International breaks have a funny way of keeping football managers up at night, and the latest international window is proving to be a proper headache for Germany. The national team is nervously awaiting the results of medical scans after both Kai Havertz and Jamal Musiala picked up frustrating injuries. It’s a double whammy that resounds not only throughout the entire country but directly back to London and Munich, where club managers are presumably watching through their fingers.
The play was played in Germany’s 1-1 UEFA Nations League match against the Netherlands, and the ground began to go sour before the first ball was kicked. Jamal Musiala of Bayern Munich was forced to withdraw from the starting team “due to discomfort” in the thigh during the warm-up. Worse still, Arsenal forward Kai Havertz found himself in the same predicament as he sat in the kitchens as he came into a position to be seen as a hamstring problem but was forced to limp off before half-time. You don’t want to go to an away match with two of your most creative attacking options taken away, and that’s just what you did.
Both stars were immediately sent for MRI scans to determine the exact extent of the muscle damage, leaving fans and coaches in a tense waiting game. The timing could not be much worse for either player, considering how pivotal they are to their respective setups. Havertz has been a key centerpiece in Arsenal’s frontline, while Musiala remains the spark plug that makes Bayern Munich’s offense click. Both would be forced to sit on the sidelines for much longer than usual as the season starts and could see their momentum lost at club and international levels.
At the moment, all the players involved can only press their lips together and hope the readings won’t come back with major tears in the muscle but minor tweaks. But a couple of weeks off would be a big sigh of relief for Germany, while a few weeks on the bench may leave them with questions to answer in their remaining games. Football is a game of fast turnarounds, but until the reports come in, the German camp is in a no-man’s-land.
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