After a furious start and a first half of the season that catapulted him into the limelight, Lennart Karl is experiencing the downside of professional soccer for the first time at FC Bayern – and at the worst possible time
The 17-year-old was one of the big surprises of the first half of the Bundesliga season. Under Vincent Kompany, the attacking midfielder developed from a campus talent into a permanent fixture in the Bayern squad. With his carefree attitude, pace and technical quality, Karl was a perfect fit for the Munich side’s attacking approach, which produced a historic first half of the season. But since the turn of the year, the youngster’s engine has stalled – both athletically and mentally
It all began like a fairytale. Karl showed his potential as early as his competitive debut for FC Bayern, a 10-0 win at the Club World Cup. He scored against Tottenham and Grasshoppers in preparation, Kompany put his trust in him early on, and by the time he made his first Bundesliga appearance against Hoffenheim, it was clear that he was no ordinary talent. Karl justified his trust with an assist, followed shortly afterwards by his first competitive goal in the Champions League. Max Eberl raved about his „snotty cheek“, which he transferred directly from the training ground to the pitch
Karl has played a total of 27 competitive matches so far, scoring seven goals and setting up two more. Figures that are extraordinary for a 17-year-old – and which have made him an important factor in the almost perfect first half of the season. But it is precisely this rapid rise that is now bringing new challenges
Unrest off the pitch continues
The first break did not come on the pitch, but off it. Karl’s statements about his „dream club“ Real Madrid caused a considerable stir at the beginning of the year. What was probably meant as a youthful, thoughtless sentence developed into a tangible controversy on social networks. Criticism, malice and even demands to leave the club poured down on the teenager, who then closed his comment columns and apologized shortly afterwards
Director of Sport Max Eberl tried to calm things down and put the situation into perspective. Nevertheless, the impression remains that this episode has left its mark. In recent games, Karl has looked inhibited, lost balls, made unfortunate decisions and hardly radiated any goal threat. Against Leipzig, Saint-Gilloise and Augsburg, he remained far below his first-round level – a first real dip in form in his young career
Musiala’s return intensifies the competition
To make matters worse, Jamal Musiala has returned. The 22-year-old, who had impressively deputised for Karl during his month-long injury lay-off, is increasingly making a comeback. Musiala already made his mark on his comeback against Leipzig and collected more minutes against Augsburg. With every game, the likelihood that Musiala will be back in the attacking midfield grows – especially in the Champions League
For Karl, this means that the competition is becoming noticeably fiercer. He is in danger of being relegated to the second tier in the ten-man position, while Michael Olise is currently hard to displace on the wing. Suddenly, minutes are no longer a matter of course, but have to be fought for
For FC Bayern, this development is no cause for concern, but part of a normal maturing process. For Lennart Karl, on the other hand, it is the first real test of his career. The decisive factor will be how he deals with this setback. The fabulous start has raised expectations – now it is a matter of showing that he can also deal with pressure, criticism and competition. This is precisely the next, perhaps most important step in his development.