Daily Schmankerl: The aftermath of Bayern Munich vs. SC Freiburg; Matthijs de Ligt trusts Manchester United’s project; Jonathan Tah probably not re-upping with Bayer Leverkusen; Napoli-Victor Osimhen still battling; and MORE!

Everyone wants to be positive and feel good about Bayern Munich.

It is only two games into the Bundesliga season and hope should spring eternal. However, the reality of how the two games have looked makes it seems like tinkering and over-thinking are BACK in Bavaria once more.

Bayern Munich did outlast SC Freiburg 2-0, but it was neither aesthetic, nor fun. In fact, it was only a bit of luck with a handball and the impact of a certain veteran presence, who crawled out the grave once more to save the team, that stood between dropping points and a win.

Let’s take a look at some quick hitters on the match:

• As always, let’s peek at the starting XI, which left a lot to be desired for several reasons:

• The lineup was quite the head scratcher. Things just had trouble adding up. Depending on how you viewed Kimmich, this was either going to be some kind of funky back-three or maybe a 4-1-4-1. Either way, the omissions of Sacha Boey and João Palhinha was noticeable — as was the inclusion of Mathys Tel. The rumors of Musiala playing a little deeper appeared to be coming to fruition.
• Thomas Muller’s exclusion was not unexpected, but it will be harder to keep him out of the XI if he can string together good performances like he has thus far.
• The formation was listed as a 4-2-3-1 by one site, a 4-1-4-1 by another, but it did not function like a traditional version of either formation:

• At times, Raphaël Guerreiro would slide to look like a center-back. Other times, Dayot Upamecano pushed out to look like a right center-back in a back-three. Then, either Joshua Kimmich or Aleksandar Pavlović would drop into a central defender role. On defense, Jamal Musiala seemed to function as a central midfielder, but bumped up as an attacking midfielder when on offense. Everything was fluid and unpredictable for SC Freiburg — and Bayern Munich (unfortunately).
• The attack was not smooth or in sync at all early on. With so many roles quickly changing during play, it might have gone the Thomas the Train route — causing confusion and delay.
• There were some moments of excitement and brilliance, but on first instinct, it appeared that Vincent Kompany was overcomplicating things with his tactics.
• While dominant in the first half, Bayern Munich could not muster many great chances. In particular, Harry Kane seemed like he had some trouble getting involved in the attack.
• Bayern Munich was fortunate to get a handball call that Kane made SC Freiburg pay for. His penalty kick in the 38th minute put Bayern Munich up 1-0.
• Hopefully, Kompany does not fall victim to what help fell both Julian Nagelsmann and Thomas Tuchel — trying to prove every second of every game that there were the smartest person in the stadium.
• One of the biggest criticisms of Nagelsmann was his persistent tinkering — early on, it seemed as if Kompany might have some of those tendencies.
• The most successful coaches of Bayern Munich’s modern era — Jupp Heynckes and Hansi Flick — were not tinkerers. Generally, those two were fairly consistent with assessing player performance, picking lineups, and keeping tactics simple. Does Bayern Munich’s brass get wooed too easily by the promise of what a coaching candidate pitches, rather than the reality of how it will play out on the pitch?
• It is far too early to be in #KompanyOut territory. To assert as much would be premature (to say the least). It has to start looking better than this, though. So far, this very much has “a win is a win” vibe.
• Individually, Michael Olise failed to impress. Raphaël Guerreiro was just….there. Joshua Kimmich and Aleksandar Pavlović were…okay. Mathys Tel was non-impactful and pretty poor overall. Aside of the penalty, Kane was meh. Jamal Musiala was okay.
• This was not a great showing by the starting XI — but at least Kim Min-jae and Dayot Upamecano never really got tested.
• Musiala is exciting and dynamic, but plays stubborn and makes a lot of mistakes at times. His game needs to start taking steps forward. If Bayern Munich really wants to get the most of Musiala at this stage of his career, just put him at wing. He desperately wants to take people on and is great at it when working out wide. It is not so easy for him on the inside.
• At this stage of his career, Tel seems much more suited to be a super-sub and rotational winger. He has massive potential, but has not always been at his best when starting.
• Again, though, Thomas Müller was the spark that Bayern Munich needed. Müller sealed the victory with a deft touch and rocket of a finish to put the Bavarians up 2-0. Serge Gnabry provided the assist. For two players, whose role were supposed to be cut majorly, it is hard to think about where this team would be without the duo.
• Another coach benches Müller for “younger”, “better” talent — and another coach is going to have to face the reality that the team might just be better with No. 25 in the lineup.
• João Palhinha was hit with an unfortunate handball call in the box, but SC Freiburg’s Lucas Höler airmailed his PK attempt to help Manuel Neuer keep the clean sheet.
• Overall, through two games, this has not looked great. Last week, we saw grit, persistence, and resilience shine through; but this week, we saw none of that. The squad looked hapless and unmotivated, while also not displaying much creativity or energy. The key is to see Kompany’s response. Bayern Munich’s front office ignored how good Matthijs de Ligt performed and Kompany needs to avoid making the same mistake. The coach needs to stop coaching to what he wants to happen and start coaching to what is happening. If Kompany does not adapt and respond, he will be putting the team’s record in jeopardy simply because of how he thinks things should be, rather than what they are.

