This is what it looks like when FC Bayern flexes its muscles.

Leon Goretzka not only embodied pure power and energy in that moment when he rose to head the ball after Joshua Kimmich's free-kick, but also afterwards when he celebrated Munich's opening goal in Freiburg shortly after the break in front of the traveling fans.

No question, something had to come out.

Christian Kamp

sports editor.

  • Follow I follow

Goretzka was out for four months because of problems with the patellar tendon, which also required a lot of patience – and mental strength, after all, the knee thing seemed to puzzle the doctors from time to time.

"A load fell off," said Goretzka on the Sky microphone after the 4-1 win.

"It was a difficult rehab because no one knew how long it would take." The return, in time for the decisive phase of the season, was also particularly pleasing for his coach, you could see that on the pitch, even if the shared joy after Goretzkas Substitution was abruptly interrupted by another story of this eventful Bundesliga game, Nils Petersen's hundredth competitive goal for SC Freiburg to make it 1-1 in the meantime.

“Exceptionally good with the head”

In any case, Julian Nagelsmann later had enough opportunity to talk about Goretzka, which began with the clearly meant but doubly interpretable statement that he was “extraordinarily good with his head”.

In addition, Goretzka is someone who has a special mentality, who "trains with maximum greed" and "pushes the others," said Nagelsmann - and, even that, is a figure of identification beyond the lawn: "Leon is important for everyone Club."

Things had worked quite well in Bayern’s central midfield even without Goretzka, less muscular, you could say, but wiry and sinewy.

And because Jamal Musiala was also the winner of the international match week, it came as a bit of a surprise that he initially had to sit on the bench in Freiburg.

On Wednesday, when Bayern play in the first leg of the quarter-finals of the Champions League at FC Villarreal (9 p.m. in the FAZ live ticker for the football Champions League), it can be different again, especially since Goretzka's lack of practice was noticeable.

"The basic idea is that we can't chase Leon in every three days after four months," said Nagelsmann - just as he "can't chase Jamal in eight or nine games in a row".

He is happy that he now has more alternatives, said the Bayern coach, who deserved extra praise for Musiala's performances with colleague Flick.

Nagelsmann was also impressed by how he held his own in defensive midfield in the 1-1 draw in the Netherlands against a man like Memphis Depay, who “is of a similar size but is about three times as wide”.

Even if he sees Musiala "between the lines, a little more offensively even stronger": In Freiburg, after being substituted on as a six, he was "incredibly aggressive" and "stole a lot of balls".

What must have felt like stealing for some