Setting out Pep Guardiola's Best Bayern Munich Midfield Setup for Rest of Season
Bayern Munich are well into their preparations for the second half of the 2014-15 Bundesliga season and, as it stands, Pep Guardiola is set to welcome back several injured players in the coming weeks and months, particularly in the midfield area.
After missing most of the first round with a knee injury, Bastian Schweinsteiger should enter the second round at full fitness. Defender-midfielder hybrid David Alaba should be back in action around the end of January, and Philipp Lahm could make his return sometime in February.
Thiago and Javi Martinez are also expected to return to action later in the spring campaign, each having missed months due to knee injuries.
Before season's end, Guardiola can expect to have the selection headache he would have anticipated with a fully fit squad. As they get more and more healthy bodies, B/R investigates what midfield options would best suit the Bavarians as they enter the business end of the campaign. Click "Begin Slideshow" for our picks.
Central Midfield: Xabi Alonso
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If Guardiola wants to get the best out of his midfield, he'll need to use a rotation to make sure his best players—especially the older ones—are fit for the games that matter most. To this end, it's important that he does not overuse Xabi Alonso.
If the 33-year-old's minutes are regulated, he can be huge for Bayern towards the end of the season. Alonso no longer has international duty to worry about, and he was arguably the Bundesliga's best midfielder in the first round of the campaign, with German magazine Kicker (in German) ranking him behind only Lahm in their semiannual player assessments. He quite clearly benefited from Guardiola's coaching, rolling back the years during the fall with some vintage displays.
Although getting on in years, Alonso has form and a proven track record on his side. No other Bayern midfielder can claim the same.
Central Midfield: Bastian Schweinsteiger
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Last summer, Bastian Schweinsteiger proved that when fit, he can be a real difference-maker in big games. Criticized for lacking true leadership qualities during much of his career, he seems to have turned the corner since winning the Champions League in 2013 and played the final of his life at the World Cup in Brazil. If he can replicate that performance in the big matches this spring, he'll be an enormous asset for Bayern.
Schweinsteiger missed more than four months of action in the fall and played less than four games' worth of minutes before the winter break, which can have a twofold effect on his performance. On the one hand, he has little form to speak of as of late and could be a bit rusty at first. On the other, his body won't be as worn out in April and May as those of many of his teammates who had a short summer break following the World Cup.
Although he is at 30 years of age, not yet past his physical prime, a blight of injuries in recent years may affect Schweinstieger's longevity. But if he can deliver for Bayern in the latter stages of the Champions League as he did for Germany at the World Cup, he absolutely is worthy of a starting role. Even next to the primary distributor Alonso, the Bayern academy graduate can have a big impact in a role screening the defense and driving the ball forward. Guardiola recently said that he expects Schweinsteiger to "have a brilliant second half of the season," as paraphrased by Agence France-Presse (via The Times of India). We'll soon see if the trainer is right.
Left Wing-Back: Juan Bernat
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Juan Bernat had an excellent first half of the Bundesliga season, asserting himself as a starter from an early stage in his career at the Allianz Arena. A wing-back of sorts, he served as much as a defender as a midfielder but is included in this section if Guardiola's formation is interpreted as a 3-4-3 with Alaba in defense.
Not a flashy player, but one with the pace, dribbling ability and technical skill to play on the wing, Bernat fits into the Bayern lineup like a glove. He offers unique qualities among the first 11 and a good balance between attacking and defensive qualities.
The 21-year-old Bernat was rated by Kicker (in German) as the Bundesliga's fourth-best full-back of the first round of the season, perhaps a bit harsh considering his form in December. If he keeps up his form and continues to develop, he could soon reach international or even world-class status. Not bad for a player who, per Transfermarkt, cost a modest €10 million last summer.
Right Wing-Back: Philipp Lahm
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The biggest question mark in the Bayern lineup for this spring is the player who, in ordinary circumstances, would be most secure in his role: Philipp Lahm. The captain is the only Bundesliga midfielder Kicker rated as better than Alonso during the first round and, despite being 31 years of age, appears to still have plenty of football left in him.
The problem is, Lahm suffered a dreadful injury in November and his broken ankle will see him miss out on action until February at the earliest. He said he won't rush his return and could be out until March, according to Bild (h/t Goal.com).
Fractures are difficult to recover from in any case and harder still for a player of Lahm's age. Rafinha is no replacement for the ex-Germany captain, and it may be essential for the Munich native to play in any case, and for his club to hope for the best if they are to reach all their targets in April and May.
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