Steven Gerrard praises Bayern midfield duo after Arsenal appearance
Liverpool legend Steven Gerrard, 46, praised as a TNT Sports expert the performances of Bayern midfielders Aleksandar Pavlovic, 23, and Tom Bischof, 21, in the Champions League blockbuster against Arsenal and Arsenal’s stars on Wednesday, because in his view they played outstandingly and especially impressed the two players. He said the two had really impressed him that evening, as they dominated the centre against stars such as Martin Ødegaard, Declan Rice and Bruno Guimarães.
Gerrard’s Praise and the Style of Play
Pavlovic has been a regular starter in Vincent Kompany’s midfield since the start of the season, but his usual partner is Joshua Kimmich. Kimmich was absent on Wednesday due to a bereavement in his immediate family, so Bischof slipped into the starting eleven and the duo played together in the starting lineup at this level for the first time.
Bayern started the game trailing by one goal (0-1), but they turned the match around and pushed for an equaliser. In the closing stages Declan Rice gave Arsenal the equaliser, meaning Bayern missed out on the three points despite a strong second half, even though Gerrard had particularly highlighted the performance of the two players. Gerrard commented on the situation, saying: “When you are leading for a long time, it is disappointing that we don’t take the three points.”
Bischof stressed that he “really enjoys playing together with Pavlovic”, but added that the final decision lies with Vincent Kompany. He is happy to get minutes and sees the future as open.
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National Team Perspective and Klopp Comments
Both players are regarded not only at FC Bayern but also in the German national team as a potential midfield duo for the coming years. Under national team coach Jürgen Klopp they were allowed to feature in the last two internationals against Greece (0-0) and Serbia (2-0) in the engine room of the DFB eleven.
Klopp praised the duo, saying: “They can play superbly together.” He repeated the praise at halftime of the Bayern match against Arsenal and called Pavlovic and Bischof “top partners.”
At the same time Klopp emphasized that Joshua Kimmich is an outstanding midfielder who always has a place, and that the national team needs more than one midfielder. He mentioned other options such as Felix Nmecha, Mika Baur and Jannik Engelhardt, who have also performed well.
While Gerrard highlighted the outstanding performance of the two Bayern players, the match showed that the team could not secure the points despite individual quality. Klopp, on the other hand, saw long‑term potential in Pavlovic and Bischof for the German national team in this regard.