In the debate surrounding Lennart Karl, Holger Seitz is standing up for the FC Bayern prospect. The former youth coach shares his personal experiences.
Lennart Karl is receiving further support in the debate over his conduct. Holger Seitz, a former coach of Bayern’s youth team, has now publicly come out in support of the 18-year-old. He knows Karl from their time together in Munich and paints a very positive picture of the offensive player.
“I got to know Lennart as a very bright and absolutely decent young soccer player. There were no stressful situations whatsoever at that time,” Seitz explained in an interview with NiederbayernTV.
In doing so, he offers a personal assessment of a player whose behavior has been the subject of intense debate in recent weeks. Bayern’s honorary president, Uli Hoeneß, had criticized Karl’s public image, called for more humility, and announced a serious conversation.
Seitz criticizes the intense scrutiny of Karl
For Seitz, what’s particularly striking is just how closely every move the young pro makes is now being scrutinized: “The fact that a young person who’s now in the spotlight as much as Lennart is—being watched so closely, with everything turned on its head and every goal celebration analyzed—is, in a way, a pretty extreme situation.”
After Karl’s opening goal in the 2-0 win over Atlético Madrid, his celebration sparked new speculation. The youngster made a gesture with his hands as if he were speaking. Whether the gesture was actually intended as a response to Hoeneß has not been confirmed.
Seitz urges people to also take Karl’s age and his development into account when evaluating him. “He’s still gaining experience. But what I can assure you is that Lennart is perfectly fine and is a normal, level-headed teenager. And on top of that, he can play soccer sensationally,” emphasized the coach of SpVgg Unterhaching.
On the field, Karl has recently made a strong case for himself. Following his crucial goal in Madrid, he scored the second goal in the 2-1 victory in Mainz, making it 2-0 at one point. In both matches, he started in the attacking midfield behind Harry Kane and took advantage of the opportunity created by the team’s injuries.
He has also received support from within the club. Sporting director Christoph Freund recently emphasized that Bayern values Karl’s unique character and wants to have a variety of player types on their team.
After the victory in Mainz, Max Eberl, Joshua Kimmich, and Kane also praised his performances. Seitz now adds his personal experiences to this professional recognition: He got to know Karl as a well-mannered young man who is still learning how to handle the intense attention.