Germany got the job done…
According to a report from Sport Bild journalists Christian Falk and Tobi Altschäffl (as captured by @iMiaSanMia), we have all been snookered!
It appears that Bayern Munich head coach Vincent Kompany has been embracing rotation after all — just not on the football pitch. In fact, it is not on the training pitch…or in the weight room…in the sauna…or even in the parking lot.
Nope. Kompany has strict standards for rotation…in the lunchroom:
Kompany has introduced a policy of regularly changing the seating arrangement in the canteen during lunch. This is intended to encourage all players to interact with one another. The fact that players are not publicly shamed for misconduct such as arriving late, but are instead punished by having to stay at Säbener Straße as long as the coach himself, is also well received by the team.
This is actually a pretty cool initiative and would absolutely be something that would bring a group closer together. The interpersonal dynamics of any group can make or break a team and it appears that Kompany is doing his best to ensure that his squad is as gelled as possible heading into the stretch run of the season.
Given how harmonious things seem (at least to us on the outside), it looks like Kompany has hit the nail on the head once again this season. Now, only if he would try rotating more ON the field…
Bavarian Podcast Works — Weekend Warm-up Show Season 4, Episode 35
The international break afford us the opportunity to take some time and think all things Bayern Munich — and maybe even take a deep dive back into some things from the past.
It was two years ago this week that Bayern Munich sacked Julian Nagelsmann. Let’s talk about the whens, the hows, and the whys of the situation once more and also how things have changed for everyone since that point. This is the full gamut of what we have on tap for this edition of the Bavarian Podcast Works — Weekend Warm-up Show:
- Reflecting back on March 23rd, 2023 — The day that Bayern Munich fired Nagelsmann. The shock of it all. Why it happened? How that changed the future?
- Catching up on the latest news on some players, who Bayern Munich has been linked to — Bayer Leverkusen’s Florian Wirtz, RB Leipzig’s Xavi Simons, and Bournemouth’s Dean Huijsen. Don’t be shocked, though, if Max Eberl goes off the grid on a pursuit or two.
- A listener Q&A segment, including a question on beer, squad planning, and which Bayern Munich jerseys BFW staffers own.
- A brief Entertainment Rundown.
Song of the Week: “You Could Be Mine” by Guns N’ Roses
I cannot explain why this song popped into my head, but it did — and now you have to deal with it. Featured in the cinematic masterpiece known as Terminator 2: Judgement Day, Guns N’ Roses was able to match the movie’s strength with this song from the Use Your Illusion II album.
Of course, this would really be the waning days of the band’s greatness. Things really went off the rails with the “Spaghetti Incident” album, but we can appreciate what the band produced with the Use Your Illusion I and Use Your Illusion 2 set.
Guns N’ Roses was such a force at the time and it was hard to find much fault with this back in the early 90s. Enjoy:
Bayern eyeing Chilean midfielder?
According to a report from Campanas del Infierno (as captured by @iMiaSanMia), Bayern -Munich is kicking the tires on Chilean midfielder Felipe Loyola:
Two Bayern scouts were in attendance at the Argentinian Primera División game between Independiente and Racing Club on Sunday to watch Chilean midfielder Felipe Loyola closely. Independiente value the player at $15m.
At 24-years-old, it is not as if Loyola is a teenage prospect, so the potential move seems odd.
Bavarian Podcast Works — Postgame Show: Italy 1-2 Germany
There were some large questions about this starting lineup for Julian Nagelsmann but some adjustments at half allowed Die Mannschaft to pull off a thrilling comeback to win on Italian soil.
Germany will now head to Dortmund to avenge their 2006 loss to the Italians in the FIFA World Cup riding a serious high. There could be big things ahead for the Germans.
Let’s talk about all of that and more on the Bavarian Podcast Works — Postgame Show. This is what we have on tap:
- A look at the starting XI and our thoughts on the rotation.
- A rundown of the scoring and substitutions.
- Some final thoughts and takeaways on the match.
Entertainment Rundown
Daredevil: Born Again
The fourth episode of Daredevil: Born Again hit Disney Plus, so let’s discuss:
- The show — so far — is giving a lot of background information and — seemingly — setting up quite a few plot-points for the future.
- Given that this has been a slow burn through four episodes, it seems very likely that the second half of the season will be action packed (it better be anyway). Audiences will tolerate and embrace methodical storytelling if there is a payoff. The Netflix version of Daredevil would have delivered…will the Disney-powered version?
- Seeing Frank Castle aka The Punisher was pretty cool. Let’s hope we see a whole lot more of this character in this show and on his own show.
- At some point, we need to actually see Daredevil in action.
- Overall, things need to pick up. While I think the series has been good so far, it is meandering a bit. While I get the point of having Matt Murdock resist the urge to play the vigilante role once again, it is pretty much a necessity at this point. Funny enough, the storyline for Murdock and Wilson Fisk (The Kingpin) are both moving very slowly and providing a jam-packed amount of psychological insight into the characters. We have to assume that this will all lead to something big.
Rating: 6.50/10.00
Predictions
UEFA Nations League
Italy will be desperate — that much is certain.
Germany, though, will be playing at home and will have confidence after shaking off the rust for a 2-1 victory at San Siro. Julian Nagelsmann is limited with his options to put together an effective attacking group, so he will need more out of Jamal Musiala than what the youngster provided in the first leg.
The feeling here, though, is that Germany — despite its current flaws — is still a notch above Italy at the moment.
Prediction: Germany 2-1 Italy
Other UEFA Nations League predictions include:
- Hungary 0-1 Türkiye
- Georgia 2-1 Armenia
- France 2-1 Croatia
- Spain 2-1 Netherlands
- Portugal 2-0 Denmark
- Belgium 3-0 Ukraine
- Serbia 1-2 Austria
- Scotland 1-1 Greece
- Slovenia 1-0 Slovakia
- Iceland 1-2 Kosovo
- Ireland 1-1 Bulgaria
Prediction Records
- Last Week Bundesliga: 4-5 (Through Matchday 26)
- Overall Bundesliga: 109-125
- UEFA Nations League: 85-74
- Champions League: 96-80 (Through Matchday 12)
- DFB-Pokal: 43-17
- Total: 325-296
- Perfect Picks: 51 (when the score and winner is predicted exactly)
