It has been a slow start to the season for João Palhinha at Bayern Munich. The Portuguese midfielder has not started a competitive game for Die Roten since arriving from Fulham in the summer. It looks like he is slowly being integrated into the starting XI.
According to Kicker, Palhinha is set to play an important role for Bayern after the international break. The games will come thick and fast for Die Roten as the Champions League campaign begins later this month. Vincent Kompany will heavily rotate the squad, allowing Palhinha to get adequate playing time.
Moreover, Bayern will come up against difficult opposition in the coming weeks, which will require Palhinha to start in the center of the park to provide better shielding to the back four. The Portuguese midfielder was signed by Bayern to add more steel and solidity to the midfield.
Palhinha reported for training at Sabner Strasse on Tuesday after playing for Portugal on Sunday. The 29-year-old midfielder is excited to play for Bayern after waiting close to 12 months to complete the transfer. Die Roten failed to conclude a deal in 2023 but moved swiftly this summer to sign Palhinha.
Heute schon zurück im Team-Training: João #Palhinha. Dazu sind Tarek #Buchmann und Arijon #Ibrahimović dabei. Serge #Gnabry fehlt. #FcBayern pic.twitter.com/qyTqgqYS4A
— Michel Schröer (@MichelSchroeer) September 10, 2024
Considering he was early to report for training at Sabner Strasse, Palhinha has a strong chance of getting a start against Holstein Kiel on Saturday.
Kompany has an impressive group of midfielders at his disposal
The signing of Palhinha added an important midfield profile to the senior squad at Bayern. They have lacked a strong duel winner in the midfield since the departure of Javi Martinez a few years ago. Palhinha will help in avoiding scenarios where Die Roten’s midfield is getting overrun.
The Portuguese midfielder can be paired with Aleksandar Pavlović, Joshua Kimmich, and Konrad Laimer in the center of the park. Pavlović and Kimmich provide the guile on the ball, while Laimer is a proper box-to-box midfielder who can help in counter-pressing to great effect.
Kompany also has Leon Goretzka as a midfield option since he didn’t leave Bayern in the summer. The German international scored crucial goals from midfield last season. His experience will be handy for Bayern in big games later in the season.
Bayern capitulated in several away games last season due to a lack of calmness and steel in the midfield. The Bavarian club has the ideal mix of profiles in the midfield positions to stop them from collapsing in games away from home. Moreover, these midfielders can certainly adhere to Kompany’s style of football.