Luis Diaz suffered a torn muscle bundle in Bayern Munich’s 2-2 draw against Arsenal and is likely to miss four to six weeks. The injury arrives at a difficult time for the club, which already faces a crowded run of fixtures and several absences in attack.
Warning signs and a coach under strain
There were signs that Diaz’s body was struggling beforehand. He was the outstanding player in the 6-1 win over RB Leipzig, scoring three goals, providing one direct assist and contributing to the build-up of another. Despite muscular problems, he stayed on the pitch after Bayern had used all their substitutions, even though he had been due to come off.
“We were a little afraid that something had happened. We were actually lucky that he trained on Tuesday, though not at 100 per cent,” Vincent Kompany said on Wednesday, before the Arsenal match.
Kompany has also had his own health problems. He caught a “pretty nasty virus” the week before, and he admitted he ignored the warnings. “Of course didn’t listen to my body, and eventually my body said: ‘Now stop it, lad!'” Too weak to do much else, he coached the 6-1 win over Leipzig sitting down, then spent the days before the Arsenal game at home. On Friday, he reportedly collapsed after training at the club’s Säbener Straße training ground, and reports said a helicopter was deployed. Bayern have not yet commented, and it remains unclear whether the incident is linked to his earlier illness.
Diaz came on in the 68th minute against Arsenal with Bayern leading 2-1. He touched the ball only once more before he sank to the turf in the 90th minute after a sprint, his face contorted in pain. The injury is a torn muscle bundle, which very often results from physical overload.
Why Bayern lacked a backup
Bayern’s squad planners seriously considered signing an alternative to Diaz during the summer. Their top target was Antony Gordon, a versatile left winger, but he moved from Newcastle United to Barcelona for a fee of €80 million. “Too expensive in the end,” said sporting director Max Eberl, explaining why Bayern pulled out of the race.
Instead, Bayern signed Ismael Saibari, whose strengths lie mainly in central attacking positions. The club had also earmarked the role of Diaz’s backup for 20-year-old left winger Arijon Ibrahimovic. After a successful loan spell at Heidenheim, he looked set for a rotation role at Bayern, but the club loaned him to FC Augsburg at short notice. The move surprised Ibrahimovic, his agent Roman Rummenigge and Diaz himself.
In a September interview with Sky/RTL, Diaz said he would have welcomed a team-mate in his position. “Of course I always want to play. But if there’s someone there who can help in my position, they’re very welcome. It helps a lot when things aren’t going well. Then your team-mate is there to help you, and you take turns. That’s very important. I would have liked it. But, well, it didn’t happen. We’re good as we are, too.”
A few days later, his national-team coach and Bayern granted him a special two-week break to recover from the previous season, which included the World Cup. Diaz had endured a brief dip in form and goalscoring after the tournament, which he had only just played his way out of. This injury is his first since a serious knee problem at Liverpool in the 2022/2023 season kept him out for almost half a year.
Bayern’s attack without Diaz
Diaz’s absence leaves Bayern short in an attacking department already hit by injuries. Jamal Musiala is still working his way back in training after a torn muscle fibre. Serge Gnabry impressed against Arsenal but is not yet at 100 per cent after a persistent adductor injury. Lennart Karl is still searching for form after a torn muscle bundle in June, which also ruled him out of the World Cup.
Against Arsenal, Bayern started Karl on the bench, and Gnabry played on the right wing. Alphonso Davies deputised for Diaz on the left. Both impressed. Kompany revealed that Bayern had already considered Davies as an attacking option during the summer, even though they had converted him to left-back after his move from MLS. “We have good depth in defence and know that we can always use Phonzy on the wings too,” Kompany said.
If Diaz was Plan A and a summer signing Plan B, Davies now looks like Plan C. That is working for now, although the Canadian has struggled with injuries recently and still has to prove his reliability. Saibari has also played on the left wing twice this season after coming on as a substitute, and Gnabry can play almost anywhere.
Looking ahead
For now, Bayern should be able to cope for a month without Diaz. Little else can go wrong, however. Every week brings a midweek fixture until the international break begins on 9 November, including Bundesliga matches against SC Freiburg and Borussia Dortmund, the DFB Cup tie against Magdeburg and a Champions League game against Atlético Madrid. If the injury list grows, Bayern may have to promote a youngster permanently. Tim Binder (19) became the hero of the city derby in the second team’s recent 4-2 win over 1860 Munich, and he made the first-team squad for the first time against Arsenal.
Next summer, Bayern reportedly want to address the imbalance on the left side of their attack. According to Sky, they are considering Antonio Nusa of RB Leipzig.