Wertung der Fußballer: Bayern Munich 2017/18

Jupp Heynckes’ return to Bayern Munich felt like a bold statement. The team was far too talented to not be able to make a deep run in Europe with Heynckes at the helm, but more than anything, this team would now have a soul. However, Bayern would be hard-done once again by an atrocious referee in the Champions League against Real Madrid, be beaten 3-1 by Niko Kovač’s Eintracht Frankfurt in the final of the DfB Pokal, but would still win the Bundesliga by an impressive margin of 21 points.

For those unfamiliar, FIFA has a player rating system from 1-99. Players from 50-65 can be considered reserve or lower division players. 65-75 are usually younger players with high potential or other lesser players. 75-85 roughly are those that one would consider top level players, and from there on all players beyond are considered world class. The rating cap is around 93-95, as no player has exceeded a 94 rating since Ronaldinho and Iker Casillas (95 each) all the way back in 2005.

Now, let’s look at what Bayern Munich’s ratings should have looked like in my opinion after the 2017/18 season a.k.a. their FIFA 19 ratings. The change denoted in the bracket showcases the change from the FIFA 18 rating given in the previous article. New transfers will retro-actively be given a new FIFA 18 rating. You can read about the 2012/13 season here, the 2013/14 season here, the 2014/15 season here, the 2015/16 season here, and the 2016/17 season here.

Goalkeepers

Manuel Neuer - 87(-3)
Neuer would suffer a season-ending injury early on, losing a year of his career.

Sven Ulreich - 77(+4)
Ulreich was serviceable but made some very avoidable mistakes during the season.

Tom Starke - 76(+1)
Starke was the better deputy, but I guess the management didn’t want to give him much game time even in his final season before retirement.

Defenders

Mats Hummels - 88
Hummels maintained a high calibre of performance this season.

Jérôme Boateng - 84(+2)
Boateng was much improved after a lacklustre 16/17 season.

Niklas Süle - 84(-1)
Süle was okay in his first season in Munich.

David Alaba - 85(-1)
Alaba was inconsistent but not poor for very long periods of time.

Juan Bernat - 83(-1)
Bernat was not bad when he played but did not play much.

Rafinha - 82
Rafinha was consistent this season but not impressive enough to warrant an upgrade.

Joshua Kimmich - 84(+5)
Kimmich played consistently at right back for the first time this season, and was excellent. By far the most impressive performer this season.

Midfielders

Javi Martínez - 86(-1)
Javi was a good defensive midfielder, but not as good as he was at centre back the season prior.

Sebastian Rudy - 82(-4)
Rudy spent a lot of his time on the bench this season, which did not help his already falling stock this season.

Thiago Álcantara - 88(-2)
Thiago’s fitness issues once again plagued him, pegging him down a few notches.

Corentin Tolisso - 84(-2)
Tolisso was impressive, but certainly not an instant starter like he was at Olympique Lyon.

Arturo Vidal - 87(-1)
Vidal was still a goal threat but seemed to not be able to recover as quickly out of possession as he had in seasons prior.

James Rodríguez - 89(+2)
James rediscovered his magic after a decline and eventual loss of trust in Madrid.

Attackers

Thomas Müller - 88(-2)
Very much unlike what was expected, Müller seemed to be struggling to find a role in the team. He was certainly getting game-time but often would find himself lacking actual impact.

Franck Ribéry - 84(-4)
Ribéry would not hit the heights of even last season the few times he got a chance to play.

Arjen Robben - 90(-1)
Robben was not poor in any regard but did seem to be slowing down just a tiny bit.

Kingsley Coman - 84(+2)
Coman seemed back to his better form, but would struggle with injuries.

Sandro Wagner - 84
Wagner came off the bench a lot of the time, but was efficient in front of goal with 8 goals in about 8 games’ worth of playing time.

Robert Lewandowski - 92
Lewandowski maintains his 92 rating after a fantastic season hitting 29 league goals and 41 in all competitions.

What do you think of these ratings? Are there any you would change? Have I had more howlers than EA? (If you answer yes I will be under your bed tonight). The discussion is open as always.