FC Bayern Munich and the German national team want to celebrate great successes this year. But the players who are supposed to contribute are in poor form.
One could only feel sorry for Jamal Musiala. When the German national team failed in the group phase of the 2022 Winter World Cup in Qatar, he was the outstanding player in the DFB team, but also the tragic figure. He was the linchpin of the offensive, had the most shots, but repeatedly failed because of the opposing goalkeepers or the goalpost several times. “I will process this experience in the coming weeks and use it to learn from it,” he announced afterwards.
Musiala was already considered one of the world‘s greatest talents before the tournament, and even more so afterwards. But since then his rapid rise has stalled. In the 13 months after the painful Qatar experience, the 20-year-old only managed 19 goals at FC Bayern Munich – in the shortened first half of the season before the World Cup there were 22 in significantly less than half of the competitive games. But with this personal creative crisis Musiala is far from alone at FC Bayern. And that should also cause great concern for the DFB.
Bavaria’s creatives are more harmless than ever before
The 1-0 defeat at Lazio Rome in the Champions League showed once again that Munich’s form is currently far from normal. In the Bundesliga, the record champions had no chance against Bayer Leverkusen (0:3) and probably had the lowest expected goals value (0.27) since these statistics were recorded. In Rome, Bayern didn’t even shoot on goal once. The clear conclusion: Thomas Tuchel’s team currently has no creative headquarters.
And this also applies to the German national team. Because in Rome there were five players in the starting line-up: Joshua Kimmich, Leon Goretzka, Leroy Sané, Musiala and Thomas Müller, who will also be crucial for the performance at the home European Championship. But as things stand, national coach Julian Nagelsmann would have to be more of a support for these players before they could support the DFB team.
Musiala has “a very important role” in the DFB team
Musiala in particular is the great EURO hope for the former Bayern coach, whose contract with the national team only runs until the end of the European Championship. “He knows that he has a very important role. The hopes that Germany has in him should not crush him, but rather make him proud,” Nagelsmann said in September. Musiala had blossomed under the 36-year-old at the club a year earlier, driving defenders to despair with his dribbling. That has changed in Munich under Tuchel.
“Our game is so cerebral,” said Müller after the defeat in Leverkusen. And Musiala is the best example of this. He and his Bayern colleagues lack lightness – also to Nagelsmann’s chagrin. Because he knows: the DFB team can only be successful if the FC Bayern national players show top performance.
Kimmich and Goretzka in the Tuchel low
There is no denying that the head currently also plays a role for Kimmich. The best example: he was injured before the top Bundesliga game in Leverkusen, but managed to get fit again in time – and then sat on the bench. “I’ve done everything in the last two weeks to get back quickly and healthy and of course to play from the start today. At the end of the day, the coach makes decisions that we players have to accept,” said the disappointed Kimmich.
Like the 29-year-old, who has been repeatedly criticized this season, Leon Goretzka also often has problems at FC Bayern under Tuchel. At the beginning of the year, the midfielder, who Nagelsmann once described as “one of the best box-to-box players”, also had to make do with a joker role. Now Goretzka is a regular player again, but apparently without rhythm and self-confidence – and like Kimmich, not in shape either.
Sané puzzle and Müller more radio than top performer
This also applies to Sané, although the explanation for this is much more difficult in his place. In the first half of the season, the right winger excelled; he scored eight goals in the league and prepared just as many. In the new year there are only three assists in six games – and a disappointing performance in Rome. How much the current phase is gnawing at him became clear after the third goal conceded in Leverkusen, when Sané knocked over a goal camera with full force.
Musiala without ease, Kimmich and Goretzka without rhythm, Sané in a performance hole – and Müller? The veteran is currently making progress primarily verbally and said after the Rome defeat: “The second half was characterized by uncertainty. It was almost slapstick how we saved ourselves from one mistake to the next.” But: Müller is currently not producing the kind of performance that can support a team. Neither FC Bayern nor the DFB team.