a business point of view, the Bayern bosses prefer to get his high wages off the books sooner rather than later. In any event, Rekordmeister has an excellent combination of youth and experience in the midfield department.