Bayern Munich vs. Cologne: Breaking Down Bastian Schweinsteiger's Performance

Bayern Munich once again made short work of Bundesliga opposition on Friday night, when lowly Cologne travelled to the Allianz Arena in southern Germany and left with a humbling 4-1 defeat. 

Pep Guardiola's champions may have stumbled and looked somewhat off-message in recent months at home and abroad in Europe, yet the Bavarian giants seemed to rally on the night and pick up another healthy league victory to keep them top of the German league and clear of Wolfsburg in second place. 

At the heart of Bayern's win was none other than club favourite Bastian Schweinsteiger, who was tasked with playing the solitary central-midfield role instead of Xabi Alonso on the night. 

Alonso was recently red-carded in Bayern's Champions League game against Shakhtar Donetsk, so the suggestion was that Guardiola simply wanted to emulate the circumstances that will face his side when they return to European football in a few weeks' time.

Schweinsteiger had played the first leg against Shakhtar but was then rested in the following fixture against Paderborn and, as such, was clearly deserving of a starting role to prepare for the coming fixtures. And boy did he prove himself over the course of the 90 minutes. 

Playing in Alonso's central role, Schweinsteiger was initially tasked with the pendulum-like task of rotating possession from one flank to the other and acting as the focal point in Guardiola's attacking formation.

Squawka

As we can see from the Squawka graphic above, which shows the Germany international's passing throughout the game, Schweinsteiger did this relatively well and with little bother from the opposition when he wasn't trying to push through the middle of the park. 

According to the stats website, Schweinsteiger completed 83 per cent of his passes on the night, yet as we can see, the German obviously favoured the odd run forward to assist in creating chances, which in turn led to riskier passes. 

This perhaps wasn't exactly what Guardiola had tasked the midfielder to do, but it did lead to key chances on two separate occasions, when the central midfielder played in Franck Ribery for his goal in the 10th minute and then a key pass to Arjen Robben in the 61st. 

This side of Schweinsteiger's game is one that has clearly stuck since his early days as a winger and a talent that offered plenty to the team on the day. This German midfielder may be tasked with holding the line in the middle of the pitch, but it doesn't mean he doesn't enjoy venturing forward in search of key passes and assists. 

Of course, that's not all this player is good for in the middle of the park. Schweinsteiger can defend too, and he proved that once again against Peter Stoger's side. 

It was the midfielder's physicality and presence in the air that ultimately opened the scoring for Bayern on the night, when the Germany captain scored a headed goal just three minutes into the game. Although such a header isn't particularly remarkable in its own right, it offers an interesting insight into what it is Schweinsteiger actually offers over most central midfielders. 

Here we have a player who sits in the centre of the pitch for Guardiola's uber-offensive, slick-passing side with all the technique in passing of an Andres Iniesta or indeed Xabi Alonso but the ability to tackle and header the ball like Franz Beckenbauer. 

Kerstin Joensson/Associated Press

According to WhoScored.com, no other player in the Bayern side completed more interceptions against Cologne on Friday evening, and with four tackles throughout the game, Schweinsteiger also stood tall alongside Franck Ribery and central defender Jerome Boateng as the most eager to dispossess his opponent. 

In Guardiola's 4-1-4-1 formation, the holding midfielder is not only tasked with orchestrating the midfield moves but also with protecting his back line like any normal defensive midfielder. This is where Schweinsteiger thrives. 

Whether moving forward and attacking with the flair and technique of the winger he once was or heading, tackling and physically intimidating the opposition like any central defender in the Bayern squad, Schweinsteiger seems to fit into Guardiola's team as any man to every man.

Schweinsteiger is the master of all trades when it comes to midfield play and was undoubtedly one of Bayern's most important stars in their comprehensive win over Cologne on Friday.

@Sbienkowski