New Delhi: Joao Palhinha will be joining the German giants Bayern Munich next season as Fulham will get €50 million plus add ons for the the Portuguese midfielder. Palhinha had a couple of good seasons with Fulham in the premier league as he was an important figure for them to stay in the top flight football. He helped Fulham finish 10th in the 2022-23 season where he proved to be a commendable presence for them.
The 29 year old Defensive midfielder also had a great Euro campaign with Portugal as he performed well down the midfield in a usual deeper role. He has been linked with Bayern Munich for a while, and now that it is finally confirmed that he will join Vincent Kompany, Palhinha will have to gear up for a new challenge where the approach is completely different from Fulham.
🔴🇵🇹 João Palhinha on joining Bayern: “It’s a dream come true for me and I’m very proud of that”.
“I’m looking forward to the atmosphere and the fans at Allianz Arena. I want to win titles. I will give everything to achieve that”.
“This is one of the happiest days of my life”. pic.twitter.com/1j0GHZR6rs
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) July 11, 2024
The former Manchester City defender himself joined the Bavarians this summer with a fresh approach. He was clear that he wants to include the Portuguese in his plans as Bayern went all in for the Fulham midfielder. Here’s a look at how Joao Palhinha might fit into the Bayern system under Vincent Kompany and how can Kompany utilise the 29 year old in a star studded Bayern Munich squad.
Kompany’s tactics and style of play
MUNICH, GERMANY – MAY 30: Vincent Kompany the new head coach of Bayern München on the press conference at Allianz Arena on May 30, 2024 in Munich, Germany. The 38-year-old Kompany has agreed a contract with the German record champions through to 30 June 2027. The former Belgium international most recently managed English Premier League club FC Burnley.(Photo by Marcel Engelbrecht – firo sportphoto/Getty Images)
His strategy is based on positional play and possession concepts, with tactical leeway allowed within those frameworks. Possession, a planned build-up, creating chances with short passes, and using extreme width to create half-spaces are all important components of his games. Kompany prefers to have a commanding defensive midfielder who can set the tone, control the build-up during an attack, and retreat to the defensive line beside the center-backs to allow the fullbacks to advance.
The CDM should be a ball-playing distributor who can carry the ball forward and fend off pressure, while the CBs must be respectable with the ball. His striker is very mobile and helps to set up goals in addition to scoring them. In his system, it is common for a fullback to play as a winger while the other fullback tucks in to form a back three or inverts into the midfield. The position switching is something that Kompany will be heavily relying on and with his fullback options being the pacy Alphonso Davies and the experienced Joshua Kimmich.
Palhinha can prove to play an important role for Kompany as under his system, the central defensive midfield position is arguably the most crucial player when it comes to setting the tempo and handling the most of the build-up. The Belgian is probably going to start games in a formal 4-2-3-1 formation that changes to a 4-4-2 in defense and 3-2-5 / 2-3-5 variations in attack.
How can Palhinha fit into the system?
LONDON, ENGLAND – APRIL 21: (THE SUN OUT, THE SUN ON SUNDAY OUT) Cody Gakpo of Liverpool brought down by Joao Palhinha of Fulham during the Premier League match between Fulham FC and Liverpool FC at Craven Cottage on April 21, 2024 in London, England. (Photo by Andrew Powell/Liverpool FC via Getty Images)
Joao Palhinha is a player who likes to play a deep lying role in the midfield where he can prove pivotal as one of his abilities include ball retention. He has established himself as a hard tackling Defensive midfielder who looks to cut down any sort of supply from the opposition. His positional play allows him to read the game and make the perfect interception or a block down the midfield. Besides his physical attributes make him a towering presence in the midfield to cut down the aerial threats.
The Portuguese midfielder’s good positioning ability allows him to detect the threat coming from the opposition and get into the perfect position to cut it down. However, he has to adapt to a few tactical elements where he might face a few problems as mentioned earlier, Kompany demands a ball playing defensive midfielder who is able to contribute to the overall playmaking. Palhinha has looked inconsistent with his playmaking abilities over the years and it might turn out to be a problem in the midfield. Kompany can sort this problem by partnering him with either the experienced Leon Goretzka or the youngster Alexander Pavlovic.
Goretzka has proven his playmaking abilities over the years while Pavlovic has also looked like a decent playmaker from the deep position in the midfield. The 29 year old might play a different role than what he used to at Fulham. Another factor that makes him a suitable candidate for the central defensive midfielder role at Bayern is his aggression. A little bit of assistance might do the trick for Palhinha who will be looking to perform under Vincent Kompany to win the Bundesliga title.
Bayern Munich have finally signed the Fulham midfielder Joao Palhinha, who has confirmed that he will be a part of the Bavarian squad for next season. Here’s how Kompany can get the best out of the Midfielder. Football Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
