Guardiola looking to replace Martinez

While all eyes will be on Bayern Munich's line-up when they take on Preussen Münster in the first round of the German Cup, most people's minds will be thinking of who Pep Guardiola has in mind to replace Javi Martinez. After the Bundesliga's most expensive signing tore his anterior cruciate ligament in Bayern's 2-0 Super Cup defeat to Borussia Dortmund, Guardiola has said he will have to dip into the market to replace the Spaniard. The question is though, who will he be chasing?

With the number of available, central defensive options currently thin, this question isn't as straightforward as perhaps first considered. Football writer Rory Smith recently wrote an article outlining the scarcity and costlier nature of defenders being a result of an evolving game that has led to higher prices.

After David Luiz broke the bank in his move from London to Paris, the other defensive moves of the summer also caught the eye, more often than not simply because of the price. While exciting, Dutch youngster Stefan de Vrij joined Lazio for a modest fee and Matthias Ginter was snapped up by Borussia Dortmund for what many considered a bargain, Manchester City paid obscene amounts for the services of Eliaquim Mangala and Thomas Vermaelen joined Barcelona for a baffling 15 million euros.

Changing nature of defense

More than ever, the defensive game has become about creation than prevention. While this has given defenders more of a license to neglect their primary concerns in favor of more playmaking, it has also reduced the number of "desirable" defenders now in circulation.

While time dictates that an accomplished defender is exactly what Pep Guardiola wants (and needs), the Bayern manager can nurture talent if the market options aren't kind. At Bayern, both Dante and Jerome Boateng's distribution has improved since Guardiola's arrival. In turn, they - the Brazilian in particular - are also prone to an occasional lapse when it comes to defensive duties. The persistent implementation of the slow Martinez in the centre back position is the best example of that. While the Spaniard is regularly caught flat-footed in the face of quick counterattacks, he's also the one who creates the majority of Bayern's build-up play.

In a 3-5-2 formation, one that Guardiola appears to be favoring, Martinez's role is pivotal. Six months without him suggest a formation change for a squad that only has three central defenders in it. Unless Guardiola can find the right man to bring in, persisting with three at the back seems an unlikely route. In truth, even if Guardiola was playing four at the back, only three central defenders is thin for a squad of Bayern's ambitions - it would be rash to think Holger Badstuber is ready for a 35-game season.

Looking further afield

So who can Guardiola tempt to Bavaria? The frontrunner is AS Roma's Mehdi Benatia. The 27-year-old is valued near the 30 million euro mark, but for Roma to part with such a prized asset would cost Bayern more than the asking price. Benatia would be a near-perfect fit and would require little adjustment time, but it's a question of how much the Bayern bank is willing to shell out.

Benatia aside, there are other names floating around the rumor mill. Real Madrid's Raphael Varane is rumored to be extremely unsettled and at just 21-years-old, would be a serious investment for Bayern. Manchester City's want-away Matija Nastasic is the same age, but is perhaps slightly rawer, while Real Sociedad's Inigo Martinez holds promise attached to a smaller price tag. Liverpool's Daniel Agger is another who wants away, but looks short of being a Guardiola player.

While a definitive name can't be selected from any of the above, it's clear that Guardiola will opt for a play-creating defender rather than a tough-tackling one. The evolution of the game, something he himself has had a hand in, means the time of one-dimensional defenders has passed. This is just one of the reasons why Guardiola's search will be a narrow, but keenly followed one. At the end of one of the next 15 days, the answer to that search should be revealed.