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IS LEON GORETZKA LEAVING, BAYERN MUNICH FUTURE HANGS IN BALANCE

Leon Goretzka's future at Bayern Munich is in doubt as his box-to-box style clashes with Vincent Kompany's tactical system. With his contract expiring, the German midfielder appears a poor fit, raising questions about his long-term role.

Is Leon Goretzka leaving, Bayern Munich future hangs in balance
Leon Goretzka’s Bayern journey could be ending - Photo Credit: Getty Images

Leon Goretzka's future is currently being closely watched after seven years with Bayern Munich, particularly in light of his most recent performance.

In Bayern Munich's Bundesliga tie with Union Berlin, the German midfielder appeared to be a tactical weak point. Goretzka was substituted in the 80th minute after failing to make a significant attacking or defensive contribution. However, this is more a problem of tactical mismatch than it is of his skill as a player.

Leon Goretzka's unique style of play


Leon Goretzka, who made his debut with Schalke 04, has always been an aggressive midfielder. When he started his career, he was a number 10 who played behind the attackers. Following his physical development, numerous coaches began to use his strong motor and offensive ability as a box-to-box midfielder.

As a result of this job, Leon Goretzka became well-known throughout Bayern's treble-winning 2019–20 season. Goretzka benefited from a pressing strategy that prioritised wing play to generate opportunities.

Because of his ability to box-crash and clear up long shots at the edge of the box, Leon Goretzka became one of Europe's most feared midfielders as defenders focused all of their attention on Robert Lewandowski and Thomas Müller.

Goretzka's most productive season at Bayern was the treble-winning one, scoring close to 20 goals despite sharing playing time in a crowded midfield with Thiago, Joshua Kimmich, Javi Martinez, and Corentin Tolisso.

Thiago and Javi Martinez in particular helped eliminate Goretzka's two most obvious shortcomings: winning the ball and relieving the press. The German midfielder had a lot of difficulties carrying out these two responsibilities because these two players would be leaving in the next season.

Kompany's system is not compatible with Goretzka's attributes.


As usual, Leon Goretzka continues to crash the box a lot in the Union Berlin game. But this playstyle did not seem to fit all the requirements.

Because Goretzka was moving forward during the build-up phase, Bayern was without a midfielder, and they had a difficult time countering Union Berlin's very muscular pressing strategy. It was challenging to advance the ball since Upamecano, Kimmich, and Laimer were constantly encircled by several home team players.

His inability to manoeuvre in confined spaces was evident when Leon Goretzka ducked deeper to assist his teammates. This was most evident during a play in the first half when Luis Diaz threw the ball back to him and he awkwardly mishandled it to the opposition just outside the penalty area.

Additionally, the 30-year-old had no further influence. Union Berlin's penalty area felt crowded with Goretzka. Konrad Laimer and Serge Gnabry wish to support Michael Olise on the underlap by running into the right half-space. But Leon Goretzka typically took up most of the room with his movements and pulled a defender with him. This may be a contributing element, but it is hardly an excuse to blame Bayern's number eight for the problems of three other important players.

Aleksandar Pavlovic also brought with him a whole different style of play. The 20-year-old is a deep-lying playmaker who plays much closer to the middle of the pitch and only attacks the box when there is room to do so. His presence improved communication between the midfield and the sides and created a path for Harry Kane to run and equalise in the closing minutes of the match.

Arrival of summer. Another midfield player that matches Kompany's mentality is Tom Bischof, a flexible number six who can win the ball back by making underlapping runs in addition to creating from deep.

These two young players gave the impression that Bayern was rediscovering their former Thiago and Javi Martinez. Leon Goretzka, who was intended to be the replacement for these two, is now lower on the hierarchy.

The tale of Leon Goretzka and Bayern Munich is one of unwavering affection. Goretzka strives to be able to contribute to the team and enjoys playing for the red and white. He earned his spot in the locker room for that. When he enters or exits the field, Bayern supporters yell his name at the top of their lungs in the loudest cheers.

But now it appears that Leon Goretzka's style of play and the tactics are a little out of sync. The deal with the German star will only expire at the end of this season. He still possesses all the necessary skills to play for the world's top clubs. But when July of next year rolls around, will that team still be Bayern Munich?

THE "INSANE" +44 SECRET: WHY BAYERN MUNICH’S DOMINANCE IS OFFICIALLY SCARING ALL EUROPE

Bayern Munich ends 2025 with a 4-0 win over Heidenheim, holding a 9-point Bundesliga lead as Harry Kane reaches 30 goals.

