Bayern’s Jamal Musiala (l.) could replace the injured Harry Kane in the center of the attack in the cup game against Leverkusen.
Photo: dpa/Sven Hoppe
When Thomas Müller recently sat in a studio to discuss all the topics at FC Bayern in an interview, before the upcoming cup round of 16 against Bayer Leverkusen this Tuesday, it was also about the Munich team’s continued lack of success in the recent cup past. The longest-serving Munich professional in no way wanted to deny the negative series, but he also did not want it to be understood as an expression of fear of this competition. “I won’t let myself be persuaded that I have a cup phobia,” said Müller, “but the fact is, of course, that we haven’t been, I don’t know, for three years, or four? Four? There isn’t!”
Yes, it’s been going on for four years now with FC Bayern bowing out of the DFB Cup early, in three out of four cases even in the second round. In the 2020/21 season, the Munich team under coach Hansi Flick were eliminated on penalties by the then second division club Kiel in the snow. In 2021/22, coach Julian Nagelsmann suffered a 5-0 defeat in Mönchengladbach. And last season, Thomas Tuchel’s spell at third division club Saarbrücken was over after a 2-1 defeat.
Bayern failed four times in a traumatic way
A year earlier, Bayern had made it to the quarter-finals, only to have their ticket to the last four snatched away by Freiburg after a 1-0 lead at home. Lucas Höler converted the decisive hand penalty, unfortunately caused by Jamal Musiala, in the fifth minute of stoppage time. Immediately afterwards the referee blew his whistle.
This exit was traumatic, as were the three defeats in the second round. But a phobia? “It’s not a phobia, but it’s time for us to definitely get back to the final,” said Müller in the aforementioned interview with Bayerischer Rundfunk, recalling the 1-1 draw against the Werkself last time in the Bundesliga, when the team from Xabi Alonso performed very defensively, but remained unbeaten against Bayern for the fourth time in a row. “If we get a similar game on the pitch, then it looks good that we will win,” believes Müller.
The last time Bayern reached the final was in the Berlin Olympic Stadium in 2020 and even won it 4-2, fittingly against Leverkusen. But it wasn’t an atmospheric cup final because the stands remained empty in the first summer of the corona pandemic. A look at the goal scorers shows how long ago that was. David Alaba, Serge Gnabry and Robert Lewandowski scored twice for Bayern, while Sven Bender and Kai Havertz scored for the Werkself.
Now Bayern, as record cup winners and Bayer as defending champions, are scheduled for what feels like an early final. It is also about the question of who will actually have an early final and who will therefore miss a goal for the season. For Munich in particular, an end after four years of cup sadness would be a bitter setback. “There’s definitely pressure on the boiler,” says Müller.
Who will replace Harry Kane?
Musiala and possibly Müller could now be particularly important against Leverkusen. After all, Harry Kane has to be represented because the center forward tore a fiber in his thigh during the 1-1 draw in Dortmund on Saturday and is out for the time being. This means that his finishing skills will be missing, as will his ability to help shape the game. Kane’s absence was “of course very bad, especially when you see how many goals he scored for us and how important he is for us,” admitted national team captain Joshua Kimmich.
Bayern coach Vincent Kompany needs to consider who to put in Kane’s position or how to change the setup overall. »Harry scored 20 goals, you can’t replace that. But we have players who are dangerous to score,” Kompany said on Monday and named Müller, Mathys Tel, Serge Gnabry, Michael Olise and Leroy Sané as possible representatives for Kane. “We have options, I have mentioned almost all of them,” said the 38-year-old Belgian slyly. It would also be conceivable to move Musiala forward and, for example, have Müller play in Musiala’s ten-man role.
Even though Leverkusen won the championship and cup double last season, while Munich remained completely without a title for the first time since 2012, they don’t want to know that they could now settle an unfinished score. No, says goalkeeper and captain Manuel Neuer, it is “an important game because we want to go back to Berlin.” Finally again, to be precise.
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