Only centimeters were missing before Lennart Karl would have made FC Bayern the winner in the final seconds of the top game in the Bundesliga. But his shot from the 95th minute of the game hit the crossbar and the score remained 2-2 (1-0) against Borussia Dortmund.
Karl was one of the big topics on this special Saturday evening in the Munich Arena. For several reasons. The 18-year-old young star has become a source of controversy for the German soccer record champions.
Bayern lost their victory against BVB. They led twice and conceded 2-2 in the 89th minute. Coach Aaron Danks, who was replacing head coach Vincent Kompany when he was ill, brought Karl on late - even though two offensive stars, Ismael Saibari and Serge Gnabry, were injured in the game. “The Karl riddle!” is what “Bild” calls it.
When Saibari (injured right ankle) was brought into the dressing room in the 29th minute of the game, defender Josip Stanisic came in. Danks moved Alphonso Davies from the defense to the wing on the left. The next substitution for Karl came two minutes later: When Gnabry had to leave the field (thigh injury), Danks preferred to bring in left-back Nathaniel Brown for the tenth position. Karl only came on in the 82nd minute of the game for Michael Olise, who had pain in his right knee.
Danks explained his decisions at the press conference after the game as follows: "Lennart came on in the second half - well, we trusted him in such an important game. He came in for Michael on the right and played exactly the same role. Previously we moved Alphonso Davies forward on the left - that was a good choice in the last few weeks. Nathaniel Brown played in the attacking position against Dortmund in the Supercup. That's why we moved him to that position."
The 43-year-old emphasized: "That's nothing against Lenny! Lenny is the top player. He came onto the pitch and had a great moment at the end when he hit the crossbar. That's really positive for him."
Lennart Karl became the fourth best young player in the world
What is not so positive for Karl is that he is rarely in the starting eleven at the moment. And in the top game there was only the third choice of joker on offense, despite the absences of Jamal Musiala and Luis Diaz, who were already missing before the game.
There are difficult months behind Karl. He missed the World Cup in the USA, Canada and Mexico injured: he tore a muscle bundle while preparing for the national team in Chicago, which meant his dream of playing on the big football stage was dashed a few days before the start of the tournament.
Since he has been ready to play again, he has not yet managed to show consistently good performances. In twelve games this season, Karl only has one goal and three assists. “Bild” reports that his training performance in the past few weeks has also been critically observed within the club.
But recently his performance curve has been pointing upwards. Last Monday, Karl came in fourth place at the Kopa Trophy ceremony, the award for the world's best U21 player. The prize was awarded at the Ballon d'Or Gala in London, Karl was there with his girlfriend, the influencer Zoe Käppele.
In the DFB Cup game against 1. FC Magdeburg (6:1) last Wednesday, Karl scored one goal and initiated two goals. Sports director Max Eberl then spoke plainly about the young star's achievements: "Lenny has to show on the pitch that he can get out of this hole again."
After the game, Eberl was also asked about the eye-catching appearances off the pitch in a pink tracksuit and with Karl's girlfriend on social networks. “Nowadays it's just the case that there are one or two missteps, but they're not bad and for me they're not decisive for the performance,” said Eberl. “He should concentrate on football.”
The increasing public criticism of his client ensured that Karl's advisor Michael Ballack now spoke out. Shortly before the game against Dortmund, the former captain of the national team said: "Lennart is 18 years young. Where were you when you were 18? Just as he tries himself out on the pitch, he also does the same off the pitch."
Ballack chose clear words - and criticized the club's treatment of Karl. “The fact that Max Eberl, now that Lennart's performance curve is clearly pointing upwards again, is attesting that he has a sporting hole, adorned with missteps, is incomprehensible at the time and at least needs to be questioned in terms of content,” said Ballack.
But it's not just about Eberl's statements. Uli Hoeneß had also publicly criticized Karl's external image. The 74-year-old honorary president of FC Bayern announced in an interview with WELT AM SONNTAG that he would have a conversation with the young star: "I have decided to have a serious conversation with him. He is far from being a superstar, young players need humility." In Hoeneß's opinion, the hymns of praise turned the shooting star of last season's head a bit.
"Everyone is allowed to present themselves however they want. It's also clear that you don't do everything right," said Ballack on DAZN on Saturday evening about Karl's appearances and social media activity. "You shouldn't mix up your sporting development with that. And that's exactly what FC Bayern is doing. It's legitimate for Uli Hoeneß to criticize this public image. But it's also clear that he's publicly declaring Lennart a target." Ballack would like more support for the young player.
Eberl countered Ballack with a smug tip. A reporter asked FC Bayern's sports director after the draw against BVB what he thought about Karl not being substituted despite the injuries to Saibari and Gnabry. "I'm not a coach. That's up to the coaching staff to decide." When asked directly about Ballack's criticism, the board responded with a counter question: "Did he say that as a DAZN expert or as an advisor to the player? I don't know."
Many people see Ballack's dual role in the Karl case as at least unfortunate. It has long been talked about in the industry that Ballack, as Karl's advisor, repeatedly appears as a DAZN expert and evaluates and comments on his own players at FC Bayern games. Does Eberl even recognize a conflict of interest? The board just shrugged, grinned and said, “I was just observing and asking.”
In an interview with Sky, Eberl appeared quite relaxed. "I find it difficult when you have a discussion or a dispute like this through the media. We saw Lennart Karl as a great talent last season," said the former professional. "As a young person, he had an injury before the World Cup, where he would probably have played five games. He missed that and then came back to us injured. It was complicated for him. We knew that such a development could sometimes have a dent. We didn't say anything else."
According to Eberl, the turnaround in sport has already taken place: "You can see that things are going up again. And he is on the right path. We are impressed by how this young man pushes these things aside."
On Monday, Eberl and Karl travel with the Bayern entourage to Madrid, where they will play in the Champions League against Atlético on Tuesday (9 p.m., DAZN and live ticker on WELT). There they could be missing players with an estimated market value of around 400 million euros: Olise (180 million euros), Musiala (80 million), Diaz (70 million), Saibari (55 million) and Gnabry (18 million).
Lennart Karl could have a great chance in Madrid.
