At FC Bayern, things are going largely according to plan at the start of the new season. Vincent Kompany’s team has recently made a spectacular start to the new Champions League season. While players like Michael Olise are in outstanding form and Jamal Musiala has also made an impressive comeback, Luis Díaz is increasingly proving to be a cause for concern for the Munich club. The main problem here is that Bayern shares some of the blame for the Colombian’s current struggles.
Díaz is not currently in top form. Even though the season is still young, this is relatively clear from the numbers. In the first two Bundesliga games alone, the 29-year-old failed to capitalize on five big chances. With an expected goals (xG) value of 2.49, he scored only one goal.
This trend continued in the 5-0 win over Bodø/Glimt. Early in the match, Díaz had a chance to put Bayern ahead with a header, but Nikita Haikin denied him from close range. An early goal would have helped not only Bayern but likely the Colombian himself as well.
Meanwhile, criticism of Díaz is mounting. On social media, the winger has already been labeled a “chance killer” early in the season. However, that’s an oversimplification. Díaz is by no means solely responsible for his current situation.
Bayern’s roster planning is now coming back to haunt them
Even though Díaz isn’t currently able to match his performances from last season, he doesn’t lack effort. With his speed, dribbling, and runs into space, he continues to create danger on a regular basis. Many of his missed opportunities arise in the first place because he consistently puts himself in the right positions.
The bigger problem lies with the squad. Kompany has no real alternative to Díaz on the left wing. After signing Ismael Saibari, the club’s management decided against bringing in a traditional backup for the Colombian.
Arijon Ibrahimovic could have taken on that role. The youngster had a solid preseason and had every reason to hope for playing time. Shortly before the end of the transfer window, however, Bayern decided to send him on loan to FC Augsburg.
At the same time, Serge Gnabry, Lennart Karl, and Jamal Musiala entered the new season nursing injuries, sidelined, or ill. As a result, Kompany was missing several players who could have provided relief, at least at times.
While even Harry Kane and Olise were given breaks, Díaz was almost always in the starting lineup and usually stayed on the field for long stretches. Even in the decisive victory against Bodø/Glimt, he didn’t come off the field until the final minutes.
So Díaz isn’t just playing right now because Kompany trusts him. He’s also playing so much because Munich has hardly any alternatives at his position.
Kompany must prevent the downward spiral
The heavy workload is nothing unusual for Díaz. He was already a workhorse during his time at Liverpool FC and on the Colombian national team. Nevertheless, the question arises as to whether his constant playing time is now affecting his performance.
Sometimes he lacks that final touch when finishing; other times, his first touch isn’t clean, or his decision at the decisive moment isn’t optimal. Whether this is actually related to the workload cannot be conclusively assessed from the outside.
In any case, Kompany has his star forward’s back: “He creates a lot of chances because he’s always active. How can you blame someone for that when he keeps putting himself in that position? It’s more important to me that he scores a goal at the right moments than five in one game—and then nothing for five months.”
Nevertheless, Kompany will have to develop a sense of when Díaz needs a break. This isn’t just about managing physical strain. With every game that ends without a goal, the public pressure also rises. A streak of missed chances can quickly turn into a downward spiral in which a player becomes increasingly hesitant in front of the goal.
At least the roster situation is slowly improving. Musiala and Karl are back, and Gnabry should also soon offer Kompany additional options. This could finally allow Díaz to get a breather more often.
The Colombian has long since proven that he can decide games for FC Bayern. The Munich team must now ensure that he regains that form. And that may also mean that Díaz no longer has to be the one to carry the team in every game.