Julian Nagelsmann only briefly mentioned the possibly most unhappy footballer these days in the Corona emergency at Bayern after the 1: 2 against Borussia Mönchengladbach. He had to make a team decision, said the coach. He was unable to nominate one player among the last remaining footballers from the German record champions who had neither tested positive nor had they traveled to the Africa Cup or were injured. “It was annoying for Angelo Brückner because he actually trained well. But the position wasn’t so appropriate to take him with us,” said Nagelsmann.
Brückner, 18, who has so far played 23 games, mostly as a left-back, for Bavaria’s second team in the Regionalliga, has not made it into a line-up that will probably never be there again. The chance of a nomination for young Munich players has never been as great as last Friday. According to Nagelsmann, in addition to nine positive corona tests with the professionals, there were even “two or three” more with reservists that could have been considered. None of the players on the bench had Bundesliga experience.
Afterwards, one of the many teenagers was highlighted. Paul Wanner, 16, joined Lucas Copodo, who turns 18 this Monday, for the final quarter of an hour. Wanner was only 16 years and 15 days old, he is now the youngest Bundesliga player in club history and, after Dortmund’s Youssoufa Moukoko (16 years, one day), the second youngest in Bundesliga history. He’s also arguably one of the most euphoric 16-year-olds in the country. Nagelsmann called him an “incredible talent” and an “outstanding player” who just had to stay clear in his head, “then the door and gate are open to him”.
Many established people had to help out in unfamiliar positions
Wanner bravely showed his skills in dribbling and passing, which the responsible observers for his age group have long since noticed. Wanner, born in Amtzell in the Allgäu and with Bayern since 2018, traveled to Spain last week for a training camp for the German U16 and U17 national teams. At short notice he came back together with the 16-year-old Arijon Ibrahimovic to take part in the final training of the professionals on Thursday. One day later, he recommended that he be back at 1. FC Köln the next weekend.
Marcel Sabitzer (left) made an extremely unfortunate figure against Gladbach as a left-back.
(Photo: Andreas Gebert / Reuters)
The defeat against Gladbach, the third of the season for Munich, was quickly classified, of course under different circumstances than the previous two against Frankfurt and Augsburg. “We still had a good team,” said Nagelsmann. In fact, U21 international Malik Tillman was the only starting XI debutant. But many established people had to help out in unfamiliar positions, Joshua Kimmich in his first game after two corona quarantines and a corona infection as a right-back, Marcel Sabitzer as a left-back, Jamal Musiala in the central defensive midfield. Niklas Süle and Benjamin Pavard gave a not well-rehearsed central defender duo.
In addition, there were “thoughts of the cup”, as Nagelsmann called it: After the surprising and weakly defended equalizing goal by Florian Neuhaus in the 27th minute, Gladbach suddenly looked like the feared opponent again, who won Munich 5-0 from the DFB in October – Cup catapulted. Four minutes later it was 1: 2 because Bayern did not interfere with Stefan Lainer’s head after a corner.
After Nagelsmann criticized the defenders’ behavior when conceding both goals, the press conference on Friday soon turned to the squad for the game in Cologne. He does not expect “an extremely large number of returnees who are eligible for the first team”. But at least three of the players who tested positive were back in training at the weekend: Kingsley Coman, Omar Richards and Corentin Tolisso. Manuel Neuer, who like many of his colleagues was infected while on vacation, is expected in Munich on Monday after his return flight from the Maldives.
Leon Goretzka may even face an operation
Leon Goretzka is one of those who are definitely not available in Cologne. Nagelsmann’s expression darkened when asked about the national player’s state of health. Because of persistent knee problems that have plagued the midfielder for weeks, he may even face an operation. On Friday he was examined by the knee specialist Christian Fink in Innsbruck.
“We are lucky that we still have the lead in the table,” said Thomas Müller, six points ahead of Borussia Dortmund. “We have to see that we can integrate players from the professional squad again every day. And then the three-point will be mandatory next week in Cologne,” he said. But it will still depend on a few reservists. Tolisso and Coman were already missing at the end of the first half of the season with injuries, both of which were “a bit muscular,” warned Nagelsmann.
For Antonio Brückner, the 18-year-old left-back who was not nominated against Gladbach, there could be another disappointment. Marcel Sabitzer made an extremely unfortunate figure as a substitute left-back and by no means encouraged a repetition of this experiment. But Richards, the third returnees, is also an alternative for the position.