Bayern Munich’s Ukrainian midfielder Anatoliy Tymoshchuk has seen his overall FTBL rating almost halve to 61.01 points in just two months, and he has dropped beyond the 200th spot in the FTBL world ranking of midfielders. Are things really that bad for the Ukrainian international?

Probably not. A more careful analysis indicates that Tymoshchuk’s position is not that tragic after all: he will face a plank of just under 20 rating points in his next 5 games, among them the potentially rewarding World Cup 2010 playoff game between Ukraine and Greece.

At Bayern, the Ukrainian continues to enjoy the confidence of his coach, which means he will be able to capitalize on the eventual victories of the Bavarians.

And those victories are likely to begin rolling in soon: after all, the Bavarians are scheduled to play their next three games at home. We predict that Tymoshchuk will net at least 20 rating points in those games and, as a result, will boost his overall FTBL rating to 80 points.