Bayern Munich's lean player roster is starting to show signs of strain for the first time
FC Bayern Munich, one of Germany's top football clubs, is currently grappling with a defensive crisis. Honorary president Uli Hoeneß anticipates the arrival of three new additions to the team in November, including Alphonso Davies and Hiroki Ito, but the team is without additional top-level personnel for the left-back position due to injuries and departures.
Raphaël Guerreiro, a regular left-back for the team, has sustained an injury to his abdominal muscles and will be out for an undisclosed period. In his absence, Tom Bischof, a midfielder by trade, had to step in as a left-back. The sale of Adam Aznou, a promising young player for the backmarket left-back position, to FC Everton in the summer has further exacerbated the situation.
Aznou was repeatedly promised playing time but barely got a chance under coach Vincent Kompany. Frustrated with his lack of opportunities, Aznou ultimately decided to leave. Bayern's president has a saying: "You can't carry a young thug to the hunt." This phrase was used by Max Eberl, Bayern's sporting director, in relation to Aznou's departure.
Kompany did not consider Sacha Boey as an option for the left-back position in the match against Hamburg. Currently, Josip Stanisic is the only trained and fit player for the left-back position in Bayern's squad. However, Stanisic prefers other positions, leaving the teams short of options on the left side of their defense.
There is uncertainty about when Davies and Ito will return to full fitness. Davies' expected return will be at least half a year after his cruciate ligament injury in the spring. Ito is currently working on his comeback from two metatarsal fractures and will also need time to regain full fitness.
In a bid to address this issue, Bayern deliberately chose a thin squad to give young talents a chance, according to board boss Jan-Christian Dreesen. A promising young player who could become a future option as left-back at Bayern Munich is the 16-year-old defender Wisdom Mike. Mike surprised by being included in the DFB-Pokal squad, reflecting Bayern's increased focus on integrating talents from their youth academy and providing opportunities for young players like Lennart Karl and Jonah Kusi-Asare to break through.
Max Eberl bid Aznou farewell with somewhat critical words after his move to FC Everton, suggesting that the young player was not fully committed to the club. This departure, coupled with the injuries to key players, has left Bayern with a shortage of options on the left side of their defense, a situation that is proving problematic for the team.
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