FC Bayern has to do without important players in the hot season phase. This is a heavy damper for the Munich title dreams.
This message may have triggered a shock wave at Bayern on Tuesday: Alphonso Davies and Dayot Upamecano are canceled for weeks. Davies with a cruciate ligament tear even beyond the end of the season. At Upamecano it is still unclear how long the Frenchman actually fails. One thing is clear: there are bad news at a wrong time – in the crucial phase of the season.
Sports board member Max Eberl in an official message: “The failures of Alphonso Davies and Dayot Upamecano weigh hard for FC Bayern. Phonzy will get all the support he needs on the way back. Upa will also accompany UPA closely in the coming weeks and assume that he will soon be available to us again.”
And further: “Our squad is strong and will catch these failures. We will now move closer together. The quality is there to continue to pursue our great goals.”
Also a problem: the still inexperienced Jonas Urbig, who seems to be fit and ready again after his foot bruise to stand in the goal at the weekend, will have to adjust to a completely new front team.
Upamecano will probably be replaced by Eric dier, on the left Hiroki ITō or Raphaël Guerreiro for Davies should move into the team. If Kim fails, Josip Stanišić will take his place, which could also defend on the right, should put Kompany Konrad Laimer on the bench.
Either way: it becomes critical for Bayern. After the game against St. Pauli, the Munich team had to go to the Augsburgers, who were good for some surprises this season. After that it gets steep: the Champions League duelle against Inter Milan and in between the league cracker against Borussia Dortmund are waiting. Simple is different – and these games decide well and woe to a whole season.
In the league, the lead over Bayer Leverkusen through the mistakes against Bochum (2: 3) and Union Berlin (1: 1) melted to just six points. And the big dream of “Finale Dahoam” in the Champions League threatens to burst early. Leverkusen’s midfielder Robert Andrich had already said before the international break: “We said yes that we just want to get on their nerves until the end. We want to go on your bag to the end.” Bayern should take that seriously.
The hot seasonal phase starts at the weekend, until then Bayern must have shaken the injury shock around Davies and Upamecano. Otherwise there may be a very bad awakening at the end of the season.