With Bayern Munich signing Borussia Dortmund hitman Robert Lewandowski for next season, THT takes a look at who will spearhead the Bavarian club come August.
Pep Guardiola is a man who likes to challenge the staus quo. He did it at Barcelona where he swapped a very successful Samuel Etoai??i??o, a man who had just scored the opening goal in the Champions League final with Zlatan Ibrahimovic. His hope was that the mercurial Swede would offer an x-factor up front. When that did not work out, Pep wasnai??i??t afraid and went back to an Etoai??i??o type of player in David Villa.
The situation in Bavaria is both similar and different to what Pep encountered in Catalonia. It is similar in the sense that Lewandowski will allow Bayern to develop their style of play even further. The Pole throughout his stay in Dortmund has frequently been involved in starting attacks by dropping back to midfield. But this scenario is also different for Pep because unlike at Barcelona where he only had to deal with a single striker at a time, here he will have to contend with two and come up with a plan to keep both happy.
Robert Lewandowski
Lewandowski was probably the one player who Jurgen Klopp did not want to lose. He would have been reluctant to let Shinji Kagawa and Mario Gotze leave but losing the Pole this January to Die Bayern must have been a body blow. This is probably because Lewandowski is one of a kind in world football. He is both a modern day striker in the way that he is always involved in the build up play but traditional in the way that he finishes off his chances.
Lewandowski has also shown signs that he has recovered from the mid season slump where he only scored three times in 11 appearances for Dortmund. That loss of form could be attributed to his contract negotiation at the time but with all that wrapped up he has scored 5 in 5 to lead the Bundesliga scoring charts.
Lewandowski is also only 25 years of age and Pep might feel that he could improve the Pole even further. Bayern play a more possession based kind of game as compared to Dortmund and Lewandowski would be really looking forward to this style of football after a long period of playing with his back towards goal both for club and country. The Pole also offers Guardiola the flexibility of being used as a battering ram. The man nicknamed ai???The Bodyai??i?? by team mate Nuri Sahin is adept at playing the lone ranger, something which could come in handy against a team like Real Madrid or Barcelona, especially away from home.
The one thing that Lewandowski will have to get used to is not being the main man anymore. In Munich, unlike at Dortmund, he will have to share the stage with Robben, Ribery, Gotze, et al. Guardiola too will have his hands full trying to keep his roster of stars happy. As long as Bayern continue to win this task is relatively easy but when they encounter a wobble then the Spaniardai??i??s man management skills will be truly tested.
Below is a statistical comparison of Lewandowski and Mandzukic from the Bundesliga this season.
Mario Mandzukic
The Croat did everything that was asked of him last season. He scored the opener in the Champions League final and won the treble with Bayern. But the thing is he is seen very much as a Jupp Heynckes type of player – strong up front and very powerful aerially. With any other club he would probably have been given a raise and tied up for a longer contract. But this is where Pep Guardiola and this new Bayern are different. For Pep a number 9 is not just a goalscorer but someone who is constantly involved in the build up play, someone who is a part of a larger whole.
To be fair to Mandzukic though, he has evolved this season. In almost half the number of appearances as last season he has already contributed with more assists and he also improved with his shot accuracy and conversion rate. The Croat has also won just less than 50% of his tackles this season in keeping with Bayernai??i??s intense pressing game. All of this shows a player who is willing to sacrifice his style of play to suit the demands of his team.
Mandzukic despite being an important player for Bayern is still not seen as a star which allows Guardiola to start matches with Mario Gotze in the false number 9 role in place of the Croat. Lewandowski might not be as accommodating in coming off the bench in the last minutes of a match.
Mandzukic knows that with the arrival of Lewandowski he probably faces the biggest challenge of his career and how he responds next season will probably determine whether he has a future with Bayern Munich.
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