The international break has started on a sour note for Bayern Munich as COVID-19 has struck the squad. DFB confirmed on Tuesday that Niklas Sule has tested positive for the virus before the first training session of the group. The German defender is ruled out of Germany’s both games as he will be in isolation.
Apart from Sule, Joshua Kimmich, Serge Gnabry, and Jamal Musiala have also been ruled out from Germany’s two games during the international. These three players are in quarantine right now as they were in close contact with Sule. Bayern transfer target Karim Adeyemi is also in quarantine after being in close contact with the German defender.
Along with these German players, Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting will also quarantine since he was in close contact with Sule just before the start of the international break. These five players could also potentially miss Die Roten’s game against Augsburg after the international break.
Thomas Muller, Leon Goretzka, and Manuel Neuer remain part of the German squad. They are likely to feature in the games against Liechtenstein and Armenia. DFB has announced replacements for players that have gone into quarantine.
According to Spox, the guidelines of Bavaria suggest that non-vaccinated people in contact with COVID positive person will have to quarantine for 14 days. Kimmich has previously confirmed that he is yet to take the vaccine. This situation also reveals that Musiala, Gnabry, and Choupo-Moting are also not vaccinated. However, Sule has been vaccinated for COVID-19.
Sule will have to follow the same protocols, which Julian Nagelsmann did in the last two weeks. The German coach was tested positive for COVID-19 during the trip to Lisbon for the game against Benfica in the Champions League. He missed the next three games (15 days) before returning with a negative test for COVID-19.
This incident will also further pile on media scrutiny on three Die Roten players that are yet to be vaccinated. Kimmich has faced backlash in the past two weeks after he confirmed his stance about vaccination. The German midfielder wants to know the long-term effects of the vaccine before getting both doses.
Julian Nagelsmann will have to prepare for the league game against Augsburg in ten days’ time without some of his key players. Sule and Kimmich have been starting almost every game for Die Roten in the past few weeks, while Gnabry has been in fine form for Rekordmeister. The German coach has a lot of time to think about the system and tactics to compensate for the absence of these four players.