In recent days, rumours have been strife that Bayern Munich’s Thiago Alcantara might be preparing to move on from Bavaria. Newly-crowned Premier League champions Liverpool have been linked and amidst all this contract speculation, something like that is bound to happen. While no one knows how credible those reports are, Thiago’s important to Bayern can’t be questioned.
Thiago’s best at Bayern has been seen in the UEFA Champions League on a much more global level this season. He picked up a very impressive Whoscored rating of 8.00 in the Champions League and came up with really impressive showings in games against Tottenham and Chelsea. That is really when more people took notice of the Spaniard.
But the truth is that Thiago has impressed as much in the Bundesliga as well and for many, he has become of the best midfielders in Europe today. Fans can seek some great Bundesliga betting odds on www.apuestas24.mx.
What Thiago brings to the table is very important for Bayern and their approach. The Bavarians thrive on a system which relies on positional flexibility and dynamism. There is an emphasis on possession and technical ability and the system is very progressive. The idea of having David Alaba and Lucas Hernandez as centre-backs is that Hansi Flick wants his team to build from the back and make the switch and fluid attacking transitions from midfield.
Because of all that, Thiago suits Bayern more than any other midfielder in Europe. He is a very intelligent and effective ball-carrier. Blessed with immense technical ability, he also thrives on winning the ball back and spraying line-breaking passes forward. If that isn’t enough, he comes up with line-breaking dribbles into the attacking third as well.
Per Whoscored, Thiago has completed three dribbles per game this season. He plays only 0.8 key passes per game and while that isn’t high, playing deeper is perhaps a big reason for that as Thomas Muller is the attacking midfielder of the side. If those attacking stats aren’t enough, the former Barcelona man also makes 1.9 tackles per game and makes just as many interceptions per game for the club.
Not just that, he has also won as many as 1.5 aerial duels per game. For a midfielder who isn’t huge in size like him, that is very impressive indeed. He clearly seems to do everything. He can win the ball back by tackling, intercepting or heading. And he can carry it forward with perfect and break lines to penetrate defences in a perfect manner.
With Joshua Kimmich usually playing a bit deeper, Thiago allows him the security so that the young German doesn’t have too much defensive burden on him. With him playing deeper, Thiago gets the licenses to move forward and make the impact in the final third.
He maybe 29 currently, but he is still a world-class performer. No one knows if the rumours linking him with a move to Liverpool are true or not, but he can make an impact at any top club in Europe. And Bayern can’t afford to lose him at all.
