FC Bayern Munich: Mid-season player ratings

Pep Guardiola

Pep Guardiola and Bayern Munich can never be kept out of any football fan’s list of top 5 managers and top 5 teams respectively. Therefore, when Guardiola decided to end his sabbatical and take the reins of FC Bayern Munich from Jupp Henckeyes, who had already made Bayern the best team in the world, many people got the impression that the ‘era’ of FC Barcelona at the top of the pecking order had come to an end officially.

Pep Guardiola rarely deviates from his ideology, and during his extremely successful stint at Barcelona, he had sold off many star players who weren’t part of his grand plan. While this worked for Guardiola at a team of ‘schoolboys’ like Barcelona, not many can guarantee similar results at FC Bayern Munich, which is definitely not a slacker in the department of having combustible players.

Despite the rumours of a rift between the club and the coach, FC Bayern have been producing results not very different from what they had been achieving under Jupp Henckeyes. So without further ado, here are the mid-season ratings of Bayern’s players.

Manuel Neuer: 8

Neuer is officially the best goalkeeper in the world as of now, and not many would disagree unofficially. Neuer is an absolute rock in between the goalposts, and the only reason we can’t get enough of his acrobatic saves is because of Bayern’s airtight defence (which is why his rating isn’t higher than an 8).

Despite this, Neuer’s athleticism and positioning has saved Bayern from many awkward situations. He has kept 10 clean sheets in 17 games in the Bundesliga, and has only conceded 8 goals this season. If things keep going like this for the 27-year old shot stopper, nothing but an extremely unfortunate injury (touch wood) could stop him from becoming even better with every passing year until he is well into his 30s.

Neuer’s role as Bayern’s number one is in no way under threat. Even though Pep is known for tinkering with his players quite a bit, it would be downright stupid of him to replace Neuer. And (thankfully) Pep seems to be agreeing with me, as he turned down Manchester City’s 40 million pound bid for Neuer with just two words: No chance. Expect Neuer to stick around for a while.

Dante: 8.5

If Neuer is a rock between the sticks, then Dante is a brick wall just in front of him. An absolute bulldozer of a defender, he has combined strength, pace and heading ability to evolve into one of the best centre backs in the business.

His role under Guardiola hasn’t been tinkered with either, and he has carried his previous form into this season. Despite the whirlwind of changes that have been going around him, Dante is fast evolving into the best centre-back in the world.

Jerome Boateng: 7

With Holger Badstuber still on the mend, Jerome Boateng is practically indispensable to Pep’s Bayern Munich. His pace, aerial ability and his tendency to fly into tackles have been largely responsible for the ridiculously low number of goals that Bayern have conceded this season.

He might have goofed up in the second game versus his old employers, Manchester City, in the Champions League, but Jerome is definitely enjoying a career high this season. Badstuber will have to work tremendously hard to get himself back on the team roster if Boateng continues playing like this.

Under Guardiola, Jerome tends to move out, almost to a familiar position of a full back, while Bayern’s full backs blast forward, crossing the ball and making overlapping runs with Bayern’s super duo on the wing, Ribery and Robben. While this is working for him, it remains to be seen if this is how Bayern wish to continue.

David Alaba: 7.5

David Alaba is one of the few players whose role hasn’t been tinkered with by their new boss, Pep Guardiola. While Ribery was injured, Alaba and Rafinha would tend to sit back and keep the defence airtight, but ever since the return of Frank Ribery, Alaba tends to participate more in the attack, while Dante covers the flank for a quick counter attack.

His pace, as well as his defensive abilities have made him a key element in the Bayern blitz, and as Frank Ribery once said, Alaba is the reason why Ribery went from being a world class player to the best player in Europe.

Rafinha: 6

The Brazilian full back has had more opportunities under their new boss, since Phillip Lahm, who used to play as Bayern’s first choice Right Back, has been shifted to a less familiar role as a Central Defensive midfielder. Rafinha provides vital forays down the right flank, as well as the services of a strong defender in the case of a counter attack. Yet, he hasn’t been anything extra special, something which is nearly synonymous with a footballer from Bayern Munich.

With Bastian Schweinsteiger and Javi Martinez itching to play, Lahm will, under normal circumstances, be moved back to his role at the Right flank, spelling out the end of pitch time for Rafinha.

Phillip Lahm: 8

Phillip Lahm

Captain fantastic of Bayern Munich is no enigma, yet Guardiola is taking this game of tic-tac-toe like a rubic’s cube. Instead of sticking to his favoured position as the right back of the team, Guardiola prefers to see him play as a Central defensive midfielder. But with players such as Javi Martinez, Bastian Schweinsteiger and Thiago Alcantara, such a travesty shouldn’t be occurring.

Also, Lahm is less participative in attacks these days, and he tends to lodge in between Dante and Boateng during most Bayern attacks, even though his pace and crossing ability are qualities that he has honed far more than his defending.

Lahm, however, is making the most of his position, launching crucial attacks with his vision and pace, as well as tracking back expertly to defend the goal. But now that Javi Martinez and Schweinsteiger finally through with their convalescence, one would hope that Lahm would continue playing in the same position where FIFpro felt he was the best in the world just last season.

Javi Martinez: 6

Javi Martinez

Martinez put up a few solid displays at the very beginning of the season, but injuries have kept the most expensive Bundesliga player in history from having much impact this season. Javi Martinez is all set to return to Bayern after another injury.

