The fight for starting positions in Bayern

The fight for starting positions in Bayern has been open since the victory of the Bavarian club in the Telekom Cup, in which James Rodriguez, the Colombian, also made his debut. James' arrival has revived the competition, which was already quite significant in the German champions.

In reality, apart from the immovable Manuel Neuer in goal and Robert Lewandowski up front, there is not a single player in Bayern who can be completely sure of being a starter.

Currently, there is much discussion about a battle between James and Thomas Müller for the starting position, or the possibility of both playing together. However, if we review position by position, we can see that all positions have more than one aspirant.

It is expected that Joshua Kimmich will play on the right side, and David Alaba on the left, but Brazilian Rafinha and Spaniard Juan Bernat are more than mere substitutes.

In the center of defense, there are at least three "starters" for two positions - Jerome Boateng, Mats Hummels, and Javi Martínez - and one aspirant, Niklas Süle, who many consider as the German central defender of the future.

As candidates for the two midfield positions, we have Frenchman Corentin Tolisso, Chilean Arturo Vidal, Portuguese Renato Sanches - if he is not sold or loaned before the start of the season - and Thiago Alcántara, who could move back to make room for James or Müller in the attacking midfield position.