Leon Goretzka was left out of Bayern Munich’s squad during the team’s first official game of the season, when they defeated 2. Bundesliga SSV Ulm in the first round of the DFB Pokal. Executives, players and coach Vincent Kompany alike have all made statements on the midfielder and his squad omission.
Before the match, Bayern Munich Director of Sport Max Eberl stated that there had been talks with the player, and painted an unfavorable situation for the player (as captured by ZDF via @iMiaSanMia): “We speak openly with the players. We have strengthened in midfield, Kimmich is returning to midfield. Players know when their situation can be difficult. We communicated that clearly. Things have been clarified internally.”
On his part, Bayern Munich coach Vincent Kompany deflected a question about the midfielder’s omission on his squad by not giving a reason on the sporting aspect of his decision (@iMiaSanMia): “It’s important for us to simply say that we always communicate with the players, that everything is clear. That’s important to me. Now we’re only focused on the game.”
We are beginning to see a pattern here…
Moreover, sporting director Christoph Freund had this to say about the situation in an interview for Sky Sport before the match (via @iMiaSanMia): “The only thing I can say is what I already said before the game. As a club, we always want to be clear with the players. We do that internally within our family. We don’t need to say anything publicly.”
Freund also said this about the player during the same interview (via @iMiaSanMia): “Leon has been at Bayern for a very, very long time. He was very successful and is a great player. We spoke to him and made it clear to him that there’s a lot of competition in his position. We are very well equipped there. Leon knows that. And that’s why the situation is like this at the moment, and why he’s not in the squad today.”
Notice how all these are diplomatic statements about a “decision” who has already been “communicated” and “talked about internally.” This certainly doesn’t sound good for Goretzka, who had stated earlier in the week that he was willing to fight for a spot in the squad.
After the game, the talk about Goretzka did not end, with players like Joshua Kimmich and Thomas Müller giving their opinion on the topic. Coach Vincent Kompany also reiterated his position (as captured by @iMiaSanMia): “The only thing I can say is what I already said before the game. As a club, we always want to be clear with the players. We do that internally within our family. We don’t need to say anything publicly.”
Freund also hinted at the player’s future when asked by t-online reporter Julian Buhl whether or not there had been inquiries for Goretzka (@iMiaSanMia): “Not at the moment. But of course there are some interested parties for Leon Goretzka because he’s simply a very, very good player.”
The sale of Goretzka could prove hard for the Bavarians, though. The lack of offers at the moment, combined with his high wages, could become an obstacle.
Looking for more thoughts and analysis on Bayern Munich’s dominant 4-0 win over SSV Ulm in the DFB-Pokal? Good, then we have you covered with our Bavarian Podcast Works — Postgame Show where we break down the starting XI, the scoring and subs, who stood out vs. who fell short, the Leon Goretzka situation, and a whole lot more. Check out the podcast on Patreon, Spotify, or below:
