The next serious injury with the bitter loss of winger Kingsley Coman in the final spurt of the season has increased the debate about possible causes and reasons at FC Bayern Munich. “It’s extremely bitter, especially in the phase in which you’re playing for the title,” said coach Thomas Tuchel after the 2-0 win against 1. FC Köln with the current view of the Champions League and the quarter-final second leg on Wednesday (9 p.m. in the FAZ live ticker for the Champions League and on DAZN) against Arsenal FC.
After Serge Gnabry suffered another muscle injury in the 2-2 draw in London, Coman was the next offensive player to suffer a muscle bundle injury in his right thigh on Saturday. There have now been more than 20 muscle injuries at FC Bayern this season.
“Unfortunately, this continues throughout the entire season. We have an extremely high number of injuries, muscle injuries. This is anything but optional,” said sports director Christoph Freund, who also seemed perplexed: “We are discussing it internally as to why it could be. It’s not a good situation. The goal is of course that we get through the season with fewer injuries next season.”
Tuchel doesn’t see a clear pattern
Tuchel had already discussed the problem in detail before the Cologne game and complained: “It just doesn’t stop.” The 50-year-old reported that this was being discussed at all levels in the club. It could be due to training, the grass on the training pitch and in the arena, but it could also just be bad luck. As a coach, Tuchel doesn’t see a clear pattern. “I think it’s basically different injuries,” he said.
In Coman, however, another player has been hit “who has come back from an injury, is released to play and we are managing the minutes. And yet we cannot prevent such re-injuries from happening,” said Tuchel.
Christopher Meltzer, London Published/Updated: , Recommendations: 10 Marcus Erberich, Brighton Published/Updated: Recommendations: 1 Christopher Meltzer, London Published/Updated: Recommendations: 5
As he observed Coman’s unfortunate injury situation on the pitch, Thomas Müller immediately signaled to the bench that something worse must have happened. “You were in pain yourself,” said the attacker. “It’s not the first time in my time that we lost important players towards the quarter-finals and semi-finals of the Champions League, that was the case with Rib and Rob from time to time,” said the 34-year-old.
He was reminiscent of the past with injury-prone wingers like Franck Ribéry and Arjen Robben. “A lot of people are thinking in the background,” said national player Müller: “Every player also does a lot to ensure that they can be on the pitch every day.”
