Sergino Dest can make Bayern Munich a tactical nightmare

Bayern Munich are reportedly showing increased interest in Ajax right back Sergino Dest, and the American teenager can make Die Roten a true matchup nightmare for any team in Europe.

When the 2019-20 Bundesliga season was suspended, Bayern Munich sat in first place after recovering their form under manager Hansi Flick. Die Roten were also in a commanding position in the Champions League, having embarrassed Chelsea 3-0 in the first leg of their Round of 16 matchup.

However, Bayern know there is still more work to be done. They still aren’t seen as one of the favorites in Champions League competition, as they are still a good bit behind the main powerhouses in Europe right now. Furthermore, the Bundesliga is only getting more competitive, thanks to RB Leipzig’s brilliance under new manager Julian Nagelsmann.

Still, Die Roten remain the standard in German football until proven otherwise, as evidenced by their grasp on first place. And if they sign Ajax right back Sergino Dest, they will become an even scarier team from a tactical standpoint.

Per Sky Germany, Bayern have reportedly held “intensive” talks with the young American player, though it’s unclear if Ajax are willing to sell Dest. If they are, Dest can be the attacking-minded right back Bayern need to complete their exciting team.

Flick has turned Bayern into an absolute machine over the past couple of months, coaxing a resurgence in form from club legend Thomas Muller, who has a whopping 16 assists in the 2019-20 Bundesliga campaign. He’s helped Thiago and Joshua Kimmich become one of the most formidable double-pivots in the game, Serge Gnabry is back on form after torching Chelsea, and the back four has been wonderful with Alphonso Davies and Benjamin Pavard providing important width at fullback.

Dest can add an even more potent attacking threat down the right-hand side to complement Davies’ emergence on the left. Last season, Dest had four assists for Ajax, placing third on the team in assists per 90 minutes among players with a minimum of 400 minutes played. He averaged 1.2 dribbles per game, completed a crisp 87.5 percent of his passes, and showed defensive quality with 1.9 tackles per game, according to WhoScored.com.

Although Bayern have a quality right back in Pavard, who is in his debut season with the club after signing from VfB Stuttgart, they’d get more mileage out of him as a center-back in an attack-focused formation. Pavard’s reading of the game, passing, and ability to wreak havoc when charging into the box in a central role could make him a more ideal center-back for Bayern’s modern system. With only 0.5 dribbles completed per game and 0.8 fouls drawn per game, Pavard doesn’t offer as much charging down the flank as Dest.

Bayern acquired Alvaro Odriozola on loan from Real Madrid at the winter transfer window, but the 24-year-old has been cast off by Zinedine Zidane for a reason; he simply isn’t good enough to start for a team with Champions League title aspirations. In Bavaria, that is always the primary goal.

Dest still has some growing to do at the age of 18, but his displays at Ajax and with the U.S. Men’s National Team, make it clear that he has world-class potential. He can fit in at Bayern. Die Roten have seen what a player like Davies, who has blossomed into arguably the world’s best up-and-coming left back, can bring to a team.

If Bayern sign Dest, they can bring in Gnabry or, especially, Muller from the right into a more threatening role next to Robert Lewandowski in the attack, messing with the opposition’s central marking. Dest has the ability to offer width without sacrificing too much defensively, and Bayern have an athletic double-pivot to fill in the gaps and help the center backs if necessary.

Dest could also give Bayern schematic versatility. Under Flick, they have primarily been playing a 4-2-3-1, with most of the width coming from the fullbacks. Again, Dest fits this perfectly. But they could also experiment with a back three, using Pavard, Lucas Hernandez, and David Alaba as center backs with passing range and attacking experience to create a Pep Guardiola-like “five block” in defense with Kimmich and Thiago. Then, Dest and Davies bomb forward with free reign, feeding the intelligent movement of Gnabry and Muller behind Lewandowski.

There are so many possibilities with a player like Dest in the lineup, who becomes a dangerous attacking chess piece at right back. Bayern already have the passers and the stability in the center of the pitch; they just need more width. And while most of the focus has been on wingers like Leroy Sane or even a wide forward like Timo Werner, a deadly attacking fullback like Dest, in the mold of Angelino at Leipzig or Raphaël Guerreiro at Dortmund, would also be a difference-maker.