FC Bayern go into the final game of the Bundesliga first half of the season with a number of key players missing for the away game against 1 FC Cologne. After the furious 8-1 win over VfL Wolfsburg, it is clear that the team’s sporting dominance is currently masking a tense personnel situation
Kompany already had to make last-minute changes against Wolfsburg, with Minjae Kim missing with a thigh problem and Alphonso Davies and Sacha Boey unavailable due to illness. However, the injury to Josip Stanisic is particularly serious. The defensive player suffered a capsular ligament injury in his right ankle and will miss several weeks. According to Kompany, he is not expected to return until early to mid-February at the earliest
But that’s not all: Joshua Kimmich and Jamal Musiala are also still in recovery training and are not an option for the game in Cologne. There is also a big question mark over Serge Gnabry after the attacking player had to miss the last game due to illness. In total, FC Bayern are once again facing up to six absentees
Bottlenecks in offense and defense
Particularly in attack, the starting eleven is almost self-assembling at the moment. In addition to the possible Gnabry break, Nicolas Jackson is still missing as he is still at the Africa Cup. Raphael Guerreiro already had to help out again in attacking midfield against Wolfsburg – a symbol of the improvised personnel situation
The air is also getting thinner defensively, with three full-backs – Stanisic, Davies and Boey – out and Kim, an important backup in the center of defence, missing. This does not leave Kompany much room for further absences, especially as the fixture list leaves little time to breathe
With six games coming up in the next two weeks, the personnel situation remains tense for FC Bayern – and presents the coaching staff with the task of managing the workload and risks as wisely as possible so as not to open the hot phase of the season with new injuries in January.