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Youngest goalscorer in the history of the Munich club: Jamal Musiala
Photo:
Matthias Balk / dpa
The corona crisis does not stop at FC Bayern.
For years people in Munich were proud of the notorious fixed-term deposit account, with which they could finance even the most expensive player purchases.
That summer, after Leroy Sané's transfer, nothing happened.
Bayern have a need for this.
Quite a big one.
Although Munich has only just won the Champions League, the quality of the squad is difficult to improve at the top.
Only: Several players have already left the club or are about to leave: Ivan Perisic, Philippe Coutinho, Javi Martínez, Álvaro Odriozola and, above all, playmaker Thiago.
Bayern now have the smallest squad in the Bundesliga - and a busy schedule.
Until Christmas they play almost continuously twice a week.
But even Bayern seem to be holding their money together in the uncertain Corona time.
You don't always have to talk about new signings, you can build on your own offspring, said board member Oliver Kahn after the 8-0 win against Schalke last Friday.
Bayern will still make some transfers.
In fact, that could be a new strategy for FC Bayern: to give the youngsters a chance.
It would be new because since the generation around David Alaba and Thomas Müller no youth player has been able to assert himself at Bayern.
That was ten years ago.
But now young players are pushing their way.
No wonder, the new Bayern campus alone cost around 70 million euros.
The first reward was the third division championship of the U23 last season.
The next step is for young players to break through with the pros.
Who are Bavaria's new talents? And which of them has the greatest chance of success?
The defense
David Alaba's contract extension is not progressing, the Austrian's departure seems conceivable.
Without him, Bayern had just five seasoned defenders: Jérôme Boateng, Benjamin Pavard, Lucas Hernández, Niklas Süle and young star Alphonso Davies.
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Possible access Sergiño Dest: speed and creativity
Photo:
Dean Mouhtaropoulos / Getty Images
Even if Alaba should stay: It is only logical that the club wants to strengthen its defense.
He shows interest in
Sergiño Dest
, currently under contract with Ajax Amsterdam.
Dest is a trained winger, but is used at Ajax as an attacking full-back.
The 19-year-old American is reminiscent of Davies from his facilities, only that he is located on the right and not the left side.
Dest plows the entire side, has a lot of speed and creativity, but falls defensively - and is also considered a possible entry at FC Barcelona.
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Top talent Tanguy Nianzou: frighteningly precise
Photo: Frank Hoermann / imago images / Sven Simon
Bayern already signed
Tanguy Nianzou Kouassi
from Paris Saint-Germain
during the summer break
- much to Paris's displeasure, as PSG coach Thomas Tuchel had planned the central defender as a regular player.
Nianzou is considered one of the greatest talents in the world in his position.
His skills are reminiscent of Mats Hummels: from defense, he introduces the game with frighteningly precise, long passes.
Like Hummels, Nianzou likes to move out of the defensive chain, but he still lacks the right timing when advancing.
To hide this weakness, he was mainly used in Paris in the central midfield.
Because of an injury, Bayern are still a few weeks away.
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Chris Richards: Physically he'll have to gain
Photo:
Michael Titgemeyer / Getty Images for DFB
Chris Richards
is the antithesis of Nianzou.
As a central defender, the 20-year-old American plays clean, but rarely sensational passes.
In the third division he scored points last season with high speed and short, almost always successful dribbles.
Physically he will still have to improve in order to survive against the Bundesliga attackers.
He was allowed to play a little against Schalke, he was substituted on when the score was 7-0.
In view of the personnel situation, it should not have been his last game for the professionals - especially since Richards can also play as a right-back.
The midfield
Joshua Kimmich and Leon Goretzka form a formidable duo on the double six.
Behind them, however, there is only a substitute with experience, Corentino Tolisso.
In the attacking midfield there is even no established alternative to the long-running Thomas Müller.
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Adrian Fein: Performance slump in May
Photo:
Oryk Haist / imago images
The door seems to be open for the next generation.
It is questionable whether the sixes have the necessary class for this.
Adrian Fein
already gained experience at Hamburger SV.
As a six he convinces with an overview, with his short, precise dribbles he reminds of Thiago.
However, his performance collapsed after the Corona break.
He lacked the dynamism and steadfastness in duels to consistently convince HSV.
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Angelo Stiller: playmaker from the depths
Photo: Alexander Hassenstein / Getty Images
Angelo Stiller
is a similar type of footballer to Fein - and two years younger than that.
Last season he designed the game for Bayern's U23s.
As a playmaker from the deep, he led his team to the championship with precise passes.
In the summer Werder Bremen should have been interested in a commitment.
Like Fein, however, it lacks acceleration.
Both players are not one hundred percent suited to Flick's dynamic offensive pressing - and the coach is unlikely to be willing to compromise there.
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Jamal Musiala: Bayern's record scorer
Photo: imago images / MIS
Bayern are better positioned in the attacking midfield.
Substitute Jamal Musiala stood
out
against Schalke
when he
dribbled
out two opponents and made it 8-0.
The 17-year-old German-Englishman is a dribbler through and through.
He can play on both the ten and the outside positions.
Due to his age, however, Musiala sometimes acts too selfishly and misses the right time to play.
Flick and Musiala will have to work on that.
And yet he should come into play if a winger injured himself.
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Mickaël Cuisance: Strong technique, dangerous shot
Photo: Alexander Hassenstein / Getty Images
The strategically somewhat smarter
Mickaël
Cuisance
, 21, should have more of a chance to replace Müller in the starting eleven.
He cost the club twelve million euros in the summer of 2019 when he came from Mönchengladbach and has already played 45 Bundesliga appearances.
The attack
Lewandowski always plays.
That arises automatically in the face of a squad that does not have a nominal replacement for the star striker.
If the reigning top scorer gets injured, Flick has to rely on his young talent.
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Has already scored important goals: Joshua Zirkzee
Photo:
Alex Grimm / Bongarts / Getty Images
Joshua Zirkzee
made his first professional appearances last season, scoring important goals against Freiburg and Wolfsburg.
He is characterized by his shot strength and his first contact.
Zirkzee is a striker who plays along and can hold balls and drop them for his colleagues.
This fits in with Munich's football DNA, which provides for high possession of the ball and an actively involved striker.
Flick, however, often criticized the Dutchman's weak defensive work.
In fact, pressing is not its strong point, too often it hides and doesn't move neatly around the room.
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Dominated the game against the ball: Nicolas Kühn
Photo: Markus Fischer / imago images / Passion2Press
At this point other strikers are further.
Nicolas Kühn
, 20, is not only technically strong and fast.
As a former player for RB Leipzig and Ajax Amsterdam, he has also mastered the game against the ball very well.
In 2019 Kühn won the Fritz Walter Gold Medal, the highest award in youth football.
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Fiete Arp: Does he develop the necessary physicality and speed?
Photo: Alexander Hassenstein / Getty Images for AUDI
Jan-Fiete Arp,
who came from HSV last year, also has a Fritz Walter medal
.
After a disappointing first season in Munich, also due to injuries, he should now attack in the second team - and thus increase his chances with the professionals.
Whether Arp can develop the necessary physicality and speed is open.
Zirkzee and Kühn should have more chances of professional appearances - should Bayern not hit the transfer market after all.
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