Julian Nagelsmann’s first season as Bayern Munich manager was a difficult one to decipher. At times, the Bavarians looked unstoppable. They were considered among the favourites to win the Champions League, only for Nagelsmann’s team to suffer a surprise exit to Benfica. Poor domestic form after the turn of the year also made Bayern Munich look vulnerable in the Bundesliga.
Widely seen as one of the sharpest tactical minds of his generation, Nagelsmann stopped himself from making wholesale changes to a winning team in his first season at the Allianz Arena. Now, though, the 34-year-old is remoulding Bayern Munich in his own image. The team that starts this season will be very different to the one that finished the last one.
This is evident in the business conducted by the German champions this summer. Sadio Mane joined from Liverpool, with many predicting that the Senegalese international has been signed as a pre-emptive replacement for Robert Lewandowski. The Polish striker has publicly revealed his desire to leave Bayern Munich, although no deal has been struck yet.
That in itself is enough to demonstrate how Nagelsmann wants to change the identity of his team. Lewandowski is one of the best goalscorers of his generation, but is a penalty box operator. He is a traditional number nine in the way he plays the position and depends on others to create opportunities for him.
Mane, on the other hand, plays the position in a more fluid way. He will run the channels, drift out wide, drop deep and run in behind. While Mane has been predominantly used as a winger over the course of his career, Jurgen Klopp deployed him through the middle for Liverpool in the second half of last season to great effect.
It seems likely that Mane will be used as a central attacker for Bayern Munich should Lewandowski depart the club, as many expect, this summer. This could be as part of a 4-3-3 formation or with the Bavarians lined up in a 4-3-2-1, as Nagelsmann favoured during his time as RB Leipzig boss.
Beyond Mane, Bayern Munich have also completed the signing of Ryan Gravenberch from Ajax. The 20-year-old is the archetypal modern central midfielder in the way he offers so much on both sides of the ball. Indeed, Gravenberch will make Bayern Munich a more dynamic team through the middle of the pitch, linking both the midfield and the attack and providing structure.
The signing of Gravenberch suggests Nagelsmann will move away from the double pivot system used by Bayern Munich for years and adopt a central trio. Joshua Kimmich and Leon Goretzka give the Bavarians presence in the middle of the pitch, but Gravenberch will offer drive into the attacking third. He opens up space for others.
Noussair Mazraoui has followed Gravenberch in making the switch to the German champions from Ajax. The Moroccan will give Bayern Munich a stronger attack-minded influence down the right side; indeed, Mazraoui will be an upgrade on the injury-prone Benjamin Pavard, who has played at right back for the Bavarians for the last three seasons.
Recent reports claim Bayern Munich are still in the market for a new centre back after losing Niklas Sule to Borussia Dortmund this summer and David Alaba to Real Madrid last summer. The Bavarians are somewhat short of depth in defence, but Nagelsmann only wants a centre back who has the technical skill set to play out from the back.
At RB Leipzig, Nagelsmann switched between formations and shapes to get the best out of his squad. At times, they were so fluid that players spoke about being asked to forget their position and think about their role in a different way. It was this modern approach that caught the attention of Bayern Munich, who moved quickly to hire Nagelsmann last summer.
Bayern Munich boast a squad full of world class talent, but the idea is that Nagelsmann will take the club into a new age. Last season was a transitional one for the 34-year-old. However, he needs better performances and results this season to prove the German champions are heading in the right direction under his stewardship.
