It doesn’t need bona fide transfer talks to confirm that Declan Rice would be a good fit in Thomas Tuchel’s Bayern Munich team. To watch him playing football, you’d think he’s a German-born midfield brute. Physically, he’s got the height and bulk traditionally associated with the German game. He’s got a good engine, he’s mobile, he’ll take on players, and he’ll cope with transitions as well as anybody on the pitch, not to mention he’s highly skilled too.

His seemingly effortless — and crucially successful — approach to transitions from defence to attack (and vice versa) should be the first point of note when arguing for his suitability in the Bayern system. 

Rice plays in a West Ham team who are dangerous on the counter and, much of the time, bypass the midfield region. For this reason, he’s become adept at commanding the centre of the field all alone, as well as dealing with turnovers in possession. Whether West Ham lose the ball and he’s well positioned to cut out a pass, or whether they win the ball and he launches a counter-attack, Rice is one of the best in transitions. 

Bayern Munich need this kind of player because they’re similar. They play with a back-three in possession, and have five or more players swarming the box. There’s a strong emphasis on creating attacking overloads, meaning many of the goals Bayern concede come from opposition counter-attacks. Rice would be able to offer security in transitions. 

More importantly, however, is the Joshua Kimmich issue. In Germany, the No.6 player, the pivot midfielder, has always been considered the most important on the field. Being the epicentre of every move, they are deliberately positioned such that every other player is just a short pass away. Kimmich has been playing this role, however, as has been discovered, this profile of player is rarely good enough to screen the defence in Germany, and so a double-pivot is often favoured at Bayern and by the national team. It’s the reason 4-2-3-1 has been so popular in Germany. 

Aside from Kimmich, Bayern don’t have what you might call a No.4, a ball-winning defensive midfielder, so he’s forced deeper into this role. Leon Goretzka partners him, though he’s better at arriving late into the box and bridging with the front-line. Kimmich therefore is restricted at Bayern. He cannot play with the freedom they want him to, because he’s tied to other defensive duties. Rice could, and would, alleviate this. 

In a double-pivot, Rice would facilitate Kimmich’s strengths and have the licence to carry the ball forward. 

Another option with them both in the team would be to make Kimmich a sort of regista, as Andrea Pirlo was. Given Rice has many of the ‘shuttling’, box-to-box qualities of a No.8, Kimmich could be flanked and guarded by Rice and one other, whose job it would be to protect Kimmich from being impeded by opposing midfielders. This would of course be the option that gives Rice, himself, the most freedom, but may be a little further from the role he’s used to. 

Finally, in the asymmetrical shape Bayern have used this year (in which the left-back marauds forward, leaving a lop-sided back-three), there has been a very clear hole between Kimmich, the left-centre-back, left-back, and Goretzka. It’s created issues in circulation, which the addition of Rice (as a left-sided pivot) would mend. 

When Kimmich has the ball, and the opposition are camped behind the ball, he’s usually just off-centre to the right. Trying to access the front-line on the left without playing a risky long ball has been next to impossible at times given Goretzka’s presence in the box. Too often, they’ve wasted time and lost ground by switching the play via the centre-backs, meaning playing backwards. 

A lateral pass into Rice in the left-half-space would give them access to these players much faster, so Bayern could take advantage of quick switches. 

Rice has almost equal exposure playing in front of a back-three and a back-four from his time with West Ham and England. Structurally, Rice would adapt quickly. Technically, it’s no wonder Bayern want Rice. He’s as European in his physicality and skill as English midfielders come.