FC Bayern are running out of attackers
Tuchel announces failure of his top striker
4/7/2023 1:16 p.m
After the cup defeat against Freiburg, FC Bayern is struggling with its offensive harmlessness. Now the top striker from Munich is signing off for the Bundesliga duel with the sports club. Coach Thomas Tuchel has to rebuild his attack line.
With 17 goals, Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting is FC Bayern’s top scorer this season. Above all, the 34-year-old is currently the only classic striker in the squad of the German record champions. Sadio Mané is more likely to come over the wings, while Jamal Musiala and Thomas Müller prefer to come from behind the tips. Leroy Sané and Serge Gnabry also prefer to penetrate the penalty area with speed. Choupo-Moting, on the other hand, for all his footballing class, is often intended as a target player in front of the opponent’s goal – and his marksmanship eased the pain of Robert Lewandowski’s departure. But now the attacker threatens to miss crucial games.
“Choupo will, it looks like, fail,” said coach Thomas Tuchel, with a view to Friday’s training and Saturday’s top Bundesliga game at SC Freiburg (3:30 p.m. / Sky and in the live ticker on ntv.de): “He was previously a A bit bruised in the knee and had problems again.”
The sports club promoted Munich out of the DFB Cup on Tuesday thanks to a last-minute hand penalty. If they lose again in Freiburg, Bayern could lose the lead they have just regained – should Borussia Dortmund win against 1. FC Union Berlin at the same time. The 27th matchday offers the rare spectacle that the top four of the table meet in direct duels.
Tuchel sees the end of the cup as a lesson
But Tuchel’s concern seems to go beyond Freiburg: Choupo-Moting will be “tight” for next Tuesday when FC Bayern is put to the test in the first leg of the Champions League at Manchester City: “He has a reaction in the knee” and therefore had to “undergo treatment”. Julian Nagelsmann’s successor will therefore have to reorganize his offensive at least once, with Müller possibly moving to the front row and Jamal Musiala from the bench to the starting line-up. Tuchel named Gnabry and Mané as options. Storm talent Mathys Tel, on the other hand, is not an alternative, the 17-year-old is missing due to a torn muscle fiber.
Tuchel also practiced staying positive despite the disillusionment in the cup and the associated farewell to the triple dream. “It’s important to learn from it and turn it into a willingness to be there. We’re looking ahead, have the next difficult task ahead of us and are playing for the title in the Bundesliga.”
In Freiburg – and possibly also in Manchester – this has to be done without Choupo-Moting, who had recently been forced to cancel the international match due to back problems. A weakening for Bayern, in which internal scorer list Across all competitions behind Choupo-Moting (17 goals) follow first Musiala (15), then Sané (13) and Gnabry (12) as well as Mané (11). Their goal threat should now be much more in focus.