Bayern Munich did not always look in control of 3-2 victory over VfL Wolfsburg in the Bundesliga opening match for both teams.
Trailing 2-1 in the second half, some fans started to sweat things a little, but the Bavarians had just enough in the tank to pull out the win. Let’s take a look at some quick hitters on the match:
- As always, let’s start with Vincent Kompany’s XI:
- There were no wholly shocking decisions. Alphonso Davies and Raphaël Guerreiro were a toss up at left-back, while some might have raised an eyebrow at Aleksandar Pavlović getting the nod over João Palhinha. Otherwise, that went pretty much as expected.
- While Bayern Munich showed a lot of versatility and creativity its attack during the offseason, it seemed as if Kompany implemented a game plan for Wolfsburg that focused on breaking down the Wolves from the outside-in, which seemed to be working early on.
- Bayern Munich’s first goal of the match was a result of just that, given how Sacha Boey got really high up the pitch before sending a cross over to Jamal Musiala who took care of the rest in the 19th minute.
- There was a blatant Wolfsburg handball, which somehow resulted in Harry Kane getting a yellow card for arguing. It was that kind of match.
- Otherwise, though, the first half was choppy with a few moments of brilliance sprinkled in. Wolfsburg did not really offer much up to threaten Bayern Munich and seemed content to try and limit the damage.
- From there, things unraveled for Bayern Munich. Boey got the ball rolling after getting beat by Tiago Tomás and then hauling him down in the box. Lovro Majer scored the penalty kick in the 47th minute to knot the game at 1-1.
- Somehow, though, it got worse. A needless, careless, lackadaisical play from Kim Min-jae sprung Majer, who has an easy time taking advantage of a completely prone Manuel Neuer to make it 2-1 in favor of Wolfsburg in the 53rd minute,
- Are we totally sure selling Matthijs de Ligt was a good move? Asking for a friend.
- Min-jae picked up right where he left off last season with his performance. Max Eberl and Christoph Freund took a massive gamble on riding Min-jae and Dayot Upamecano. They had better hope that it gets a lot better than this.
- Thomas Müller entered the match in the 65th minute and immediately was involved in a fracas in front of the net with Kane, that ultimately resulted in an own goal from Jakub Kamiński.
- More incredibly sloppy play from the backline — this time from Upamecano — almost gave the game away, but Kevin Behrens hooked his shot attempt.
- Alphonso Davies was not good, either, but far better than Min-jae, who might need a game or two on the bench to reboot.
- So, yeah, Bayern Munich backline is a complete mess.
- Michael Olise was decent in the first half, but a complete no-show in the second half.
- Kamiński redeemed himself by deflecting a Kane attempt that would have been surefire goal (and a spectacular one to boot).
- Seconds later, Müller made a sensational play to get off a pass to Kane while he was on his way to the ground. Kane found Gnabry who shot far post and hit it. The ball deflected off the post into the net and Bayern Munich fans could collectively breath a sigh of relief.
- Overall, this was a reality check. Bayern Munich spent the preseason beating up on glorified B-sides (sorry Tottenham Hotspur) and now has to ramp it up. Not everything was as easy as it was in the friendlies or the DFB-Pokal, so the test for Kompany will begin now. When factoring in that the coach has to deal with a defense that is in complete disarray, this might not be such an easy task for the former Burnley boss.
If you missed our Initial Analysis, Match Awards, Observations, or combo Postgame Show/Flagshow Show, give them a look or a listen:
Despite it looking very unlikely for a move to happen, FC Barcelona still wants to bring in Kingsley Coman:
Barcelona are determined to sign a new left winger before Friday’s transfer deadline. As things stand, Federico Chiesa is the preferred option, and an opening offer is expected to be sent to Juventus in the coming days.
However, Chiesa isn’t the only player being considered by Barcelona. Earlier this month, they were linked with Kingsley Coman, who will be allowed to leave Bayern Munich on loan during the remaining days of the summer transfer window.
Coman is a player that Hansi Flick would be keen to sign, with the player having previously worked together in Bavaria. Fabrizio Romano has told The Daily Briefing that Barcelona are still interested in the French attacker, but his salary would make a deal difficult.
“Keep a close eye on Kingsley Coman in the final days, because Coman could be an option for Premier League clubs and could be an option for Barcelona.
“He’s appreciated by Hansi Flick, but the salary is expensive. Federico Chiesa is still on the list at Barcelona but Coman is still waiting for a move and Coman still has chances to move.
“It could be an initial loan with buy clause, so a big opportunity on the market, but he’s on a big salary, on a big contract, and this is why the clubs are waiting until the last minute to try to find the best deal possible with Kingsley Coman.”
