The 2026 World Cup is currently taking place in North America. Numerous Bayern players are also participating. Some of them didn’t go into the tournament in top form, including Jamal Musiala.
The attacking star had some good moments with FC Bayern recently, but he hasn’t been able to bring that consistency to the field. You could always see his determination, but he lacked that final touch in the attacking third. After two games at the World Cup, it’s clear that this hasn’t changed.
He’s definitely motivated and tries a lot, but especially against Ivory Coast, he often got stuck on the last defender. His goal against Curaçao was important, but the spark hasn’t quite ignited yet.
This raises the question: Will Musiala remain in the starting lineup? Especially since national team coach Julian Nagelsmann emphasized before the tournament that Musiala needs to find his top form primarily through playing time, one could assume so.
Nagelsmann’s comment on Musiala catches the ear
However, Deniz Undav has recently shown what he’s capable of. The DFB forward scored twice after coming off the bench against the Ivorians and had already recorded three points as a substitute in the first game.
He’s simply more efficient than Musiala right now. The national team coach sees different approaches with Undav. “You could say, why should I break your rhythm now? He’s come on twice, scored twice, and last time he also set up goals—now he’s scored two. So you could say, keep your rhythm. Much better: fulfill your role and then be the finisher. And getting your name on the scoreboard even more in the World Cup—it doesn’t get any better than that,” said Nagelsmann.
That would seem to argue for maintaining the rhythm mentioned. But a statement from Nagelsmann could still be a hint: “You could also say, ‘Sure, great performance—I’ll let him start.’ And of course, he can also play at the 10.”
In other words, exactly the position Musiala usually plays. But if you think one step further, a position change could make perfect sense. Ecuador is a very physical team that relies heavily on one-on-one battles. And after the 0-0 draw against Curaçao, everything is on the line for the South Americans.
It might be a wise choice not to send players who’ve been out with injuries for a while or who aren’t quite in rhythm yet onto the field here, or to use them sparingly. So even if Musiala doesn’t play, that doesn’t necessarily mean anything.