His role, however, is a little more limited under Guardiola, since the change from the rigid yet extremely successful 4-2-3-1 formation to the 4-1-4-1 formation, which prevent Martinez from going forward and scoring goals. It also prevents him from linking up with Bastian Schweinsteiger, leading to the end of Bayern’s extremely successful ‘twin towers’ in the midfield, which was credited for its remarkable consistency and ability to launch quick counter attacks.

Let’s hope Guardiola reinstates these two giants as defensive midfielders, because an extra attacking midfielder instead of a defensive midfielder is like an extra layer of gold paint on a Bentley missing half its engine (thank you Zidan for that lovely quote!)

Bastian Schweinsteiger: 6

The Bayern legend has been having numerous issues with injuries lately, but he is all set to make a comeback. He had a normal start to the season under Guardiola, doing the exact same thing Lahm has been doing in his stead, only a little better since he is more suited to being a ball winner and a distributor, rather than a sprinter who crosses the ball.

Should his return mark the end of Rafinha’s spell at the flank, and Lahm’s reversal to his old role, it would be interesting to see whether Guardiola will offload Schweinsteiger, an ageing, yet experienced fan favourite, or Javi Martinez, a young and expensive player who is not quite at Schweinsteiger’s level yet, but is on the right path.

Thiago Alcantara: 7

Alcantara was one of Bayern’s two major buys last summer, and most people expected the Spanish trickster to feature in Guardiola’s plans for Bayern, since he was already accustomed to playing in a similar setup at Barcelona.

However, he has only started in 7 of Bayern’s Bundesliga games, and his performances haven’t been ones idea of inspiring. Due to Bayern’s massive arsenal of attacking midfielders, Alcantara doesn’t seem like a regular in a Bayern playing at full strength.

Mario Gotze: 8

Anyone who felt that Mario Gotze would have a hard time adapting to Bayern, or settling in after his extremely controversial transfer from rivals Borussia Dortmund, has definitely chucked that doubt out of the window by now.

Having featured in over 30 games this season, Gotze has 9 goals and 5 assists to his name in all competitions, giving Bayern regulars such as Toni Kroos and Thomas Muller a run for their money. His performances have been nothing short of the ones he put up at Borussia, and Pep will definitely have a hard time leaving out of the team roster, no matter how star studded it might be.

His future, however, remains a bit unclear. With the arrival of Lewandowski, Bayern might not play a false 9 striker, and switch to a more conventional formation instead. If that were to be the case, Gotze may not feature in the plans at all.

Thomas Muller: 9

Thomas Muller

To say that Thomas Muller is currently Bayern’s greatest asset won’t be an overstatement. He is young at 24, insanely good at football, and improving as he ages. Thomas Muller has found the back of the net 8 times in the Bundesliga this season, and assisted someone do the same a total of 7 times.

If Bayern are to play a false 9, then Muller would undoubtedly be the most viable candidate, and if they switch to a more conventional formation, then Muller would definitely be the man of choice to feature behind Mandzukic/Lewandowski. No matter what Guardiola decides to do with the formation, everyone knows that Thomas Muller has as good as booked a permanent spot on the team roster.

Toni Kroos: 8

Toni Kroos is Bayern’s perfect replacement to the ageing Schweinsteiger, as both of them have a very similar playing style. Featuring quite frequently in Guardiola’s Bayern, Toni has participated in every single game in the league so far, showing great maturity and vision. Guardiola hasn’t tampered with his position yet, and therefore, life is good for Toni Kroos so far.

However, with the return and arrival of many new faces, Toni Kroos might just end up playing second fiddle to players who are just a bit more prolific than he is.

Frank Ribery: 9

Frank Ribery

Undoubtedly Bayern’s best player as of now, the only reason Ribery doesn’t get a perfect 10 on this scale is because of his leg injury, which saw him start only 13 games in the Bundesliga so far. His fast dribbles, runs both on and off the ball, his ability to dance around the defenders and whip in a cross and the occasional shot make him one of the most crucial elements of Bayern Munich.

Unless Pep Guardiola does something as radical as he had tried in Barcelona, Ribery is going to stay with Bayern and continue ruling the roost for a good few years.

Arjen Robben: 8.5

Also a victim to injuries, the other half of the ‘Robbery’ hasn’t had many games under his belt this season either. His performances in those games were great as always, but if he manages to stay fit, then we might just his ratings shoot back to where they belong: a perfect 10.

Robben and Pep haven’t had any issues yet, and the person who is closest to filling in his boots, Xherdan Shaqiri, is nowhere nearly as good as Robben is. Expect him to keep the ball to himself for a few more years!

Xherdan Shaqiri: 6.5

Shaqiri has hardly featured this season, and he is drowning in the tidal wave of legendary footballers that play in positions similar to him. Guardiola has only fielded him 8 times this season, and he will have to grow some more as a player before he can feature regularly.

Mario Mandzukic: 9

Bayern’s leading goal scorer in all competitions, Mandzukic has been extremely prolific so far, starting 16 games and scoring 10 goals, and the transfer of Robert Lewandowski does raise many eyebrows, given Mandzukic’s form.

What is even more surprising is that Mandzukic isn’t going to be a major part of Guardiola’s Bayern Munich. With Lewa’s arrival, Mandzukic will surely move to sunnier shores, such as Arsenal and Manchester United, and most people would agree that it would be a big loss for Bayern Munich, even if they are getting THE Robert Lewandowski to play instead.