Due to Serge Gnabry's injury, Bayern are missing an important regular player in the decisive phase of the season. Another star could now become the X-factor for Munich in the final spurt of the season.
No time? blue News summarizes for you
- Bayern star Serge Gnabry is out for the rest of the season with an adductor tear and will miss important matches in the DFB Cup and the Champions League.
- The most likely replacement is Jamal Musiala, who is returning to form after an injury break but is not yet fully fit.
- Musiala's style of play brings new impetus, but also harbors risks, which is why his form could become a decisive factor in the title fight.
Serge Gnabry played his way into Bayern's starting line-up over the course of the season. The headlines mostly belonged to others, such as star striker Harry Kane, Michael Olise or new signing Luis Diaz. But the German international also impressed with ten goals and eleven assists.
But now the bad news: in the midst of the championship celebrations last weekend, the German record champions announced that the attacking player was out for the season. In the final training session before the game against VfB Stuttgart, Gnabry suffered a torn adductor muscle in his right thigh.
Will another player now become Bayern's X-factor?
Of all things, Gnabry will now miss the hot phase of the season with the DFB Cup semi-final against Bayer Leverkusen and the Champions League semi-final against Paris. So how will Bayern coach Vincent Kompany replace Gnabry?
The answer is obvious: Jamal Musiala. The exceptional German talent is getting in better and better shape after breaking his fibula last summer and should now be more in demand than ever. Only his fitness could still play a role. In his 16 appearances so far this season, he has only been on the pitch for the full 90 minutes once.
Nevertheless, Musiala has been improving his form since the international break. In the Bundesliga, he showed this most recently in the games against St. Pauli and VfB Stuttgart with a total of three direct goals. Musiala changes the game of the new and old German champions. While Gnabry shines above all with his pace and runs into the deep, the 23-year-old often gets into the game through one-on-one situations. Musiala loves dribbling like no other player in the Munich squad.
Musiala in this form is therefore a perfect fit for Bayern. Nevertheless, his dribbling poses a danger: losing the ball. These could be mercilessly exploited by opponents such as PSG or Bayer Leverkusen in the transition game. The questions that therefore remain unanswered: How fit is Musiala and can he currently maintain his top level? Only a Musiala in top form could really become an X-factor for Bayern in the battle for the treble.
