Ranking Bayern Munich's Best 5 Players in August
Bayern Munich enjoyed a very successful start to their 2015-16 campaign in August, hitting the ground running in the Bundesliga and DFB-Pokal. They've won all four of their fixtures in those competitions, outscoring opponents by a 13-1 margin.
The entire Bayern team seems to be in great form right now, from usual suspects like Thomas Muller and David Alaba to newcomers like Douglas Costa and Arturo Vidal.
But who have been the best of the best? Who have consistently had the most meaningful impression?
B/R has ranked our top five Bayern players of the month of August.
Click "Begin Slideshow" to commence the countdown to the best, starting with number five.
5. Xabi Alonso
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David Alaba marginally misses out on a top-five spot due to a very disappointing performance in Hoffenheim; otherwise, the Austrian was brilliant.
In his place steps Xabi Alonso, who was more consistent despite being forced to adapt to different roles.
Alonso has proved that despite his advancing years, he still has the ability to influence games. He's started every Bundesliga match for Bayern thus far, playing in deep midfield in the first two fixtures before taking on an emergency center-back role against Leverkusen.
It was his first-ever game in that position, and the Spaniard managed to convince as he adapted his passing from deep areas to suit an even deeper position.
Alonso has comfortably had the most touches among all Bayern players in each of his fixtures (statistics via the Bundesliga live ticker)—the exception being the opener in which he was substituted early. Even at 33 years of age, he is lively and willing to find the ball and send it to his teammates.
4. Robert Lewandowski
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Robert Lewandowski ranks fourth on the list of Bayern's top performers, having scored in three out of the club's four matches. The exception was last weekend's 3-0 drubbing of Leverkusen.
The Poland international's primary purpose in the Bayern team is getting goals, and to this end, he's been quite successful.
Most notably, he didn't start the match against Hoffenheim, but he certainly finished it: Coming off the bench with just 23 minutes left to make his mark, Lewandowski found the back of the net at the death to snatch three points.
The season is still young, and despite currently being behind Thomas Muller in terms of total goals, Lewandowski should favor his chances of finishing the campaign as Bayern's top scorer.
3. Arturo Vidal
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One of Bayern's two summer signings to make his mark from early on, Arturo Vidal scored his club's first goal of the season against Nottingen and later gave an assist in an impressive display that showcased his attacking qualities.
In the three Bundesliga games since, the Chilean has been more reserved in a conservative role, closing down space and winning back the ball when out of possession, as well as serving as a link between midfield and attack when on the ball.
It would be easy to quote statistics, but Vidal's impression is better understood qualitatively: Bayern have looked much less vulnerable on the counterattack this season and much quicker in transitioning from defense into attack.
A huge reason for this change is Vidal, the complete midfielder who has brought a unique set of qualities since joining Bayern from Juventus.
2. Thomas Muller
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Thomas Muller has enjoyed a brilliant start to his 2015-16 season, scoring five goals in just three Bundesliga matches, including at least one in every fixture.
That's a statistic superlative among Bayern players, which is interesting given the fact that he now appears to play a bit deeper than the front trio of Robert Lewandowski, Douglas Costa and Arjen Robben.
Yet, the 25-year-old Muller has again and again slipped into openings, received the ball and put it into the net: Two goals in the opener against Hamburg, another against Hoffenheim and two more against Leverkusen makes for a magnificent tally for a player who is so much more than just a finisher.
The only game in which Muller didn't impress was the DFB-Pokal opener against Nottingen. And in that game, he was benched for the full 90 minutes!
That won't be held against him; the Germany international had a magnificent August.
1. Douglas Costa
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When Douglas Costa joined Bayern for €30 million earlier this summer, many raised a skeptical eyebrow. He hadn't exactly dazzled for Shakhtar when the clubs had faced one another head-to-head in the Champions League a few months prior, he was in his mid-20s with only a few caps for Brazil and he only had intermittent success in Ukraine.
Costa has since exploded into superstardom, filling in brilliantly for Franck Ribery and imposing himself as an undroppable member of the starting lineup.
By the numbers, he's on par with Muller, in that he's played a direct part in five goals. However, while Muller is a finisher, Costa's role has been much more like Ribery's in that he's been the one to conjure goals from thin air.
What puts him ahead of Muller is that Costa assisted both Bayern goals against Hoffenheim after the Bavarians had gone behind early on. The winner was created as he, with full-time just a few ticks of the clock away, took on the responsibility of creating the needed goal with an audacious run and precise cut-back to set up the goal that broke the deadlock.
Performing when it matters most is worth so much in football, and Costa is already doing that as a Bayern player.
