Injury acts are immense
Gnabry’s bad news torments FC Bayern
January 30, 2024, 11:47 a.m
So far, the defense has been FC Bayern’s problem area, but coach Thomas Tuchel is increasingly running out of options on the offensive. Serge Gnabry’s hoped-for prompt comeback also apparently fell through. Is there anything else going on on the transfer market?
FC Bayern’s injury concerns remain hairy: After the recent bad news of Kingsley Coman’s torn medial ligament, the Munich team were hoping for an early comeback from Serge Gnabry, but according to the “Bild” newspaper, the offensive man needs significantly more time than expected.
He was injured in the away game against Eintracht Frankfurt at the beginning of December. According to media reports, the Bayern management’s hope was that he could play again at the beginning of February. Gnabry has been training individually again since mid-January.
But according to the “Bild” newspaper, the 28-year-old will have to miss another three weeks. One of the reasons for the poor prognosis: Because the tendons are also affected when the muscle is injured, full strain has not yet been considered because otherwise the risk of re-injury is too great. His downtime could increase to more than ten weeks.
Does Tel get a chance?
The Bayern bosses should now consider whether they should strike on the transfer market due to the many failures – not only in defense but also in offense. “Not much can happen anymore, that’s clear,” said sports director Christoph Freund after Coman’s absence, which reportedly lasted between eight and ten weeks.
As an alternative on the offensive, Mathys Tel could also have the chance to prove himself. The 18-year-old came on as a substitute for Coman, who was injured early on, in the 3-2 win in Augsburg. There he was unlucky with a shot against the post. According to the “Kicker”, however, coach Thomas Tuchel values him as a joker, which reduces his chance of permanent starting eleven appearances. He last scored a goal at the end of September in the home game against VfL Bochum, and his last assist was on November 11th against Heidenheim – not a rate that speaks for him.
However, Tuchel is running out of alternatives in his own squad. Thomas Müller only seems to play a minor role in his plans. Since the 50-year-old became coach of FC Bayern, the Bayern veteran has lost some of his influence on the pitch. Against Augsburg he only came on the field in the 89th minute – and then also caused a penalty.
Müller has only played a total of 114 minutes in the five games this year – his time on the pitch has continued to decrease. He seems to accept it calmly: “I always prepare for playing time, the coach decides how much it will be in the end. We’re a small group anyway, so we have to stick together.” It is quite possible that Müller will be used more again in the future.
But another transfer?
As an alternative, Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting is still in the Bayern squad, and Jamal Musiala could also switch to the wing. In addition, Alphonso Davies once started his career further up front before being retrained as a left-back. So he could move forward – but that would create another gap in the defense.
And as is well known, numerous stars are already missing there. Central defender Dayot Upamecano has torn a fiber in his thigh, Konrad Laimer, who can play both in the center and in defense, is expected to miss ten weeks with a calf injury, Joshua Kimmich cannot play due to a shoulder injury, Bouna Sarr is suffering from a torn cruciate ligament . Noussair Mazraoui and Minjae Kim are also at the African and Asian Cups respectively.
The club has already signed two defenders, Sacha Boey and Eric Dier. The transfer window is still open until February 1st at 6 p.m. The Bayern officials may also hire a winger. In any case, the club’s famous fixed-term deposit account still has room for a transfer: “There’s still something left in it!” said CEO Jan-Christian Dreesen, according to reports, while visiting a fan club in the Allgäu.