Pep Guardiola's Bayern : A tactical perspective

It was probably just a matter of time before the media would get their cameras ready for Thiago’s  unveiling at Old Trafford, but as fate were to have it, the fatherly love of Pep Guardiola was enough to lure the young Spanish midfielder away from the grasp of the English giants.

Thiago Alcantara is now a Bayern Munich player, happy and re-united with his mentor. There are a lot of questions and answers that have been doing the rounds in the media and certainly the fans, but at the end of it all, the million dollar question remains, Did Bayern need Thiago?

Many footballing circles have cast their opinion on the move, terming it as a luxury for an already packed midfield, and others have gone to the extremities of accusing the club for trying to hog all the available talent.

Another way of looking at this fairly unexpected move would be the need of variety in the present scenario – Pep’s Barcelona, for all their greatness, were ultimately dethroned due to the absence of a proper ‘Plan-B.’ The addition of Thiago means that Guardiola certainly has a lot of variety on the menu; having an embarrassment of luxuries is a luxury for any manager!

What does Thiago bring to the table?

Having graduated from La Masia, Thiago Alcantara was already declared as the heir to Xavi, a testimony to the supreme talent within the player. Things eventually fell apart for the youngster, and a lack of first team minutes propelled the midfielder to search for a new employer.

Comfortable playing as an advanced play-maker or in the midfield pivot, Thiago’s USP is his ability to pick a pass, acting as a focal point of his team’s attack or initiating a move from the midfield. Add to this, his off the ball work in hounding his opposition into a mistake is also one of the gradually developing aspects of Thiago’s game. Probably, the areas where he lacks substance are his physical strength and his finishing, both of which are not high on the agenda of any player of the same position.

Walking the talk – How can Thiago be utilized?

As mentioned, the addition of Thiago could be termed as a luxury that Bayern could afford but did not need. In the 4-1-4-1 that Guardiola has used in the pre-season and the Super Cup last night, Thiago could slot in as the link between the defense and midfield or play as a conventional midfielder. In the first case, the Spanish play-maker would require defensively sound players ahead of him as seen last night itself. In the latter scenario, Thiago would get more freedom to operate as an attacking play-maker and link up the midfield with the attack.