After a fantastic start to his tenure at Bayern Munich, Vincent Kompany hit a few speed bumps in October. Champions League losses to Aston Villa and Barcelona, along with Bundesliga draws against Bayer Leverkusen and Eintracht Frankfurt, have cast a dark cloud over the squad. A favorable November schedule ends with high profile matches against PSG and Dortmund to test Kompany’s midseason adjustments.
The biggest risers in the updated rankings are João Palhinha and Leroy Sané (+6). Goalkeepers Manuel Neuer and Sven Ulreich saw the biggest drops (-3). November is packed with six more games for Bayern, plus an international break.
This monthly series will combine Kompany’s pecking order with on-field performances. The first 11 players aren’t necessarily the starting XI (due to position issues) but players out with injuries will be relegated to the bottom of the list, starting at #23 in this edition.
1) Jamal Musiala
Musiala’s absence has accentuated his creative importance to the offense. He looked back to full form against Bochum and scored his first professional hat trick against Mainz. Musiala will be expected to carry a heavy load in the coming months with the hectic schedule.
2) Harry Kane
After a three-game drought, Kane scored in three consecutive matches to close out the month. Kane also took a detour to France this week to collect the Ballon d’Or Gerd Muller Trophy for scoring the most goals in Europe last season. Kane remains irreplaceable on a squad that doesn’t have a reliable backup striker.
3) Michael Olise
Only Kane (15 goals) has outscored Olise (7 goals) this season as Olise has found the back of the net in a variety of ways. His fantastic performances have kept Leroy Sané on the bench much longer than anticipated. Fans are now wondering if there’s a scenario that presents an attacking midfield of Musiala, Olise, and Sané that would wreak havoc on opponents.
4) Joshua Kimmich
Kimmich has fully claimed the number six spot as his own, refusing to sit out a single minute of the season so far. Bayern fans are clamoring for Kimmich to slide to right back so João Palhinha can play the number six, killing two birds with one stone. Until Kimmich signs an extension, Kompany will have to leave Kimmich at his desired spot in the middle.
5) Alphonso Davies
Davies was Bayern’s best defender in October and looks more confident than his tumultuous time under Thomas Tuchel. The transfer rumors will persist until Davies signs an extension or agrees to a move but for the time being he’s turning in stellar performances.
6) Dayot Upamecano
Upamecano has been great in wins and erratic in losses. After miraculously recovering from a hamstring injury over the international break, Upamecano has maintained his aggressive play and Kompany has no intent on changing the high line to make Upamecano’s job any easier.
7) Manuel Neuer
Neuer’s recent drop in form has proven that he no longer possesses the incredible reflexes to make unreal saves. In 12 starts, Neuer has produced five (and a half) clean sheets, but has only twice saved more than one shot in a single game. Neuer is still a good keeper but has stressed the need for Bayern to formally find his replacement for 2025 or 2026.
8) João Palhinha
Between the rise of Pavlović, moving to a new club, and his rumored divorce drama, it’s surprising that Palhinha has any focus on football. Palhinha has been the consummate professional thus far and is finally showcasing his wrecking ball mentality as the new number eight at Bayern.
9) Serge Gnabry
After a hot start to the season, Gnabry has zero goals and one assist in the last six matches for Bayern. Despite his drop in form, Gnabry has somehow held on to the starting spot on the left wing.
10) Kim Min-jae
Kim’s adjustment period to the Bundesliga is constantly being extended by the club. Fans are starting to wonder if he’ll just never truly adapt as expected. It will be interesting if Kim is able to continue receiving quality minutes as Hiroki Itō enters the rotation.
11) Kingsley Coman
Coman scored in the routs against Stuttgart and Bochum. He’s still best used as a change of pace winger who should never play the full 90 minutes, due to his rampant injury history.
12) Leroy Sané
Due to the outstanding form of Olise, Sané hasn’t started a single match this season until this week’s DFB-Pokal fixture. His bending shot against Bochum was his first Bundesliga goal in a year and he looks like he’s playing with less weight on his shoulders. Sané is too talented to keep off the pitch and it’s good to see him healthy for the first time all year.
13) Raphaël Guerreiro
Besides the wonder strike against Dinamo Zagreb, Guerreiro hasn’t flashed the same ability as last season. Opponents have successfully pushed their best attacker to Guerreiro’s side in order to sneak behind the back line.
14) Thomas Müller
Müller’s appearances have produced mixed results but at least he’s finally getting playing time. His best game came against Eintracht Frankfurt but he was virtually undetectable against Barcelona.
15) Konrad Laimer
Laimer has fallen down the pecking order since last season but earned his first full 90 minutes under Kompany in the demolitions of Bochum and Mainz. Laimer is still relied upon for his 110% effort and will be valuable as a role player as the season progresses.
16) Daniel Peretz
After missing the Olympics at the last minute, Peretz is back in training and even played for the Bayern II squad this week. If Neuer goes down again, Peretz should get the call over longtime backup, Sven Ulreich.
17) Leon Goretzka
None of Bayern’s midfielders have played less than Goretzka this season but it appears that Goretzka is cracking his way back into rotational minutes. The Pavlović injury is the most likely catalyst, but Goretzka is filling to take any scraps he can find right now.
18) Mathys Tel
Tel has been used like a spare part this season and knows that he’s not performing at the Bayern level. The teenager might be headed toward a loan in January if he cannot supplant Gnabry or Coman for playing time.
19) Eric Dier
It’s surprising that Dier hasn’t been given more playing time due to Upamecano’s injury or Kim’s inconsistency. Matthijs de Ligt and Dier overtook the Upamecano-Kim duo at the end of Tuchel’s reign, but Dier is filling the role of emergency depth for the foreseeable future.
20) Sven Ulreich
Ulreich hasn’t played since filling in for a game and half back in September. With a healthy Peretz, Ulreich should scrawl his initials into his seat on the bench.
21) Adam Aznou
Aznou has only played with the Bayern Munch II and U-19 squads this season. It’s surprising that he wasn’t called up after injuries to Josip Stanišić and Sacha Boey. Aznou will need to keep plying his craft to earn a shot.
22) Arijon Ibrahimović
With most of Bayern’s attackers healthy right now, Ibrahimović is playing with Bayern II to get some quality minutes. Ibrahimović stole some garbage minutes at the end of the Mainz match.
23) Josip Stanišić (injured)
Stanišić completed his first workout since the knee injury which is a great sign for Bayern fans. Stanišić is expected to reclaim the the starting job at right back upon his return.
24) Sacha Boey (injured)
Boey is working his way back from injury and is primarily doing individual workouts.
25) Hiroki Itō (injured)
Itō suffered a setback last week in his return from injury. He’s still on track to make his first competitive appearance for Bayern by the end of the year.year.
26) Aleksandar Pavlović (injured)
Pavlović had shown the biggest jump in form since last season, until an unfortunate broken collarbone sidelined Pavlović for the rest of 2024. His 94.3% passing rate was better than every other Bundesliga midfielder and supported Kompany’s decision to make him the preferred choice as the number eight.
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