Friday 10th December 2021
The world champion is counted
Problem child Pavard threatens Bayern-Aus
From Christian Schrenzel
Defender Benjamin Pavard is heavily criticized at Bayern. After his ongoing form crisis, there is speculation about his future with the German record champions. But that has not only to do with his performance on the pitch.
A cursory glance at the numbers does not give an idea of why Benjamin Pavard is one of the big losers at Bayern this season. The Frenchman is in no way inferior to his fellow men in defense in many areas. His duel values are solid (56 percent), his pass rate (89 percent) even above average and his mileage (10.94 km per game) at least not significantly worse than that of the other Munich players.
It is true that the world champion did not always look good in his recent missions and lost some important duels. These dropouts could also be observed with other Bayern stars this (and also last) year with an unusual frequency. So why is Nagelsmann’s Pavard only used sporadically, even though there are obviously no alternatives in his position? One answer could be: Pavard’s problem is not what he shows on the field. But what it doesn’t show.
Not a modern full-back
Benjamin Pavard of the 2021/22 season doesn’t break a lot, but he doesn’t give the team much either. The Frenchman does not develop any forward thrust, is neither a driver nor a source of danger like Alphonso Davies on the left. While the Canadian appears regularly in the opposing penalty area, Pavard only comes by to cheer. More is expected of a “modern full-back”.
Alphonso Davies, Dortmund’s Raphael Guerreiro, Liverpool’s Trent Alexander-Arnold or Bergamos Robin Gosens interpret the role of the full-back as Nagelsmann would like Pavard to do. But the French don’t see themselves in this role. “My position is in central defense. It has always been like that, this is where I feel most comfortable,” he told Canal + a few weeks ago. A statement that did not go down well with Julian Nagelsmann. The coach then publicly admonished the French and said that the decisive factor was which address you send your opinion to. A wad that leaves no room for interpretation.
No backing from the Bayern bosses
The tablecloth between Pavard and FC Bayern, it seems, has meanwhile been cut up. Bayern officials usually rush to the defense when one of their players is publicly criticized. Pavard has been fighting negative headlines for weeks now. The 25-year-old waits in vain for benevolent words from his coach or sports director Hasan Salihamidzic. He can only regain trust with performance. The fact that he did not bring this in the end does not speak for him.
Ex-Bayern professional Bixente Lizarazu has already recognized this problem. In his eyes, Pavard’s Deep is a matter of the head. “All he has to do is shift up a gear in all aspects of his game,” analyzed Lizarazu. His compatriot had to “bring this aggressiveness both offensively and defensively and the determination back into his game,” demanded the former Munich player. Easier said than done.
Is FC Bayern planning to do without Pavard?
Pavard could possibly regain his trust if Nagelsmann actually put him in the center. But there is simply no room for the French. At least he played closer to the center this season as the right part of a back three. However, he did not seem really stable during his missions there either. This did not improve Pavard’s perspective on a future in Munich.
Even those responsible at FC Bayern have apparently already realized that Pavard is not the solution in the future. For this reason, the search for a successor should already be underway. Barcelona’s Sergino Dest was recently named as a candidate in this context. Not good omens for the world champion, who may have to look around for a new challenge soon.