FC Barcelona might want Coman, but it might be hard for them to register the player because of financial issues. After all, Dani Olmo is still sitting in the stands because of the same problem.
If a move for Coman falls through, Barca is also confident that it can get a deal done with Juventus attacker Federico Chiesa per Gianluca DiMarzio (via 90Min.com):
Barcelona are optimistic a deal for Juventus winger Federico Chiesa will be agreed before the summer window closes.
Welcome to Part 3 of the 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 3 will cover predictions for the 6th to 1st place finishes. Marcus will offer insights on:
- Why Bayer Leverkusen is poised for a great season after last year’s success under Xabi Alonso.
- Why Bayern Munich needs to give new head coach Vincent Kompany time to make his mark.
- Why Nuri Sahin’s Dortmund project lacks confidence for the future.
- Why Eintracht Frankfurt could be this season’s dark horse.
- Why Benjamin Sesko is just one season away from becoming an elite striker.
- And much more!
Part 1 covered the 18th to 13th place finishes and included the following predictions:
18. VfL Bochum
17. Holstein Kiel
16. FC Heidenheim
15. FSV Mainz 05
14. FC St. Pauli
13. FC Augsburg
Part 2 covered the 12th to 7th place finished and included the following predictions:
12. TSG 1899 Hoffenheim
11. SV Werder Bremen
10. SC Freiburg
9. VfB Stuttgart
8. FC Union Berlin
7. Borussia Mönchengladbach
Could Real Madrid really still make a move for Alphonso Davies? It seems extremely doubtful, but one report indicates such a thing is still in play for this transfer window:
Real Madrid have been targeting a move for Canadian left-back Alphonso Davies throughout the summer transfer window.
Identified as an ideal long-term solution for the left-back position, Davies was seen as a key piece in bolstering the defensive line at the Santiago Bernabeu.
However, despite their persistent efforts, Madrid have struggled to reach an agreement with Bayern Munich, who have remained firm in their stance.
A recent report from Jorge Picon and Rodra P (h/t Madrid Xtra) has offered an update on Real Madrid’s pursuit of Davies, suggesting the club may make a final attempt to sign the Canadian.
Madrid were initially prepared to pay a transfer fee of close to €30 million to bring Davies to Valdebebas this season.
Juventus still wants Jadon Sancho, but also wants Manchester United to eat part of his salary:
Juventus want Manchester United to cover part of Jadon Sancho’s salary to take the England winger on loan for the 2024/25 season.
Well, we made it.
Through the EURO 2024 tourney, a crazy transfer window (which is still ongoing for a few more days), the preseason, and the opening DFB-Pokal match, Bayern Munich is finally ready to kick off its Bundesliga season.
Excitement does, indeed, reign supreme.
If you want our takes on the Bayern Munich vs. Wolfsburg match, check out our Preview Show, but for now, we have a lot of other Bayern news to tackle on our agenda. Let’s take a look at what is on tap for this edition of the Bavarian Podcast Works — Weekend Warm-up Show:
- After all of that, Leon Goretzka and Kingsley Coman are probably staying at Bayern Munich…now, what?
- More thoughts on that wild Matthijs de Ligt story.
- Germany lost a ton of experience in the last two months after the respective retirements of Toni Kroos, Thomas Müller, İlkay Gündoğan, and Manuel Neuer.
- Would Manuel Neuer have stayed with Germany under another coach?
- The four most “captain-like” players all retired, so Joshua Kimmich has to be the choice…right?
- Who else could be in contention?
Ante Rebić has a strong history in Germany and could be thinking about a return. It just probably will not be with Schalke 04 (at least not yet):
Rumors about @s04 and Ante #Rebić are wide of mark – at this stage!
Top and experienced player. 30 y/o is a free agent.
But #S04 are currently not considering making another transfer until Deadline Day. Unless something extraordinary happens (injuries, etc.) …
Schalke are now focused on offloads.
Real Madrid is not losing focus on a transfer move for Bayer Leverkusen’s Florian Wirtz in 2025:
Real Madrid have not stopped tracking Bayer Leverkusen sensation Florian Wirtz, who is a major target for 2025.
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 Rayyan aka Cyler.
Things got very heated between UMass and Rutgers on Sunday:
Crazy scenes today in Amherst, as a fight broke out between in a game between Rutgers and UMass, with multiple punches being thrown. Gia Girman of Rutgers and Ashley Lamond from UMass were both sent off as a result.
UMass went on to win 1-0.#CollegeSoccer #NCAASoccer pic.twitter.com/nvmhU4WStb
— College Soccer News (@ncaasoccernews) August 25, 2024
A quick side note to this is that the two players involved played youth soccer at the same club in New Jersey.
Hopefully this footage in the tweet does not get yanked down, but Bayern Munich loanee scored for Heidenheim:
