After six months, Jamal Musiala returns to FC Bayern’s squad. On the perhaps even more difficult task of watching from the sidelines.
As usual, and of course just to be on the safe side, Vincent Kompany is keeping a back door open. You never know, but most of the time he knows pretty well. So when the FC Bayern coach says his usual “unless something happens in training today” line, there’s a pretty good chance that nothing will happen in training.
So if nothing unusual happened in training on Friday—and it didn’t look like it would—Jamal Musiala should appear on FC Bayern’s match report for the first time in six months on Saturday evening. The dribbling artist returns to the Munich squad just in time for the top match in Leipzig, but will of course only be considered as a substitute.
The 22-year-old, who has been plagued by injury, has fought his way back over weeks, starting with running sessions and initial ball work, and gradually working his way back into team training. The fibula fracture he suffered in early July in the Club World Cup quarterfinal against Paris Saint-Germain (0-2) has healed, and the pain is long gone. And his confidence in his own body is back.
“He brings a lot of positive energy with him, of course,” Kompany says of Musiala. “When you come out of that dark tunnel, even the little things are great.” The first kick against the round ball, for example, the first beads of sweat on your forehead, the first muscle soreness in the days that follow. “What I recommend to the guys coming back from injuries is that they never forget that first feeling when they return. Then you appreciate everything more. Jamal has that right now, Phonzy (Davies) too.”
The two friends went through parts of their rehab together, visited each other in the hospital, and provided mental support. Davies, who recently had to take a break due to illness, has already made his comeback in the Champions League, and Musiala is about to experience the same feeling of happiness. If not in Leipzig, then on Wednesday in the Champions League against Saint-Gilloise.
And the coach is giving the exceptional talent all the time in the world to catch up, bit by bit. “For me, the role of Jamal and Phonzy – I say this because I want to protect them – is not yet to decide the game. Hopefully, they will integrate well and put in some good performances. And at some point, at the right moment, they’ll be fully fit and maybe not only at the same level as before, but a step further.”
After all, development doesn’t stop at 22, even during an injury break. Kompany believes that this is often an opportunity to set other priorities and work on other areas. “Both guys have developed physically during this phase,” says the coach about Davies and Musiala, referring not to pure muscle mass, but rather to a combination of stability, mobility, and speed. “We never have the time to work on that. When you’re always playing, playing, playing, your fitness is only the games. Sometimes having that time to build up your body has helped me. The boys have worked well, the next version is interesting.”
Who will soon make room for Musiala?
And which version will FC Bayern get? Serge Gnabry filled the number ten spot well at the start of the season, but in recent weeks Lennart Karl has overtaken him and thrilled the Bundesliga with cheeky comments and great goals. Michael Olise and Luis Diaz are of course set on the wings. And up front, Harry Kane has made Musiala’s actual spaces in the number 10 and number 6 areas his own and further increased his influence on the game.
Musiala will work his way back into the team with substitute appearances, as was the case in June when the national team player recovered from a torn muscle and celebrated his comeback at the Club World Cup in the USA after a two-month break, scoring a hat trick after coming on as a substitute against Auckland City (10-0).
Six days later, Musiala was substituted again 25 minutes after coming on against Boca Juniors (2-1) because of a calf injury. And just when he finally seemed to be back to his best, the unfortunate incident with Gianluigi Donnarumma happened against Paris.
For six months, Musiala had to watch as Bayern, under Kompany, got better and better, dominated the Bundesliga at will, and even took revenge on the evil Parisians in the Champions League for their elimination from the Club World Cup.
Munich’s new number 10 was sorely missed, but the fact that he was able to fight his way back in peace is also part of the truth about this well-functioning Bayern team, which you have to play your way back into. Musiala is certainly capable of doing that with his extra class, especially since the really important games for the playmakers are still to come. But now it’s time to leave the tunnel and return to the pitch – calmly and collectedly.
