Bayern Munich had one final friendly for August as it took on Swiss side Grasshopper Club Zürich on the grounds of Säbener Straße.
The Bavarians were sharp and looked good, but were rarely tested by the opposition. Certainly the stakes will be higher this weekend against VfL Wolfsburg in the Bundesliga opener, but Bayern Munich does look ready to take on all challengers. Here are some quick hitters on the match:
- As always, let’s start with a look at the starting XI:
- Well, the first things you probably noticed was that Kingsley Coman and Leon Goretzka were both part of the lineup. For Coman, it was a chance to showcase himself for a move, but for Goretzka — who was reportedly not even going to dress for the match initially — it felt more like an audition. The injury to Josip Stanišić might be an incentive for Bayern Munich to hang on to Goretzka, who has show an ability to slide back into the central defense when needed.
- Otherwise, Michael Olise, Harry Kane, João Palhinha, and Alphonso Davies were all given a chance to shake off a little more rust while Gabriel Vidović and Adam Anzou were given another chance to feature for the first team.
- It was insane to find out that “tore the lateral ligament in his right knee during training on Monday” and underwent surgery on Tuesday just before the game started. Bayern Munich’s massive wall (where are Jon Snow and Samwell Tarly?) is, indeed, keeping out the wildlings (Bild reporters and the like).
- Aznou definitely has talent, but he does need more seasoning. He has explosive quickness with the ball, but his decision-making still needs to be refined a bit. Aznou sometimes looks like one of those old cartoons where the character’s leg spin really fast, before exploding from a standstill. Sometimes, though, he appears to be too fast for his own good as he ends up in trouble. Still, he is a dynamic talent worth watching as he develops. Overall, it was a good showing for him.
- Olise opened up the scoring in the 12th minute when he corralled in a rebound from an attempt by Aznou and rifled it into the net.
- Grasshopper Club Zürich was playing this match like it was a World Cup final, but it was just overmatched.
- Harry Kane worked in the build-up on more than one occasion. A point of contention for some (like me!), he is very good in progressing the ball up the pitch, but he also finds himself too far away to get involved in the play when that final ball makes its way into the box.
- In the 35th minute, Goretzka went down with an ankle injury, which was maybe the one thing that the Bavarians did not want to see happen at all. After a brief scare, Goretzka did get back up and remain in the match.
- While it was not a raucous crowd by any means, there were fans that started a “Leon Goretzka” chant to show support for the much maligned midfielder.
- Bayern Munich got the scoring started early in the second half when Alphonso Davies darted into the final third, crossed it over to Aznou, who headed toward the far post where Harry Kane was waiting to poach it for a goal.
- Olise should have scored seconds later, but his attempt was weak.
- Vidović seemed to help himself once more with another active match. Perhaps, the youngster needs one more loan assignment to really show his talent.
- In the 68th minute, Mathys Tel unleashed a hell of a shot for Bayern Munich’s third goal. Joshua Kimmich’s assist on the play was sublime as well.
- As of now, it seems like Kompany is planning to use Thomas Müller as the backup striker to Kane, while Tel will focus on playing as a winger.
- Kompany is going to have a heck of a time selecting his wings for each match.
- Finally, Müller put a bow on the match with a volley goal off of a Raphaël Guerreiro freekick/cross. He cannot stop scoring!
- For those interested, Jamal Musiala was held out to load management.
- It would be tough to say anyone had a bad game. Everyone was just very solid overall.
- Overall, the match did what it needed to do for Bayern Munich (even with the odd timing). The squad looked solid and did well with in all facets in the match. Most importantly, no one else got injured (at least that we know of at this point).
If you missed out Initial Analysis, Match Awards, or Observations give them a look. Please note that Postgame Podcast — because the match was a friendly and early in the day (U.S. time) — is available on Patreon as our Daily BPW Show.
Former Bayern Munich goalkeeper Yann Sommer is really having a great time at Inter Milan.
“I feel very good here at Inter,” Sommer said. “And I’m doing very well there, playing in goal for a big club. I’ve always said that I’ll keep playing football for as long as I’m enjoying it. When I step out onto the pitch at the San Siro, it gives me goosebumps. That shows me that I’m at the right place.”
Good for Sommer. For some reason, he got a bit of a bad rap at Bayern Munich, but he came in and did his job as well as anyone could have in that situation.
You come here daily. You read the posts. You listen to the podcasts (or at least you should).
Heck, you might even banter with some of BFW staffers in the comments or on social media.
But…do you really know us?
Now, you will get that chance. In a Bavarian Podcast Works Special Edition Series, we are unleashing unveiling “BFW Behind the Scenes.”
In this series you will get to know some of the BFW staffers a little better than you already do. Find out how they got involved with Bayern Munich, Bavarian Football Works, what they like, what they’re into, and what they are expecting from the Bavarians this season.
So settle in for some fun as Chuck Smith hosts “BFW Behind the Scenes” — a fun set of conversations with BFW staffers. We’ve got an entire slate of BFW’ers ready to go. Check out the podcasts and let us know what you think!
In this edition, you will meet Marc aka Marclk.
VfB Stuttgart is ecstatic to have Deniz Undav back leading its attack.
“For us, he is not back, he was always with us,” Christian Gentner is the Head of Player Licensing at Stuttgart told FootballTransfers journalist Ronan Murphy. “That’s the big advantage. From the first day he came back, he was always one of the leaders. We are happy to have him.”
Former Stuttgart and Germany striker Cacau also praised Undav.
“I hope they come from Undav again,” Cacau told FootballTransfers. “I hope to see the best version of (Ermedin) Demirović, but he has a different profile to (Serhou) Guirassy. He was technically amazing, he scored every game. I hope, but I am not sure if Demirović can give the same.
“The transfer of Undav is very important to the team. I hope Demirović will score too, more than me, that won’t be a problem!”
Paris Saint Germain midfielder Manuel Ugarte wants a transfer to Manchester United (who doesn’t these days?):
Manuel Ugarte is ‘in love with the idea’ of joining Manchester United from PSG and is actively pushing for a deal to be completed.
Welcome to the new Bundesliga 2024/25 Prediction Series!
The concept is simple: Marcus Iredahl, a Bundesliga fanatic and self-proclaimed mediocre predictor, will review all the Bundesliga teams for the upcoming 2024/25 season and predict their final standings.
So please join him as he will review all the teams, offering his insights on their summer transfer window, coach, and the top 3 players to watch this season.
Part 1 will cover predictions for the 18th to 13th place finishes. Marcus will offer insights on:
- The relegation battle: Which two teams will be automatically relegated?
- Which team will finish 16th and be forced to play the infamous relegation/promotion game at the end of the season? (Marcus’ pick may surprise you…)
- Why Paul Wanner will be a player to watch this season.
- And much more!
Bayer Leverkusen is reportedly interested in Liverpool FC center-back Sepp van den Berg, who spent last season with Mainz 05 on loan:
Excl | Bayer 04 Leverkusen have made contact with FC Liverpool about a potential deal for Sepp van den Berg ✔️
Interest from Leverkusen now concrete after Van den Berg was on their list as reported.
Been told that Liverpool demand £25m now!
Brentford, also there with concrete talks as via @David_Ornstein. ⚠️ Leverkusen and Brentford, both clubs now in contact with #LFC to find solutions and agreements.
Van den Berg did show great promise last season and a return to the Bundesliga might benefit him.
Former Bayern Munich winger Ivan Perišić could be seeking to link back up with Hansi Flick at FC Barcelona:
Ivan Perišić has emerged as a surprise target for Barcelona. The veteran winger is set to leave Hajduk Split after falling out with new manager Gennaro Gattuso.
One DFB-Pokal match is in the books (an easy 4-0 win over SSV Ulm), but the hard work really does lie ahead for Bayern Munich.
The Bavarians kick off the Bundesliga on Sunday against Wolfsburg, which is just one of the topics on the agenda to discuss for this edition of the Bavarian Podcast Works Show. Check out what we have on tap:
- Coming down from game one, where do things stand heading into the Bundesliga opener.
- Is the club doing Leon Goretzka dirty, hurting itself, or both? This is truly a complex situation.
- Is Kingsley Coman the next Bayern Munich player on his way out?
- Checking in on the forgotten man, Paul Wanner. The youngster impresses for Heidenheim…what does that mean?
- Some news on the upcoming BPW schedule that you will not want to miss.
Could İlkay Gündoğan have turned down the chance to make the move from FC Barcelona to Liverpool FC? Maybe:
Liverpool made an offer of €40m (£34m) for Barcelona midfielder İlkay Gündoğan which was immediately accepted by club president Joan Laporta – but the German turned down the switch.
Per Mundo Deportivo (via 90Min.com), the former German national team captain will not consider any offers from Saudi Arabia:
Both Raphinha and Gundogan have no intention to accept big money offers from Saudi Arabia, even though Barcelona would welcome an exit for both to fund other transfer business.
Before he decided to go back to Chelsea. Atlético Madrid star João Félix knew where he did not want to go — back to FC Barcelona, where he played for lesser wages:
Joao Felix has ruled out returning to Barcelona this summer as he does not want another season on the low wages on offer at Camp Nou. The Atletico Madrid forward is currently in talks with Chelsea.
Félix, of course, sealed another loan move to Chelsea.
You come here daily. You read the posts. You listen to the podcasts (or at least you should).
Heck, you might even banter with some of BFW staffers in the comments or on social media.
But…do you really know us?
Now, you will get that chance. In a Bavarian Podcast Works Special Edition Series, we are unleashing unveiling “BFW Behind the Scenes.”
In this series you will get to know some of the BFW staffers a little better than you already do. Find out how they got involved with Bayern Munich, Bavarian Football Works, what they like, what they’re into, and what they are expecting from the Bavarians this season.
So settle in for some fun as Chuck Smith hosts “BFW Behind the Scenes” — a fun set of conversations with BFW staffers. We’ve got an entire slate of BFW’ers ready to go. Check out the podcasts and let us know what you think!
In this edition, you can meet Michael Scott aka LoneStar249.