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Bayern Munich crushes Heidenheim to officially secure the winter crown

Bayern Munich had a crazy good year in Germany, even for them.

Vincent Kompany's team crushed Heidenheim 4-0 on Sunday. They're ending 2025 with a nine-point lead in the Bundesliga. Looks like they're going to grab that title again after Bayer Leverkusen's short time on top. They might even grab their first domestic double since 2020.

It was an incredible year. Winning the league with this team was really special, said Bayern striker Harry Kane on Sunday. I think from the Club World Cup (in June), we started building a team that works hard together.

Bayern only lost once to another German team in 2025, which was against Bochum (3-2) back in March. 15 games into the Bundesliga season, their goal difference is +44, which is insane. It's way better than any other big team in Europe.

Kane has knocked in 30 goals for Bayern this season. Luis Díaz has been awesome since joining from Liverpool for about 75 million euros ($87 million), and 17-year-old Lennart Karl has been a total surprise.

Even with Jamal Musiala, Alphonso Davies, and Dayot Upamecano out with injuries for a while, Bayern still kicked off 2025-26 with 16 straight wins.

So, what's next?

Winning the Bundesliga is expected for any Bayern coach. They've been doing well in Europe, but the big tests are coming.

Getting knocked out by Inter Milan in the 2024-25 Champions League quarterfinals sucked. Losing to Paris Saint-Germain at the same stage of the Club World Cup was easier to understand, especially since Musiala got hurt badly in that game.

Right now, Bayern is second in the Champions League and got props for beating PSG with only 10 players. But that 3-1 loss to Arsenal shows they still have stuff to work on.

And there's the German Cup. Bayern hasn't gotten past the quarterfinals since they last won in 2020.

Coach Kompany has a tough call to make when Musiala gets back from his leg injury. Does he mess with a team that's winning to bring back a player who was key last season but hasn't played with Díaz yet?

While Bayern is doing well, their main rivals in Germany are all over the place.

Borussia Dortmund is in second place, but there's drama in the team. Nico Schlotterbeck called out his teammates for not working hard enough, and Karim Adeyemi was mad about being taken out of a game.

Leverkusen was a mess at the start of the year. They fired coach Erik ten Hag after just three games. But Kasper Hjulmand has turned things around, even beating Manchester City.

Leipzig isn't playing in Europe, so they've been able to focus on the Bundesliga. But they're still far from the best, as we saw when Bayern beat them 6-0 on opening day, and Leverkusen beat them 3-1 right before the winter break.

HARRY KANE BECOMES FASTEST PLAYER TO HIT 100 BUNDESLIGA GOAL INVOLVEMENTS TODAY

Harry Kane scores his 30th goal as Bayern Munich defies an injury crisis to secure a 9-point lead for Christmas.

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Harry Kane’s 30-goal explosion this season.

Harry Kane hit his 30th goal this season as Bayern Munich overcame injuries and illness to beat Heidenheim 4-0 on Sunday. They're heading into the Bundesliga's winter break with a solid nine-point lead.

Kane dodged a couple of defenders and scored with a strong shot off the post in stoppage time. That puts him at 30 goals in 25 games for Bayern this season, with 19 in the German league alone.

Kane said on DAZN that there’s still a way to go this season, but they're on the right track. They have the belief and team spirit they need to keep going into next year.

Bayern coach Vincent Kompany had a bunch of young players on the bench because several players were out injured, including captain Manuel Neuer and Joshua Kimmich. Also, Konrad Laimer was suspended, Nicolas Jackson is at the Africa Cup of Nations, and three players were sick.

But the starters had the game well in hand, so they didn't need many subs.

Two defenders teamed up for Bayern's first goal when Jonathan Tah headed a corner to Josip Stanisic, who nodded it in.

Heidenheim's fans put up a big banner before the game saying they wished to stay in the top division. But their team didn't get a single shot on target and is now in 17th place as they head into the winter break.

Bayern's second goal was due to a bad defensive mistake by Heidenheim. Defender Patrick Mainka ran into his goalkeeper, and the ball bounced around until Michael Olise poked it in.

Luis Díaz made the win certain with a header from Stanisic's cross in the 86th minute before Kane scored the fourth.

Bayern hasn't lost to a German team since March and has won 13 and drawn two out of 15 Bundesliga games this season. They're averaging over 3.6 goals per league game.

Borussia Dortmund is in second place, nine points behind Kompany's team. Bayer Leverkusen and Leipzig are another three points back.

Also on Sunday, Mainz's new coach, Urs Fischer, is still unbeaten after four games. His last-place team drew 0-0 with St. Pauli, who are in 16th place.

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