Bayern Munich head coach Vincent Kompany looked at where this team has come from and where it is going and realized that some players were absolutely going to need a rest before facing off with Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League on Tuesday.
A rotation was always going to be in play, but not many people probably expected this much of a rotation. The manager, however, has a great feel for this group and watched his boys pull out a 3-0 victory over a very defensive, but very game Bayer Leverkusen side.
The devil is in the details, so let’s get into it. Here are some quick hitters on the match:
- As always, let’s begin with a look at the starting XI:
- It is hard to be critical of just about anything with Kompany these days, but the coach opting for a heavily rotated lineup against Bayer Leverkusen (5th place entering the match) could have been perceived as arrogant by some, and risky by many. It still feels like the coach’s reluctance to rotate regularly leaves him in a spot like this, where he has to go super-heavy on the rotation in the game before a massive match. With Bayer Leverkusen (no slouch) sitting just ahead of the Champions League match vs. Paris Saint-Germain, this was always a possibility.
- Kompany, though, has trust in his subs and it is apparent, as they repaid his faith in them with an awesome showing.
- Some players like Michael Olise and Luis Díaz were definitely in need of downtime. There probably could have been a more effective way to rotate over the past two weeks rather than seeing the starting wingers and the starting striker all out at the same time. All that said, this author trusts the bench and was super-pumped to see extended minutes for Tom Bischof, Lennart Karl, and Kim Min-jae.
- Bayern Munich was the aggressor early on, but the chemistry was a little off — as expected with so many changes.
- Bayer Leverkusen was VERY conservative and it was pretty clear that Die Werkself was content with leaving Munich with a draw if possible. Spoiler Alert: It was not possible.
- Karl had a good look in the 15th minute, but could not get enough bend on his attempt. The kid has a knack for getting himself into space and being able to quickly rip off a shot.
- It was sort of disappointing to see Bayer Leverkusen play so scared.
- Raphaël Guerreiro was “off” early in the match. He just did not have same ideas as some teammates and was not as accurate with his passing as normal. He would pick it up in a big way as the game went on.
- In the 25th minute, Bayern Munich would breakthrough as Serge Gnabry put the home side up. While a great goal, the decision-making and pursuit angle of Jarell Quansah was borderline insane. Quansah pretty much gave Gnabry the perfect angle to run down the ball and go into goal ahead of everyone. Bischof sent the ball into space for an assist, which ended up being weighted and angled perfectly (with a little help from Quansah).
- Despite some solid play, Karl had some learning moments in the first half. He was a menace, though.
- In the 31st minute, we would see the upside of Nicolas Jackson. Konrad Laimer whipped in a looping cross and Jackson went up freely in between Bayer Leverkusen’s center-backs, Quansah and Loïc Badé, who inexplicably left a gaping hole in front of the net, and hit a thunderous header home. What a finish!
- It was an absolute debacle of a first half for Quansah and Badé.
- Shame on Bayer Leverkusen for the way it played. No heart.
- Badé‘s day went from suck to blow as he chipped into help Bayern Munich with an own goal in the 43rd minute. Guerreiro whipped in a hard cross toward Jackson and Karl, but Badé was not exactly a smooth operator and deposited the ball into his own goal.
- What a nightmare for Bayer Leverkusen. They didn’t even try…
- Jackson should have had his second goal of the match off of another delivery from Laimer, but hit it wide of the net.
- Jackson’s game represented some improvement, but he had one goal called off for a needless offside and that header wide should have been converted. Baby steps, though…baby steps.
- From there, Kompany went to the bench, brought in some starters who just needed a little run, and the game continued its lopsided way. Bayern Munich was just too good, no matter who was on the pitch.
- Overall, Bayern Munich was thoroughly dominant even with a heavily rotated squad. Will the fresh legs for Bayern Munich pay dividends against Paris Saint-Germain? One would think so, but this victory was more than just preparing for PSG. This was an utter domination of a perceived Bundesliga threat. A beatdown of epic proportions. Now, though, the focus must shift for the marqué match-up of November in all of football — Bayern Munich vs. PSG. Ladies and gentlemen, it might not get any better than that.
If you missed our Initial Analysis, Match Awards, Observations, or Postgame Podcast, give them a look or a listen:
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FC Barcelona will have to replace Robert Lewandowski after this season and could be looking at Galatasaray striker Victor Osimhen:
Barcelona are interested in a move for Galatasaray striker Victor Osimhen, Mundo Deportivo reports. Any possible move for the 26-year-old depends on the Blaugrana’s financial situation and sporting director Deco has cooled expectations in that regard, with Gala having spent €75 million to sign the Nigeria international in the summer. The same outlet has also reported on Barça’s interest in Etta Eyong, the Levante striker who is also being looked at by Real Madrid, Manchester City, Manchester United and Arsenal. The 22-year-old wants his future solved in January.
Bayern Munich has kept up its winning ways and things are all good in Bavaria.
However, that does not mean that the Bayern Munich content machine has ceased production on talking points for us. Let’s jump in and have some fun. This is what we have on tap for this edition of the Bavarian Football Works — Weekend Warm-up Show:
- Should we make anything of the Lennart Karl story from Tz? Why some folks could be overreacting to much ado about nothing.
- Let’s review Bayern Munich’s summer transfers and loan…how are they doing? Would any of them have helped this season?
- Touching on some of the most recent news — Liverpool and Manchester City to strike out on Michael Olise? Liverpool’s Florian Wirtz already looking for exit to Real Madrid?
- Reviewing the debut episode of HBO’s Welcome to Derry.
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If you like our podcasts and want more, or just want to listen our episodes ad-free, then support us on Patreon! Every single dollar will be used to help boost the coverage of the team we all love. Mia San Mia.
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Joshua Kimmich has spent most of his footballing life with Serge Gnabry. Whether it was in VfB Stuttgart’s academic, with Bayern Munich, or the German national team, the duo has spent a lot of time together. With Gnabry in the final year of his contract with Bayern Munich, Kimmich doesn’t want it to be “closing time” on their player relationship and friendship.
”Purely selfishly, I really hope so. But most of all, as a friend, I hope for him to achieve what he wants. I don’t know his plans or what ideas or goals he still has. But my gut feeling tells me that now isn’t the time to start thinking about what the future holds. Serge is very focused on his work, and it’s a lot of fun to watch him right now,” Kimmich.
This is wild…the lights were on, and then they weren’t:
Ultimately, Northern Arizona had to re-do the play and were successful once again.
Welcome to Bavarian Podcast Works — Edges and Underdogs, a BuLi Action Show!
This is not your run-of-the-mill gambling show as we are putting more focus on the ins-and-outs of the actual match day’s showdowns, rather than an odds-driven format (but yes, you will get the odds as well). This podcast is for people who watch the Bundesliga intently and who want to dive into some of the big games for each match day. Through that, we will also provide some information that could help those seeking to make a wager or two.
Each week, we will highlight three matches to talk through and break down who has the edge, who might be hurting, who is susceptible to being upset, who’s getting hot, and more! This is what we have on tap for this edition of the Bavarian Podcast Works — Edges and Underdogs, a BuLi Action Show:
- Catching up on how we did last week.
- A look at this weekend’s match-ups — including win probability, odds, injury updates, trends, AI predictions, and our predictions as well.
The bottom line…it’s time for some action.
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If you like our podcasts and want more, or just want to listen our episodes ad-free, then support us on Patreon! Every single dollar will be used to help boost the coverage of the team we all love. Mia San Mia.
DONATE NOW!
Also, be sure to stay tuned to Bavarian Podcast Works for all of your up to date coverage on Bayern Munich and Germany. Check us out on Patreon and follow us on Twitter @BavarianFBWorks, @BavarianPodcast @TheBarrelBlog, @BFWCyler, @2012nonexistent, @TommyAdams71 and more.
Bayern Munich board member for sport Max Eberl recently spoke about the club’s willingness to bring in Florian Wirtz last summer and the steps it took to try and get him.
“With Florian Wirtz, everyone immediately agreed that we wanted to bring him to FC Bayern. In a case like that, it’s clear that everyone at the club would exert their influence and throw everything into convincing a player who, hopefully, will join Jamal Musiala in ensuring Germany wins titles again in the next ten years,” said Eberl. “Of course, we evaluated how far we could go. We knew we could handle his salary, but we weren’t entirely sure what Bayer Leverkusen would demand if FC Bayern asked and, as expected, another top club entered the race. Therefore, we agreed that a special fund would be set aside for the Wirtz transfer because he justifies this enormous price.”
Hoffenheim legend Andrej Kramarić could be looking at a contract extension with the club at the ripe old age of 34:
Talks between Hoffenheim and Andrej Kramaric are planned for the winter, after discussions in the summer about a contract extension were positive. The attacking midfielder’s current contract ends in the summer.
