After six months away, Bayern Munich star Jamal Musiala is finally ready to make his return from a devastating injury suffered at this summer’s Club World Cup. A player of his caliber is always missed, but in his absence, the Bavarians have gone gangbusters, scoring goals by the boatloads and bulldozing nearly every team in their path.
In the previous few seasons, Musiala has been indispensable for club and country. Now the story is a little different.
A new wonderkid in town
Lennart Karl’s rise to stardom has been one of
the stories of the Bayern autumn. From preseason whispers that the 17-year-old might actually stick around the senior side to spectacular preseason goals…well, that has happened before. They do not usually translate into Champions League bangers, regular starts, and rapid recognition as one of the stars of the future. Karl has taken the footballing world by storm.
It calls to mind Musiala’s own breakout into the senior team, only it has happened even faster. Karl, a left-footer, plays from the right flank so he is not in one of Musiala’s usual positions. However, he brings some of the same traits as Musiala to the side — taking on defenders one-on-one, dribbling through tight spaces — as Bayern striker Harry Kane has noted. Karl is more inside 10 than Michael Olise, and with Kane himself up front you can imagine some of these spaces congested when all are in the same XI.
The re-Sergence continues?
Serge Gnabry’s renaissance — which has faltered from the opening months of the season — has been another storyline to watch. In Musiala’s absence, Gnabry, who had been a forgotten man on Bayern’s wings, shifted central to great effect.
As a 10, Gnabry offers a directness with productive scoring threat: less tricky feet, more running through on goal. He looks less convincing when tasked to spell Kane or Luis Díaz on the left, but complements both perfectly through the middle. The veteran already has five goals and nine assists in all competitions. It is a very different sort of look at the No. 10, and that difference is perhaps the key to his productivity.
That does come into conflict with Musiala’s preferred positions. At the 10, Musiala is more tight-space technician and he is the same on the left wing, where Díaz is going to be difficult to unseat. That is no indictment on Musiala’s skills — extraordinary dribbling in tight spaces and a knack for popping up in right places in the box — but rather the indomitable energy the Colombian brings on the flank, working hard on and off the ball like a traditional winger in addition to final third flair. Bayern’s spells without Díaz have been the worst of the fall.
Bayern has preached patience with Musiala’s return and it makes sense: the attack is positively singing even without him.
How Bayern could line up in the Rückrunde
So what happens when Musiala does get in his re-acclimation period and is once again fully match-fit and confident? Who will have to make way? The obvious answer is Gnabry:
Another possibility is that the return of Davies changes the dynamic on the left wing entirely, such that Díaz’s qualities as a winger are no longer critical. That might look like this, with Kimmich freed up to venture forward more as well:
Finally, the other answer could be that Musiala won’t be making the Champagne XI at all. His ghastly injury, a fractured fibula resulting from a dislocated ankle, was sustained only this July. To return not only physically but psychologically could take more than a half season of easing in. And the worst thing to do would be to rush his way back and suffer another one.
The plan is already reported for Musiala to be brought on very slowly at first so that by the end of the Champions League season, Vincent Kompany will be spoiled for choice in attack. Naturally, Musiala wants to be 100% ready by the Final, and also by next summer’s World Cup. If it needs to take longer, however…Bayern is already equipped to handle his absence. And that should give him his best chance for a safe and productive return.
If you are looking for more Bayern Munich and German national team coverage, check out the latest episodes of Bavarian Podcast Works, which you can get on Acast, Spotify, Apple, or any leading podcast distributor…
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