Raphaël Guerreiro could threaten Leon Goretzka’s midfield minutes at Bayern Munich

Raphaël Guerreiro marked his return from his calf injury in Bayern Munich’s 4-0 win over SC Preußen Münster in the DFB-Pokal, clocking a total of 28 minutes after replacing Alphonso Davies midway through the second half. The occasion was also Guerreiro’s official Bayern debut, as it was the first time he made a competitive appearance since making his move from Borussia Dortmund during the summer transfer window.

The Portuguese international also clocked 45 minutes in Bayern’s 2-2 draw at RB Leipzig in the Bundesliga over the weekend, replacing Leon Goretzka at the halftime interval when Bayern was 2-0 down. The substitution was tactical, as Thomas Tuchel desperately needed to change the way the match was unfolding, and Guerreiro does have experience playing in midfield from his time with Dortmund.

The Leipzig draw was far from Goretzka’s best performance of the season, and it has now been reported that Geurreiro could be challenging him for a starting spot in midfield, as per Tz’s Manuel Bonke (via @iMiaSanMia). Tuchel spoke highly about Guerreiro’s impact from midfield after the match, and there was a noticeable difference in Bayern’s play in the second half, as they pressed on to find two goals to finish at 2-2.

Tuchel was reportedly a key factor in getting Bayern to sign Guerreiro from Dortmund during the summer transfer window and he very much likes the Portuguese international’s reading of the game. He is an addition to the squad that gives Tuchel some tactical flexibility since he is multi-positional and can really help create chances on the attacking end as well as providing defensive cover at the other end of the pitch.

It was no mistake that Guerreiro lead the Bundesliga in assists last season, and now that he has fully recovered from his calf injury and is knocking on the door of being in the starting lineup, his goal contributions will certainly start to come for Bayern. Having won the opening group stage match in the Champions League against Manchester United, Bayern’s trip to take on FC Copenhagen midweek could be a perfect chance to hand Guerreiro his first start of the season.

Photo by Christina Pahnke - sampics/Corbis via Getty Images