Weekend Warm-up: Bayern Munich might have trouble rebooting wing position per report; Throwing it back to Talking Heads; Bundesliga predictions; and MORE!

Sport Bild journalists Christian Falk and Tobi Altschäffl provided an update on Bayern Munich’s wing situation — and, as expected, it might be tougher to clear out room at that position on the roster than some have anticipated.

Free agent-to-be Leroy Sané’s future is more clear cut than that of his teammates Kingsley Coman and Serge Gnabry. However, if you are Sané’d out this might not be the best news for you.

While Bayern Munich skeptical of re-upping the Germany international, it is by no means a closed case per Falk and Altschäffl (as captured by @iMiaSanMia):

Leroy Sané is giving everything to stay at Bayern and get a new contract, while the club’s bosses remain critical of him and want to see consistency and good performances against good opponents from him. The club will continue to watch Sané’s performances over the next few weeks before making a decision on whether or not to offer him a new deal. Sané is ready to take a two-year deal with a pay cut.

It still feels like Bayern Munich is going to wait Sané out, make him a lowball offer, and bring him back for at least two more seasons. As for Gnabry and Coman, though, it could be even harder to convince them to leave (via @iMiaSanMia):

Serge Gnabry and Kingsley Coman remain candidates for sale. Bayern would be willing to listen to offers for both players in order to add fresh blood to the wing positions. The club’s bosses are all fully convinced of Vincent Kompany and want to make changes in the squad for him. The question, however, is whether Coman (contract until 2027) and Gnabry (2026) are willing to leave.

As it stands, Coman and Gnabry seem to be taking the same stance as Leon Goretzka where they do not want to leave the squad and instead, want to remain with the club and fight for playing time.

If — and it could be a big if — Bayern Munich knows it will not be able to sell Coman and Gnabry, can it possibly think about bringing Sané back, too?

Maybe….but fans might nearing the end of their patience with the much-maligned winger trio. Too often, the production just does not match the potential…and at some point, fans will reach their breaking point if performances do not become more consistent.

BFW Analysis

When it comes to these wingers, I have seen enough to know that I have seen too much. All three players have had great moments for the club — monumental moments — but sometimes it just becomes time to go.

That is where Bayern Munich is at the moment. The club might have squeezed everything it could from this trio — and if so, it is time for everyone to move. The problem is that none of the three wants to go.

Therein lies the rub.

For Bayern Munich, it should be simple — the club will not learn any more about these players in the coming months. The Bavarians knows exactly what each player brings to the table and what each player is all about.

Right now, none of that is good enough to warrant a longer time together and with that, a separation for everyone is needed.

Bavarian Podcast Works — Weekend Warm-up Show Season 4, Episode 28

Bayern Munich got battered in Rotterdam by Feyenoord and it opened up a whole lot of discussion about what might be going on with Bayern Munich and why the squad has come up so small at times this season.

Let’s talk about what is going on, why fans are so irate, and what might need to change ahead of next season:

• Is Joshua Kimmich correct? Is Bayern Munich not a top team team at the moment?
• Will Kimmich’s decision on his future be impacted by games like Feyenoord.
• What is going on with Harry Kane?
• Kim Min-jae made another high-profile mistake at a time where he is playing with an injury. How can Bayern improve defensively?
• Should Vincent Kompany be on the hot seat? He said he knew what Feyenoord was going to do…so why was the result so bad?
• How much change needs to happen for 2025/26?

Song of the Week: “Nothing But Flowers” by Talking Heads

This is not the first time that I have featured Talking Heads in this space, but it is the first time I’ve used this song.

Talking Heads are a classic, classic band with just a ton of good songs, but I was cycling through some of the music I have from soundtrack and this one was from Clerks 2 (while not anywhere near the original because times had changed and you just can’t be that edgy any more, Clerks 2 was fun Kevin Smith flick nonetheless).

Originally released in 1988, that 2006 revival thanks to Clerks 2 was a good way to have the song re-enter my brain. Enjoy:

Entertainment Rundown

Dexter: Resurrection

As you might know, Dexter Morgan is coming back. Admittedly, I am working in the dark on this one. I did not watch the spinoff series Dexter: New Blood…I just couldn’t do it (literally, I did not have access to whatever platform it was on at the time).

I think it was assumed that Dexter Morgan had died at the end of Dexter: New Blood, but it appears that plans have changed, so now Michael C. Hall is back for a sequel…with Uma Thurman:

Screen Rant captured the primary cast if you are intrigued:

Michael C. Hall As Dexter Morgan

Character: Hall will reprise his iconic role as Dexter Morgan in Dexter: Resurrection.

