Bundesliga
Kompany's midfield dilemma at Bayern
The Bavarians have a number of great options in the key central defensive midfield position. Vincent Kompany will carefully weigh up the merits of Joao Palhinha, Joshua Kimmich, Aleksandar Pavlović and others as he looks to guide Bayern Munich to glory this season.
It was once seen as being a problem position for Bayern, but a major new signing and the development of a brilliant young talent have left Vincent Kompany with the tricky task of managing a wealth of defensive midfielders that rivals that of his attacking riches.
Judging by the great start to the season that has seen the Bavarians rise to the top of the Bundesliga standings, Kompany has so far anchored his midfield perfectly.
Here, bundesliga.com looks at the array of talent at the Belgian's disposal...
There are two central midfield spots up for grabs in either the 4-2-3-1 or 3-4-2-1 systems that Kompany deployed in his opening three Bundesliga matches of the season, where Kimmich has thus far been a permanent fixture in the deep-lying role.
Watch: The best of Joshua Kimmich in 2023/24
There is good reason for that. For starters, his vast experience has been a stabilising force for the new coach as he introduces new signings to the team and looks to put his own stamp on Bayern's play. Although Kimmich was used as a right-back for the final months of 2023/24, there is no doubting his pedigree in the middle of the park. The Germany captain has the ability to open up opponents with astonishing deep passes, can conduct play, and is prepared to get his hands dirty on the defensive side when required.
After three matches of 2024/25, Kimmich has successfully won the most challenges of Bayern's defensive midfield options (54 percent), had the third-most touches of the ball in the league (321), and covered the third-most distance of any Bundesliga player (36.8 km). When you also add the fact he is Bayern's usual set-piece specialist, it is hard to imagine Kimmich dropping out of the side too often should he remain fit.
Bayern did everything to try to sign the Portuguese holding midfielder in summer 2023 and landed their man a year later. Palhinha was seen as a battle-hardy missing piece in the Bayern jigsaw, and he showed glimpses of that in his first start under Kompany in a huge 6-1 win at Holstein Kiel.
Watch: Palhinha scores in friendly win over WSG Tirol
The new recruit contested more challenges than anyone else on the pitch in Kiel (33). With no disrespect to the newly promoted opposition, he was likely signed with more menacing attacks in mind, and it will be fascinating to see if he provides the promised steel should he feature against Bayer Leverkusen on Matchday 5, for instance, or in Bayern's UEFA Champions League campaign.
The young Bayern academy graduate is not a player who is likely to ever be far from Kompany's plans either, for the simple reason that he does not look out of place in the star-packed midfield. Having made his Bundesliga debut less than a year ago - as a substitute in an 8-0 win over Darmstadt in October 2023 - Pavlović's star has well and truly sky-rocketed.
His regular composed and gritty performances won him his first three international caps for Germany, and a first goal for his country as a substitute in the 5-0 win over Hungary this month.
Watch: Aleksandar Pavlović - from ball boy to Bayern player
His eagerness to stamp his authority on play is shown by his average distance of 12.8 kilometres per match in 2023/24 - more than any other Bayern player. He offers a decent pinch of attacking threat too, which helps when the Bavarians are in the frequent situation of facing defensive-minded opponents.
One statistic that tells a lot is that Bayern won 17 of Pavlović's first 21 appearances - while losing five of the eight matches he didn't feature in during that spell.
Other options
While the aforementioned trio are currently the leading contenders for the two defensive midfield options, there is a host of additional star names ready to be tried there if Kompany calls upon them - as he is quite likely to do at some stage of a season in which Bayern are targeting three types of silverware.
Watch: Raphaël Guerreiro - Magic Moments
Konrad Laimer featured twice as a substitute in Kompany's first two matches, and the former RB Leipzig man known for his relentless pressing is a great option for disrupting an opposition team's flow. He registered the second most challenges per 90 minutes of any Bayern player last season, after all (24).
Meanwhile, Raphaël Guerreiro's exquisite passing also makes him an intriguing option for defensive midfield. He was selected at left-back for Matchdays 2 and 3 this season but made eight of his 20 appearances in 2023/24 from the middle. Having hit 33 goals in 184 appearances during his Bundesliga career, he is definitely one to call on should Bayern require more attacking punch from deep.
Watch: Leon Goretzka - Magic Moments
Then there's Leon Goretzka, who has featured little in the early weeks of the campaign, but the 29-year-old's experience and attacking edge might reward his patience in the long run. His six goals and seven assists in 2023/24 show the kind of contribution that might be needed at some stage of the months ahead.
Six into two does not go easily, but might just prove to be the magic formula in defensive midfield for an ambitious Bayern side this season.