Bayern Munich midseason player ratings: The defense

Now that the Hinrunde is over, Bayern Munich can reflect on an exciting half of their football season. Although the Bavarians’ passage to the Champions League knockout stages was achieved without much fanfare, they were shocked to lose to Saarbrücken in the DFB Pokal, and they are presently four points behind Bayer Leverkusen in the Bundesliga, where they have a game remaining.

We’ll examine each player individually (by position) in this series and give them a grade according to how well they performed. What was their performance? Let’s start by examining the defense.

Goalkeepers

Sven Ulreich

Minutes played: 1,080
Clean Sheets: 3
Goals conceded: 15
Score: 6.5/10

Being the best keeper of all time’s replacement is not easy, but Sven Ulreich performs a good job. Although 15 goals conceded in 12 games is a tough total, it speaks more highly of Bayern’s defense than Sven’s performances in goal. He didn’t make any major errors or outstanding saves, therefore his performance was adequate. All you can ask for in a backup goalie is “good enough,” and Sven Ulreich easily satisfies that requirement.

Daniel Peretz

Minutes played: 90
Clean Sheets: 1
Goals conceded: 0
Score: N/R

After Yann Sommer left for Inter Milan in the summer, Israeli goalkeeper Daniel Peretz was brought in as a last-minute substitute. He had a clean sheet in his only cup game, but he hasn’t had another opportunity since. A player who has only played one game is difficult to assess; the team should send him on loan to gain experience, just as they did (and still do) with Alexander Nübel.

Manuel Neuer

Minutes played: 901
Clean Sheets: 6
Goals conceded: 11
Score: 8/10

Whatever your opinion may be of Manuel Neuer’s off-season routine, his return has been nothing short of extraordinary. Even at thirty-seven years old, he is still an excellent goalkeeper, unquestionably among the top five in Europe, and one of the few in his position who can do it all. Manuel Neuer is unfailing in all areas – he is strong at distribution, sweeper keeping, and shot stopping.

Fullbacks

Noussair Mazraoui

Minutes played: 1,259
Goals: 0
Assists: 4
Score: 7/10

Tuchel’s system struggles to utilize Mazraoui’s talent, hence it is impossible to gauge his actual contribution on the field. Mazraoui had an interesting Hinrunde. He is without a doubt Bayern’s best right-back, but because he never seems to play the inverted fullback role that he frequently enjoyed under Nagelsmann, a large portion of his skill set goes unused. Mazraoui is a fantastic midfield player with the build of a fullback; Tuchel ought to make more use of him.

Bouna Sarr

Minutes played: 204
Goals: 0
Assists: 1
Score: N/R

Bouna Sarr barely played before an ACL tear cut his season short. It would hardly be fair to give him a rating based on that.

Frans Krätzig

Minutes played: 195
Goals: 1
Assists: 1
Score: N/R

Frans Krätzig, who is 20 years old, appeared to be one of Tuchel’s biggest discoveries of the season, but after a terrible performance against Saarbrücken in the DFB-Pokal, he has been limited to the bench. He needs playing time, just like Peretz, thus a winter loan might be beneficial.

Raphaël Guerreiro

Minutes played: 392
Goals: 1
Assists: 0
Score: N/R

Given that Guerrero played as a midfielder for the majority of his limited playing time this season, it would be difficult to assess his influence as a defender. The former Borussia Dortmund player, who started in place of Alphonso Davies during Bayern’s crushing defeat to Eintracht Frankfurt in early December, has only played 45 minutes at left defender this season. It’s not enough time to give him a reasonable evaluation.

Konrad Laimer

Minutes played: 1,554
Goals: 1
Assists: 2
Score: 5/10

Even though Konrad Laimer was signed to play in midfield, he has spent the majority of the season filling in at right back. The former RB Leipzig player is in a difficult situation because it is obvious that he is not cut out for the defensive end of the field as a fullback. Rather than being a great football player, his performances are more of a reflection of his “fish out of water” condition.

Alphonso Davies

Minutes played: 1,779
Goals: 0
Assists: 3
Score: 6/10Alphonso Davies had a dismal Hinrunde, perhaps his worst half-season effort to date. Supporters have called for Real Madrid to cash in on the Canadian and shop for a new left-back in the summer, given his unsettled contract status and the team’s observation of him from the sidelines. Those calls will only become more urgent if Davies’ protracted downward trend continues.

Center-backs

Matthijs de Ligt

Minutes played: 436
Goals: 1
Assists: 0
Score: N/R

During the season, Matthijs de Ligt hardly played. Although injuries were given as the primary explanation, there have been reports that Thomas Tuchel doesn’t think highly of the defense due to his poor passing ability, whatever that means. De Ligt was more than reliable when needed, but he falls short of the 500 minute requirement for a decent rating.

Kim Min-jae

Minutes played: 1,815
Goals: 1
Assists: 0
Score: 8.5/10

Kim Min-jae, who joined Bayern this summer from Napoli to replace the departed Lucas Hernandez, has been a pillar of the defense. That’s not to say he’s been faultless; in fact, the large Korean has occasionally had trouble passing out from the back, and he needed some time to get used to the fast-paced nature of German football.

You must, however, give credit for sheer availability. After completing his military duty in South Korea, Kim joined Bayern and entered the preseason without taking a break. He has essentially never been substituted off and has played every game without taking a break. Kim, in contrast to Lucas, has been virtually untouchable.

He will be sorely missed during the Asian Cup.

Dayot Upamecano

Minutes played: 1,486
Goals: 1
Assists: 0
Score: 9/10

Perhaps the most underappreciated player at Bayern Munich at the moment is Dayot Upamecano. His high-profile errors against Manchester City will be the only thing that non-fans of this team remember, but Upa is a reliable defender most of the time, so his errors are a very rare occurrence. His presence is essential to Bayern Munich’s style of play because he plays both defense and midfield, sometimes contributing more to the ball’s advancement than the true midfielders.

Dayot Upamecano is currently among the first names on Bayern’s roster, along with Harry Kane and Manuel Neuer. Despite their superior qualities, De Ligt and Kim are vying for the Frenchman’s second choice position.

Overall Defensive Score: 6.5/10

The defense wasn’t particularly weak, but it also wasn’t outstanding. So, who are you going to blame? Although it’s easy to blame the midfield and the coaching staff, the defenders are the apparent culprit.

Two games illustrate the problem. Bayern Munich were totally undone against Frankfurt, which resulted in five goals being given up. A week later, against Stuttgart, an alternative system was used, which resulted in the free-scoring Swabians being shut out entirely. Serhou Guirassy, who was in competition with Harry Kane for the Torjägerkanone, appeared completely powerless to take any action.

The defenders themselves put on different shows in both games, but was it the system or the players that drove the performance? If the former, Bayern Munich will need to buy several new defenders during the January transfer window. If the latter, then Thomas Tuchel needs to take the biggest fall for it.

Alternatively, the situation can be more nuanced and the solution lies in the center.

Do the ratings agree with you? Await Part 2, in which we assign ratings to every midfield player!