FC Bayern faces striker shortage ahead of important games

Important games are coming up for FC Bayern. Coach Tuchel has to do without two strikers, among other things. He could be backing his recipe for success with a false nine.

Munich – FC Bayern will have to do without Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting for the time being. The attacker has knee problems and will most likely miss the game on Saturday in Freiburg (3.30 p.m., Sky) and on Tuesday at Manchester City (9 p.m., Amazon Prime Video).

FC Bayern: Mané and Gnabry are candidates for the top striker

“It will be tight for Choupo, he is under treatment and will not go today. Time is short. After the game against Dortmund it was a bit the same situation, we made it. We’ll have to wait and see,” said coach Thomas Tuchel on Friday. Since the only 17-year-old, but highly talented Mathys Tel (rehabilitation training after a muscle fiber tear) is out, Tuchel has to improvise in the attack center in the next few weeks.

He has wrong nines for the storm center with Thomas Müller, Sadio Mané or also Serge Gnabry enough. Gnabry and Mané will probably fight for a place in attack. Or to put it in the words of Tuchel: “Both can fill this position.”

Thomas Tuchel celebrated his greatest success with a “false nine” from Germany

Interesting: When Tuchel won the Champions League as Chelsea FC coach, he did the same with a false nine in the center of the attack – although Romelu Lukaku had the epitome of a penalty area striker in the squad. But the coach usually let national player Kai Havertz play up front – and the success in the premier class spoke for itself.

However, the current situation surrounding the 34-year-old Choupo shows that it would be wise from Bayern’s point of view to become active in the forward transfer market with a view to next season. There is no shortage of prominent names such as Harry Kane, Niclas Füllkrug or Victor Osimhen.

Even on the defensive, Tuchel was forced to change after Bayern’s cup exit

It’s not Tuchel’s only personal worries, he’s also forced to change in defense. Because Dayot Upamecano is doomed to watch in Freiburg. The central defender is suspended for the game in Breisgau because of his fifth yellow card.

Thomas Tuchel therefore does not have much choice for his back four. In addition to Upa, the long-term injured Lucas Hernandez (rehab after a cruciate ligament rupture) is missing, so Bayern coach Benjamin Pavard will move into the center of defense alongside Matthijs de Ligt.

Alphonso Davies and Joao Cancelo will probably both play

Conversely, this means that against Freiburg Alphonso Davies (left) and Joao Cancelo (right) will play in the full-back positions. Cancelo drew attention to himself with honest statements in Bayern-Magazin 51 when he spoke honestly about his short-tempered character and the death of his mother: he was “very impulsive and sentimental and very likely easy to see through because I always express what I feel”. Cancelo continued: “Transparent people like me don’t always have it easy in today’s fast and unforgiving world.”

The Portuguese said of his mother, who died too early: “I have a portrait of my mother as a tattoo on my upper arm and her name Filomena on my forearm. Your blessing gives me strength and security. When I’m back in Portugal, the first thing I do is visit Mama’s grave. I feel good there. I can tell her everything I feel.”