What Will Be Bayern Munich's Strongest Defence in the 2015/16 Season?
Despite the new season now being just a stone’s throw away, much of Bayern Munich and Pep Guardiola’s team for the next campaign is still shrouded in mystery.
Robert Lewandowski is still the only standalone striker at the club, Bayern have yet to bolster their midfield aside from Brazilian Douglas Costa’s arrival, and in defence, we haven’t seen any improvements to the side from last season.
Yet it's the latter point that perhaps deserves the most time and attention. Just who is going to be playing in Guardiola’s back line next season, and where in this team will they play?
Right-back will undoubtedly be the position most scrutinized by fans and critics alike, with little done over the summer months to recruit and upgrade on Rafinha.
Although the Brazilian full-back certainly offered something last season and arguably played the best football of his Bayern career once Guardiola entrusted him with the right flank in the last campaign, he is still undoubtedly the weak link in this defence.
Many fans would urge the Spanish coach to return captain Philipp Lahm to his rightful position, yet that seems unlikely with Guardiola continuing to experiment with the German star in central midfield. For now, it seems as though Rafinha will keep his spot.
Fortunately, things seem to be a little more straightforward on the opposite flank, where Guardiola and his side have come to terms with the odd situation of having two of the best left-backs in world football today.
David Alaba is undoubtedly Bayern’s best left-back at this moment in time, but in a similar sense to Lahm, it looks as though Guardiola prefers him in the centre of the park, where he can attack with more freedom and intensity.
As such, it looks as though Juan Bernat—who was simply exceptional last season—will continue to terrorise Bundesliga defences from his spot at left-back in the 2015/16 campaign. And for many Bayern fans, that’s exactly how they want it.
Things get a little more complicated once we get to the the middle of the defence, where Guardiola has a strong roster of suitable combinations to work with.
The only real standalone fact of the matter is that, when fit, Jerome Boateng will always be a part of Bayern’s defence while Guardiola is around. The former Barcelona coach simply adores Boateng’s passing and technique on the ball, and with pace to burn, it allows Bayern to play a high line from one match to the next.
The real question marks arise when we try to guess who’ll be partnering with the German international. If or when the player is fit, it seems as though Guardiola certainly prefers the astute and somewhat stubborn defending of Holger Badstuber, but the young talent can rarely last more than a match or two before unfortunately picking up another injury.
In his absence, Mehdi Benatia comes to mind, but it’s not quite as simple as that. Despite signing last summer from Roma for a considerable fee, the Moroccan defender hasn’t exactly brought his form with him from the Serie A to the Bundesliga.
At times, the central defender has looked like his old self. When on the ball, Benatia can pass as well as any and certainly fits in with Guardiola’s style of defenders passing with speed and efficiency. Yet his lack of consistency has caused problems.
Instead, Guardiola may turn to his compatriot Javi Martinez to fill in alongside Boateng at the centre of Bayern’s defence. The 26-year-old has played as a defensive midfielder for much of his Bayern career, but he has spent large parts of his career playing as a defender in Spain.
Considering what he has already accomplished at the club and the performances he regularly pulls out when fit, it would seem as though Martinez is better suited to play alongside Boateng—especially if Lahm and Alaba are indeed destined to stay in midfield.
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