Could Ito ease Bayern's defensive crisis? | OneFootball

Hiroki Ito: Could the versatile defender ease Bayern Munich's injury crisis?

Injury has prevented Hiroki Ito having a consistent run of games since joining Bayern Munich last summer, but that could all be about to change after Alphonso Davies and Dayot Upamecano returned from international duty with long-term injuries of their own.

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Ito arrived in Bavaria in July 2024 after three years at VfB Stuttgart, honing a reputation as one of the Bundesliga's most reliable and versatile defenders.

Though he spent the majority of his minutes as a left-sided centre-back at the MHP Arena, Ito proved his utility through occasional appearances at left-back in his first two seasons, even playing as wing-back once.

In his last campaign for Stuttgart, Ito began at left-back and even grabbed two assists in the first four games of 2023/24. That versatility is now likely to be put to the ultimate test for the rest of the campaign as Vincent Kompany looks to steer his team to Bundesliga and UEFA Champions League glory.

Different strengths

Davies will be particularly difficult to replace. One of the quickest full-backs in the world, the Canadian carries a huge attacking threat through his ball carries and overlapping runs into the opposition final third.

Moreover, his speed allows Bayern to play a high defensive line, squeezing the opposition into their own half, safe in the knowledge that if an attacker does break through, Davies will be able to snuff out any danger.

Ito would therefore not be a straight replacement, but that is not to say he does not offer qualities of his own. The 25-year-old's three league starts at left-back this season, against Frankfurt, Leverkusen and Bochum, provide a glimpse of what Kompany can expect.

His average pass completion rate of 85 percent across those three games aligns with his tally from full-back at Stuttgart last season; his success rate of 88 percent placed him in the top two percent of full-backs across the top five European leagues per UEFA coefficient.

Moreover, the Japan international averaged more than four passes into the final third per match in 2023/24, meaning the likes of Jamal Musiala, Serge Gnabry and Michael Olise will benefit from his ability to pick out players between opposition lines.

Quarter-back capabilities

What, then, if Kompany opts to field Ito at centre-back? As a natural left-footer, there is already an advantage of playing him there.

It means he is able to open up his body to switch the play or progress the ball further up the pitch into midfield. Last season, he averaged at least one carry per match into the opposition final third, so expect that average to increase as his involvement grows at Bayern.

This provides any added bonus for Kompany in that it will mean attackers like Musiala and Harry Kane can channel their focus more on final third duties, rather than dropping deeper as much as they usually do.

Ito ready to step up

With eight games to go in the league, Bayern and Leverkusen are only six points apart from each other. Any points dropped between now and the end of the season could change the course of the Meisterschale race.

In the Champions League too, Bayern have two crunch ties in the quarter-finals coming up against Inter. Therefore, Ito's return to full fitness is all the more crucial. In what was only his second start of the season against Frankfurt, Ito scored the second in a 4-0 rout of the Eagles in front of the Allianz Arena faithful.

“He was out for a long time and he has now shown in a very short time that he will be a very valuable player for our club,” said Bayern boss Kompany after the game. His words could soon prove to be prophetic.

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