FC Bayern Munich: Mid-season player ratings

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.