Ranking and Grading Bayern Munich's Defenders on Form This Season
The 2015-16 season has been a difficult one for Bayern Munich's defensive staff.
Overall, the Bavarian giants have an excellent record in avoiding conceding goals. Yet at the same time, their back line has been ravaged by injuries; Pep Guardiola has used a revolving door of options at the back, particularly in central areas.
As the business end of the campaign approaches, Bleacher Report takes a close look at the individuals in the Bayern defense, grading each based on how they've done based on expectations, and ranking them based on their performance overall.
Although 10 defenders are analyzed, only the top five (those who have played 15 or more matches in defense this season) are rated and ranked.
Click "Begin Slideshow" to see B/R's analysis of all of Bayern's defenders, starting with the five unranked (in alphabetical order, by surname) and continuing to a countdown of the top five performers.
Holger Badstuber
1 of 10
Another season, another heartbreak for Holger Badstuber. The Germany international missed the first three months of the campaign with a muscular rupture, but for the umpteenth time in his career, worked hard and made his comeback.
It was difficult at first, and his sending-off against Olympiakos was evidence of how far off the pace he'd become.
However, Badstuber got better and better, and he was truly developing some good form in 2016. And then, on Saturday, he fractured his ankle, effectively ending his season.
A shame for a player who has worked so hard to return from crippling injury after crippling injury. He deserves so much more.
Grade: N/A
Medhi Benatia
2 of 10
A pair of thigh muscle injuries have proved devastating for Medhi Benatia this season; the Morocco international has been limited to just 10 games played, and just over 10 hours played in all competitions.
When he has played, Benatia's performances have been mixed; some good, others decidedly less so. But with so few games under his belt, he goes unrated and unranked on this list.
Still, having recently returned to training amid an injury crisis in Bayern's central defense, he could yet play a key role in the German giants' season.
Grade: N/A
Juan Bernat
3 of 10
Juan Bernat overall had a good first season in Munich in 2014-15, but the current campaign has been a great disappointment. The Spanish left-back has spent most of the season sidelined with a muscular injury, appearing in just 12 games.
When he has played, Bernat has had mixed results. He was quite poor against Wolfsburg and lasted just a half, going off with the Bavarians a goal behind before Robert Lewandowski put five past the Wolves.
In the Champions League, Bernat has done better, but he still has been involved in far too few games to give a definite grade.
Grade: N/A
Joshua Kimmich
4 of 10
Joshua Kimmich was signed to play in midfield and probably was more an addition for the long-term future, but injuries in the Bayern squad have seen the 21-year-old given far more playing time than he may have expected.
In recent weeks, Kimmich has played in central defense in the Bundesliga and DFB-Pokal. He's been reliable and was especially solid against a dangerous Leverkusen side that featured an in-form Javier Hernandez in attack.
However, for just a couple games in defense, Kimmich cannot be given a definite grade.
Grade: N/A
Serdar Tasci
5 of 10
Bayern weren't going to sign a center-back in January even after Jerome Boateng's potentially season-ending injury, but after Javi Martinez joined the casualty list, they made a last-minute move to sign Serdar Tasci from Spartak Moscow.
The 28-year-old missed his own unveiling with a concussion and has yet to take to the pitch as a Bayern player.
It's too early to judge, but he could play an important role in Bayern's injury-ravaged team in the weeks and months to come.
Grade: N/A
5) Rafinha
6 of 10
A consistent starter at right-back for Pep Guardiola in recent years, Rafinha has often played in Bayern's defense this season, but in a variety of roles.
Very few footballers have the versatility to cope with being used in either full-back position and in central defense without their level of play suffering, and the Brazilian is not one of them.
Rafinha struggled towards the end of the first round of the season and hasn't been back in the starting lineup since, even after recovering from a minor knee knock. A lot has been asked of him, but he hasn't been able to cope as the likes of Philipp Lahm and David Alaba have.
Grade: B
4) Philipp Lahm
7 of 10
Philipp Lahm is an anomaly in the Bayern defense, the only player who has been consistently fit throughout the season.
The captain has missed only one game due to injury, a December win against Hannover. Otherwise, the 32-year-old Lahm has been fit to participate in every game, although he's been rested on a few occasions.
Even as he's aged, Lahm has been consistently excellent as ever. And he's played a critical role as not only right-back, but as a tactically key player in midfield.
A couple highlights of his season were the 2-0 win against Ingolstadt, in which he scored a fine goal, and his all-round brilliant display in Bayern's 5-1 hammering of Arsenal.
Grade: A-
3) David Alaba
8 of 10
Like Lahm, David Alaba has been very fit compared to many of his colleagues; an ankle injury he sustained in late November, which saw him miss the last month of the first round, is the only exception.
When fit, Alaba has been huge for Bayern in a variety of positions. He started the season in central defense, where he was solid despite playing out of his natural position. In recent months, he's been at his best in his natural left-back position.
The key difference that lifts Alaba above Lahm is that the Austrian has been especially good, and even decisive, in the biggest games. He was arguably man of the match in the November rout of Arsenal, as well as in the DFB-Pokal win over holders Wolfsburg.
Alaba's ability to deliver consistently and in a variety of roles makes him one of the game's most versatile players and a key asset for Bayern.
Grade: A-
2) Javi Martinez
9 of 10
Javi Martinez's best season at Bayern was 2012-13, but his current campaign has been a solid runner-up. The Spain international, who became renowned as a midfielder during Bayern's treble-winning season, has had an excellent term at center-back and has rarely put a foot wrong.
Martinez was simply magnificent against Hertha BSC and Schalke in particular, and not a single match of his sticks out as one in which he played poorly. For his remarkable consistency, he ranks higher even than Alaba and Lahm, two players who have been quite reliable as well.
It's a shame that Martinez is now sidelined and will miss the next few games with his knee injury. He'd have made an outstanding partnership with Jerome Boateng in central defense.
Grade: A-
1) Jerome Boateng
10 of 10
Prior to a groin injury last month that may have ended his season early, Jerome Boateng was in the form of his life.
The center-back had emerged by many accounts as the world's best player in his position, with sporting director Matthias Sammer in October labeling him superlative and even comparing him to the great Franz Beckenbauer in an interview with Audi Star Talk (h/t Matthew Rogerson of Goal).
Boateng had always possessed a well-rounded skill set, but this season he took it all to an even higher level.
He was rock solid at the back especially in big games, yet also proved to be a difference-maker in attack: His two assists in the Bavarians' October showdown with Borussia Dortmund being a prime example of the player's versatility.
Pep Guardiola even started Boateng in midfield in a November match against Hertha BSC, and the player didn't look entirely out of place.
It's no wonder that in Boateng's absence, many are far less certain of Bayern's chances of a treble. With him, they were world-class in defense; without him, there are legitimate concerns.
Grade: A
