Circumstances towards the beginning stages of this season have been working in his favor, but the quick rise of Bayern Munich’s Lennart Karl has been something all of the footballing world has taken notice to. With Jamal Musiala’s long-term injury absence from the serious injuries he sustained at last summer’s FIFA Club World Cup, there was a big void that temporarily needed to be filled, and Karl made the most of the chances that were given to him by Vincent Kompany.
Naturally, Karl did experience
a bit of a dip in form in recent weeks, but that can hardly take away at all from how productive he’s been in such unexpected circumstances this season – no one could have envisioned how quickly he would establish himself as a producer for Bayern. So far this season, the 18-year-old has tallied seven goals and five assists from a total of thirty-one appearances across all competitions, with his two most recent goal contributions coming in the form of an assist in the 4-1 win over Borussia Mönchengladbach and an assist in the 3-0 win at Werder Bremen. Those two assists came after a stretch of matches where he didn’t record a goal or assist, prompting pundits to describe that period as a bit of a dip in form.
Much like Karl, Aleksandar Pavlović is another player in the Bayern squad that’s had a meteoric rise to prominence in the senior squad, though his has come over the course of the bast two and half seasons, spanning from Thomas Tuchel’s tenure as manager to now. As a fellow youngster in the squad, he’s been amazed with how quickly Karl has been on the rise and established himself as a player that Kompany can trust in rely on, even in the big matches.
“I think the speed with which Lennart turned professional here and then became a starter in so many games is something no one has ever achieved so early. That’s why it’s so remarkable, especially at his age. What I always tell him is that he shouldn’t rest and should keep working hard every day. He should play the game and just give it his all. Of course, there are also tougher periods, for example, when you’re not playing as often. But that’s just part of the game, and everyone goes through that at some point,” Pavlović explained in a recent interview with Sky Germany (via @iMiaSanMia).
Musiala is getting closer and closer to 100% match fitness and completed a 90-minute shift for the first time since his injury return in the win over Mönchengladbach, which could mean lesser chances of future starts Karl. Musiala’s fitness getting better combined with the consistent form of both Michael Olise and Luis Díaz, it will be harder for Karl to get starts, but there is certainly wiggle room in the Bundesliga with the considerable gap over Borussia Dortmund Bayern currently has.
