Luis Diaz is likely to miss four to six weeks for Bayern Munich after suffering a torn muscle bundle in the 2-2 draw against Arsenal, an injury that very often results from physical overload. The warning signs had appeared earlier, and the timing could hardly be worse for the club.
Kompany’s own warning
Vincent Kompany recently learned the hard way that the body takes what it needs. Bayern’s coach caught a “pretty nasty virus” last week and, as he put it, “of course didn’t listen to my body, and eventually my body said: ‘Now stop it, lad!'” Too weak to do much else, Kompany coached the 6-1 win over RB Leipzig largely from a seated position. He then spent the days before the Arsenal game at home.
On Friday afternoon, Kompany reportedly collapsed after training at Bayern’s training ground on Säbener Straße, and reports said a helicopter was deployed. Bayern have not yet commented, and it remains unclear whether the incident is connected to his previous illness.
Diaz’s body sent a signal
Diaz’s body had apparently sent him a warning during the win over Leipzig. The forward was the outstanding player on the pitch, scoring three goals, providing one direct assist and contributing to the build-up of another. Despite muscular problems, he stayed on after Bayern had used all their substitutions, even though he had been due to come off.
“We were a little afraid that something had happened. We were actually lucky that he trained on Tuesday, though not at 100 per cent,” Kompany explained on Wednesday before the Arsenal match.
Diaz nevertheless came on in the 68th minute with Bayern leading 2-1. David Raya saved an early chance, but Diaz touched the ball only once more before sinking to the turf in the 90th minute after a sprint, his face contorted in pain.
Against Leipzig, Bayern had no substitutions left when Diaz needed to come off. Against Arsenal, they brought him on despite his incomplete return to training, and he suffered a fairly serious injury.
A congested schedule
Until the international break begins on 9 November, every week brings a midweek fixture. These include the important Bundesliga matches against SC Freiburg and Borussia Dortmund, the DFB Cup tie against Magdeburg and the Champions League game against Atletico Madrid. Without Diaz, Bayern face four to six weeks without the only player in their squad who has no direct backup.
Why no backup was signed
Bayern’s squad planners did seriously consider signing an alternative to the Colombian, who is essentially never injured, during the summer. They identified Antony Gordon, a versatile left winger, as their top target, but the Englishman eventually moved from Newcastle United to Barcelona for a fee of €80 million. “Too expensive in the end,” said sporting director Max Eberl, explaining why Bayern pulled out of the race.
Instead, Bayern signed Ismael Saibari, whose strengths lie primarily in central attacking positions but who is also versatile. The club ultimately earmarked the role of Diaz’s backup for 20-year-old left winger Arijon Ibrahimovic. After a successful loan spell at Heidenheim, Ibrahimovic looked set for a squad rotation role, but Bayern then loaned him to FC Augsburg at short notice.
The late change surprised Ibrahimovic, his agent Roman Rummenigge and Diaz himself. “Of course I always want to play. But if there’s someone there who can help in my position, they’re very welcome. It helps a lot when things aren’t going well. Then your team-mate is there to help you, and you take turns. That’s very important. I would have liked it. But, well, it didn’t happen. We’re good as we are, too,” Diaz said in a September interview with Sky/RTL. A few days later, his national-team coach and Bayern granted him a special two-week break to recover from the exertions of the previous season, including the World Cup.
After the World Cup, Diaz endured a brief dip in form and goalscoring, one he had only just played his way out of. Now he has his first injury since a serious knee problem at Liverpool in the 2022/2023 season kept him out for almost half a year.
Davies steps into the breach
Diaz’s absence leaves Bayern short in an attacking department already hit by injuries. Jamal Musiala is still working his way back in training after a torn muscle fibre, while Serge Gnabry impressed against Arsenal but is not yet at 100 per cent after a persistent adductor injury. Lennart Karl is still searching for form after a torn muscle bundle in June that, like Gnabry’s problem, caused him to miss the World Cup.
Karl started on the bench against Arsenal, despite Musiala’s absence, Michael Olise’s suspension and the decision not to start Diaz. Gnabry played on the right wing, while left-back Alphonso Davies deputised for Diaz. Both impressed. Kompany revealed that Bayern had already considered Davies as an attacking option during the summer, even though they had converted him to left-back after his move from MLS to Munich. “We have good depth in defence and know that we can always use Phonzy on the wings too,” Kompany said.
If Diaz was Plan A and a summer signing Plan B, Davies now appears to be Plan C. That is working for now, although the Canadian has repeatedly struggled with injuries in the recent past and still has something to prove in terms of reliability.
Options in the short and long term
Saibari has also played on the left wing twice this season after coming on as a substitute, while Gnabry can play almost anywhere. For now, Bayern should be able to cope with a month without Diaz. However, little else can go wrong. Otherwise, they may have to promote someone permanently from the amateurs, such as Tim Binder (19), who became the hero of the city derby in the second team’s recent 4-2 win over 1860 Munich. He made the first-team squad for the first time against the Gunners.
Next summer, Bayern reportedly want to address the imbalance on the left side of their attack. According to Sky, they are considering Antonio Nusa of RB Leipzig.