Uma Thurman As Charley

Character: Thurman will join the Dexter universe as Charley, a former Special Ops officer and Head of Security for billionaire Leon Prater.

James Remar As Harry Morgan

Character: Remar will reprise his Dexter original series role as the ghost of Harry Morgan, Dexter Morgan’s adoptive father who died before the events of the series.

David Zayas As Angel Batista

Character: Zayas will reprise his signature role from Dexter and Dexter: New Blood as Angel Batista.

Jack Alcott As Harrison Morgan

Character: Alcott will reprise his Dexter: New Blood role as Dexter’s son Harrison Morgan in Dexter: Resurrection.

This is interesting, but part of me wonders if this is not just a money grab. It seems like the events of Dexter: New Blood might have not have been determined be a proper ending to the story of Dexter Morgan, so he is back for more.

As someone who did not watch New Blood (or Dexter: Original Sin, the prequel)…do I need to view those before I think about watching this…or should I just skip them? (Looking for your help out there!)

As of now, I am on the fence on whether or not I will dive into this, but there original series did produce some excellent seasons (and some clunkers, too). Ah, what the hell, let’s rank the seasons of Dexter (at least the ones that I watched):

Season 4: The Trinity Killer was the primary adversary for Dexter…and it was simply fantastic. Just an awesome season of television. If you are ranking individual seasons of television, this would be a strong contender for a Top 10 finish. The week-to-week waiting to see the next episode made it all that much better during that initial run. Every episode was a homerun and John Lithgow was sensational.

Season 1: The introduction to it all. Masterfully done and left viewers hooked and wanting more. The captured so much detail into this season, it was hard to not be “all in” on the series at this point.

Season 2: A worthy encore of the first season. Filled with tension, this was a thrillride from start to finish. The end of the Bay Harbor Butchers storyline…or so we thought.

Season 5: A steep drop off from the insanity of Season 4, but not somehow not all that bad.

Season 6: The DoomsDay Killer. This was not a great season with Colin Hanks occupying a lot of screentime.

Season 7: Things really start going downhill here. Isaac Sirko was the main antagonist, but the series really was spiralling downward at this point.

Season 8: The Brain Surgeon…not great and it marked the end of the series. Things could have been wrapped up a little better. By this point, you could tell that the writers were just grasping at ways to end it in a way that would leave the door open to a follow-up series down the road. In that respect, I guess they did the job (just not all that well).

Season 3: Oh…the Jimmy Smits season. What a trainwreck. Thankfully, Dexter saved itself with Season 4.

Bavarian Podcast Works — Preview Show: SC Freiburg vs. Bayern Munich (Bundesliga)

Streaking Bayern Munich was stopped in its tracks in the Netherlands by a stout Feyenoord squad and now needs to rebound against a somewhat desperate and reeling SC Freiburg side.

Let’s talk about all of that and more on the Bavarian Podcast Works — Preview Show. This is what we have on tap:

• A look at the recent form of each team and where they fall in the Bundesliga table.
• A look at the rosters and injuries for SC Freiburg and Bayern Munich.
• Taking a peek back at the first meeting between the two teams.
• A guess at Bayern Munich’s starting XI — and an alternative look at what could happen if Vincent Kompany gets creative.
• A prediction on the match.

Predictions

Bundesliga

Bayern Munich is banged up and might not be operating with an optimal set of personnel for this match-up. However, the Bavarians are still — by far — the more talented squad…and they are desperate.

We know how this goes, Bayern Munich is either going to come out and seize control of this match or they will lose and it will be absolute bedlam among Bayern Munich fans.

Oddly, this is a very key juncture for Bayern Munich under Vincent Kompany. The coach is facing his first stiff test as manager of the team and it will be key to see how the squad rallies.

The feeling here is that Bayern Munich will refocus and get the job done.

Prediction: SC Freiburg 0-3 Bayern Munich

Other Bundesliga Predictions:

• Wolfsburg 3-1 Holstein Kiel
• RB Leipzig 2-3 Bayer Leverkusen
• Borussia Dortmund 3-1 Werder Bremen
• Mainz 05 1-2 VfB Stuttgart
• FC Augsburg 1-1 Heidenheim
• Borussia Mönchengladbach 3-0 VfL Bochum
• Hoffenheim 2-3 Eintracht Frankfurt
• St. Pauli 0-1 Union Berlin

Prediction Records

• Last Week Bundesliga: 4-5 (Through Matchday 18)
• Overall Bundesliga: 78-84
• UEFA Nations League: 81-66
• Champions League: 70-56 (Through Matchday 7)
• DFB-Pokal: 40-16 (Through Round of 16)
• Total: 269-222
• Perfect Picks: 42 (when the score and winner is predicted exactly)