Bayern Munich was nearly perfect in November, only dropping points and allowing a goal in the 1-1 draw in the Der Klassiker on the last day of the month. Bayern is sitting four points clear of second place Eintracht Frankfurt in the Bundesliga and have moved up to 13th place in the Champions League table.
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 is Leon Goretzka (+10). Michael Olise saw the biggest drops (-8). In December, Bayern will have the opportunity to eliminate Bayer Leverkusen from the DFB-Pokal and become the clear favorite. Bayern will also have three Bundesliga matches against three struggling sides (Heidenheim, Mainz, and RB Leipzig), plus a Champions League clash against Shakhtar Donetsk at a neutral site in Schalke.
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
Bayern’s inability to score goals in November certainly cannot be blamed on Musiala. Musiala has been a cheat code, scoring game winners in 1-0 victories over Benfica and St. Pauli and equalizing late against Dortmund. The next evolutionary step in his game will be elevating the play of the attackers around him.
2) Joshua Kimmich
Kimmich has played every minute for Bayern this season and does not plan on changing that any time soon. Kimmich’s assist rate has diminished from last season, but he also played much higher as a right back than as the number six.
3) Alphonso Davies
Davies’ stellar form this season has Bayern fans begging the board to pay up for the world class left back. He has been Bayern’s most consistent defender, turning in dominating performance on the left flank every game.
4) Harry Kane
Kane has converted all eight penalty kicks for Bayern this season and sits atop the Bundesliga Golden Boot race. However, Kane still feels heavily underutilized in this offense, failing to record 50 touches in a single game this season. Kane left the Borussia Dortmund game with a thigh injury that will hold him out for a few weeks, and it will be interesting to see how Kompany replaces him.
5) Kim Min-jae
Kim has been subject to much (deserved) criticism when Bayern has dropped points this season, but he bought himself a little goodwill with the game winner against PSG. Kompany’s adjustments after the Barcelona massacre have played to Kim’s strength and he has rewarded the team with better performances.
6) Dayot Upamecano
Like Kim, Upamecano’s play has been much better after the Barcelona match. Upamecano is back to flying into challenges to thwart the opposition’s attack before it even gets started.
7) Leon Goretzka
Well, well, well, how the turntables. After being ostracized by the board, Goretzka has started four consecutive matches due to the injuries in the central midfield, including an assist against Augsburg. At the very least, Goretzka has made himself an attractive transfer target for other big clubs.
8) Leroy Sané
Sané reclaimed his starting spot on the right wing against PSG and Dortmund but is still lacking the killer instinct in the final third. He seems to be 100% healthy from the groin injury that plagued him last season, but it may not be enough for Bayern to extend him.
9) Konrad Laimer
Laimer has spent most of his season at right-back with mixed results. If Kimmich isn’t going to shift over, then Laimer has been the best bet. Laimer also got beat easily with speed by Jamie Gittens to end Bayern’s clean sheet streak. With Sacha Boey returning from injury, Laimer will have to dig in his heels to keep seeing the field.
10) Manuel Neuer
When a team starts stringing together clean sheets, most fans will compliment the goalkeeper. However, Neuer only had to make 10 saves in those seven matches. The defense is holding firm and limiting opportunities, leaving Neuer to resort to flying up to midfield to be involved in the game.
11) Michael Olise
Olise has temporarily relinquished his starting spot to Sané because his play is suffering. He’s only logged one goal and one assist in his last nine appearances. He often slows down the counterattack and is out of rhythm with Kane and Musiala. He turns 23 in December and will need to turn over a new leaf to get back on the scoring sheet.
12) Serge Gnabry
Gnabry’s scoring drought is worse than Olise’s and Kompany has maxed out his patience on Gnabry. Gnabry has one assist and no goals in his last 10 appearances. He was unavailable against Dortmund but he’d only logged 34 ineffective minutes in the previous two matches.
13) Kingsley Coman
In contrast to Gnabry, Coman has been more effective on the defensive end while also winning more 1v1 matchups in the final third. However, Coman’s inability to find his teammates or the back of the net forced Kompany to give Mathys Tel an opportunity against Dortmund. Bayern is way too talented to have three left wingers who forgot how to score.
14) Sacha Boey
Boey is working his way back from a September knee injury but has the pace to effectively patrol the right flank. If he can continue to trend upward, Boey can lock down the right-back starting spot until Josip Stanišić returns.
15) Thomas Müller
Müller’s ability to naturally mesh with the squad has been completely eradicated. He no longer offers a unique skill set that complements the rest of the attack. It’s painful to watch one of Bayern’s best players of all time fall out of relevance. Please don’t go to MLS. Just retire with a treble.
16) Mathys Tel
Tel’s endless potential has hit a painful plateau. He earned a surprise start against Dortmund but only produced one shot on 34 touches during his 61-minute shift. Tel is a good candidate to fill in for Kane in December, but he will need to deliver goals if he wants to stay at Bayern.
17) Raphaël Guerreiro
Guerreiro has been fine this season but has failed to deliver big performances like he did under Thomas Tuchel. Unless Davies gets hurt before the other defenders return from injury, Guerreiro should pack a heavy coat for game days.
18) Daniel Peretz
Peretz has moved into the backup role behind Neuer and might be able to garner some minutes if Kompany chooses to rest the team captain later in the season.
19) Eric Dier
Dier has only played 144 minutes this season, half of which occurred in a DFB-Pokal start against Mainz. Dier is a great teammate but will likely return to the Premier League next summer.
20) Sven Ulreich
Yes, he’s still on the squad. No, you won’t see him on the field. Yes, he might pick up a few yellow cards from the bench. No, BFW doesn’t know how his hair looks so good.
21) Adam Aznou
No update since last month. Aznou has only played with the Bayern Munich 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
If the left wingers keep stinking up the joint, Ibrahimović might earn some minutes. Otherwise, he’ll stick with Bayern II to accelerate his development.
23) João Palhinha (injured)
After waiting patiently for his opportunity, Palhinha started five consecutive matches until he suffered a torn adductor with the Portuguese national team. Palhinha is expected to return to the squad in January.
24) Josip Stanišić (injured)
Stanišić has been practicing individuals with Bayern’s staff and is very close to returning to team sessions. This is very good news for the promising defender.
25) Hiroki Itō (injured)
After making solid progress in his recovery, Itō was forced to have a second surgery. There is no timetable for his return.
26) Aleksandar Pavlović (injured)
Pavlović’s recovery from a broken collarbone is ahead of schedule and there’s an outside chance he’s able to return in December. Based on the treatment of other players, it seems more likely that Bayern’s medical team holds him out until 2025.
Looking for more thoughts and analysis on Bayern Munich’s Der Klassiker showdown vs. Borussia Dortmund? Awesome, then check on Patreon, Spotify, or below:
