Sports Weekly all-media reporter Huang Sijun
On Friday night, Bundesliga half-time champions Bayern Munich will face "nemesis" Borussia Mönchengladbach at home to kick off the second half of the Bundesliga. But with only 3 days to go until this "revenge war", Bayern is overwhelmed by the new crown virus. For 3 consecutive days, Bayern have reported bad news that players have tested positive for the virus, first Neuer, Comand, Tolisso and Omar Richards, then Lucas Hernandez and Nyanzu Kwasi, and today Sane and Yu Pamecano have been confirmed, a total of 8 players are in home isolation, and there is a high probability of collective absence from the game with Borussia Moncheng. Coupled with some other personnel situations, people have begun to worry about whether the game will go according to plan...
On January 3, Kimmich finally resumed training with the team, but Bayern's training team was weak.
The COVID-19 haze continues
In fact, Bayern have been under the covid-19 haze since two months ago. During the international break last November, Jules, who reported to the German national team, was confirmed, and Kimmich, Gnabry and Musiara, who were close to him, were quarantined. Soon after, the youngster Stanišić also positivized after returning from the Croatian national team. At the end of the week-long home isolation, Kimmich, who refused to be vaccinated, was quarantined again because of close contact with another COVID-19 positive person, and also became positive during the second quarantine, and Shubo-Moting was also recruited at the same time.
When Jules managed to make a comeback in late November, Stanišić said goodbye early to the first half of his training shortly after turning negative, while Kimich and Shubo-Motin suffered minor sequelae after turning negative and were also forced to enter the winter break early. Coupled with Zabitse, Goretzka, Tolisso and others also joined in the injury, Bayern in the last week of the first half of the game to play 3 consecutive league games in the case of basically unable to take the initiative to rotate, even Roca has been given two consecutive start opportunities, and The recently sold to serie A promotion Marc Venezia, Khusans, in the 5-0 away win over Stuttgart, won the only Bundesliga (substitute) appearance so far in the Season.
Neuer, who is quarantined in the Maldives, reported to the fans that he was safe.
I thought that the arrival of the winter break could effectively alleviate bayern's tense personnel situation, but I did not expect it to be worse. Bayern had planned to resume training last Sunday, but was temporarily postponed by a day due to four players including Neuer and assistant coach Dino Top Müller. On Monday, when Kimmich finally showed up on the training ground after 47 days, a large group of his comrades were missing. Because the rapid viral tests that morning found a new situation – Lucas and Nyanzu also positivized, while Sane, Hupa and Stanišić also had questions. Today, Sane and Yupa have been diagnosed, and the only good news is that Stanišić has not been hit for the second time.
The 8 COVID-19-positive players are basically infected with the virus when they go abroad on vacation, such as Neuer and Lucas are still in the Maldives, Koman and assistant coach Topmüller are in Dubai, Tolisso is in France, and Yupa is in Senegal. According to Bild, Neuer will not be like Thomas Muller, who was recruited at the Club World Cup in Qatar earlier last year, or Nagelsman, who was diagnosed in Lisbon in October, who rented a medical ambulance by the club to return to Munich for home isolation, but will stay in a hotel in the Maldives to isolate and not return home until after the clouds turn. The Bayern captain currently has only mild symptoms and the situation has not deteriorated. Either way, Ulreich, who returned from Hamburg last summer, will make his Bundesliga debut on Friday night.
Will the game still go on as usual?
Not only are there 8 players who are positive for COVID-19, Bayern have also lost Shupo-Motin (Cameroon) and Buna Sal (Guinea), who are going to participate in the Africa Cup of Nations, plus Khusans has left the team, goretzka (patella tendon) and Stanišić have not yet resumed training with the team. As it stands, the only people who can play friday night are 11 outfielders, including Jules, Pavard, Alfonso Davis, Kimmich, Zabitzer, Roca, Musiara, Gnabry, Lewandowski, Muller, Malik Tillman, and 2 substitute goalkeepers Urreich and Fluchter – the defence is clearly inadequate! Even with goretzka and Stanišić, Nagelsman would have to draw a few echelon players on Friday night to fill the gap in the bench.
In addition to the eight players and assistant coach Toppmuller, the female manager who ended half a year's maternity leave, Carterle Kruger, just returned to work on Monday to test positive. Bild revealed that there are still 3 physiotherapists on the list of confirmed COVID-19 cases. Will the match be rescheduled due to Bayern's lack of major generals? According to the regulations of the German Professional Football League, a team must have more than 15 professional or amateur players who can participate, 9 of whom must be players with professional contracts, including 1 goalkeeper. As things stand, Bayern have no good reason to apply for a postponement. At the beginning of December last year, Bayern's neighbour, bundesliga deputy squad leader Ingolstadt, had a positive situation of 15 players, coaches and team staff, and had to draw a number of echelon players to cope with the away match against Rostock, resulting in a surprising 1-1 draw.
Sane, Yupamecano and Nyanzu Quasi are all COVID-19 positives, and Saar is going to participate in the Africa Cup of Nations, and they will all miss out on Borussia Moncheng.
Bayern fans may not be so worried if the opponent is another team, but it is quite tricky to bump into Munjo as soon as it comes up. As we all know, Borussia Möncheng can "eat and sleep and play Bayern". In the first half, Hüttle's team performed badly, only 14th in the Bundesliga table, only 3 points higher than the penultimate Bielefeld, but in the second round of the German Cup, he beat Bayern 5-0 at home, leaving an indelible stain on Nagelsmann's successful first half of coaching. In the league opener, Borussia Moncheng also struggled with Bayern, ending 1-1.
Of course, the personnel situation of Borussia Moncheng is actually not optimistic, they also have Zakaria, Scully, Bennets and Dukure, four players positive for the new crown, of which Zakaria and Scully are the absolute main players. Germany international Jonas Hoffmann, who reversed Bayern 3-2 at home a year ago with 2 shots and 1 pass, previously underwent minor knee surgery and is only resuming running training so far, with Friday night's race bound to be absent.