Thomas Tuchel wanted him a year ago, but it was Vincent Kompany who got Joao Palhinha for the defensive midfield. So far, however, Bayern’s coach has decided against the new signing
The trip to the Portuguese national team probably didn’t really satisfy Joao Palhinha. The 29-year-old sat on the bench for 90 minutes in the 2:1 win against Croatia and was in the starting eleven for the subsequent 2:1 win against Scotland, but was sent off at half-time after going 1:0 down. The defensive six-man spent his days among his country’s best as a part-time player, just like his first few weeks at FC Bayern.
Early in the summer, the Munich club offloaded their preferred candidate from Fulham FC for a fixed €49 million. Palhinha joined his new colleagues just in time for the trip to South Korea at the beginning of August, but he is currently playing a minor role at the record champions. He played just under a quarter of an hour in the 4-0 cup win in Ulm, three minutes more in the 2-0 win against SC Freiburg and 90 minutes on the bench in the 3-2 win in Wolfsburg. The question: When will this change?
It also depends on the opponent
Two factors play a role in why Palhinha has not yet found his place in the starting eleven. Unlike Tuchel at the end of last season, Kompany sees Joshua Kimmich more in central midfield. There, the national team captain forms a tandem with the up-and-coming Aleksandar Pavlovic. The opponents are also likely to be a reason for the reserve role. Ulm, Wolfsburg and Freiburg are not among the absolute top elite, Kompany lined up offensively and obviously thought a vacuum cleaner in front of the defense was superfluous
However, Palhinha should soon get his chance with the start of the English weeks. Firstly, Kompany would like to rotate, and secondly, Munich will soon be facing strong attacking opponents such as champions Bayer Leverkusen on matchday 5. Kompany is unlikely to be without the Portuguese then, as opponents in recent seasons have all too often walked through Bayern’s center far too easily, exploiting the spaces between the back line and the six-man position. It will be Palhinha’s task to close these spaces