If you missed our Initial Analysis, Match Awards, Observations, or Postgame Podcast/Flagship Show combo, give them a look or a listen:

As always, we appreciate all the support!

Bayer Leverkusen did everything it could to keep Jonathan Tah for the 2024/25 season, but it appears likely to be his last with the club per his agent.

“We would have liked to make a move this summer and still provide Leverkusen with a transfer fee for a deserving player, or in this case, Bayern Munich would have, not us. That was the explicit wish. It was never our intention to say we would let the contract run out and then leave on a free transfer. That was never Jonathan’s intention, nor ours. But it has been clearly and openly communicated to Simon Rolfes and also Fernando Carro that Jonathan does not currently wish to extend his contract, which means he would leave the club on a free transfer next summer,” said Tah’s agent, Max Bielefeld.

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 RLD…

According to his agent, Rafaela Pimenta, Matthijs de Ligt is all-in on being at Manchester United:

Speaking of Manchester United, not everyone believes in that project. According to Fabrizio Romano, Jadon Sancho took a pay cut to move from Manchester United to Chelsea FC:

For his part, Sancho had this to say:

Bayern Munich’s season in fully underway.

The summer transfer window is almost over, the DFB-Pokal and Bundesliga both kicked off, and now the Champions League draw has taken place. When you factor in that the German national team also made its call-ups, there is plenty to talk about. So, let’s get to it. This is what we have on tap for this edition of the Bavarian Podcast Works — Weekend Warm-up Show:

• INNN and Chuck break down Bayern Munich’s Champions League draw. Do we like the format? What do we think about the match-ups? PSG and FC Barcelona — again? Oh, the humanity — and subplots!
• Julian Nagelsmann made his latest call-ups to the German national team? Who won, who lost? Why so few Bayern Munich players?
• Bayern Munich is in the final few days of the summer transfer window — what will happen with Kingsley Coman and Jonathan Tah? Should Bayern Munich take a flier on Mats Hummels?

New Borussia Dortmund coach Nuri Sahin got his first taste of the business end of coaching when Sébastien Haller was loaned to Leganés.

“This is the brutality of the business. He gets on the bus with us to Bremen, and later in the evening, he’s gone. Of course, it’s emotional because it involves a person. He wanted to take this step, which I can absolutely understand from a sporting perspective. On a personal level, his departure is a huge loss for us. I wish him and his wonderful family all the best and hope that he finds his smile on the pitch again,” said Sahin.

A popular player, Haller did not have a role moving forward and likely needed to move on, but his bout with cancer endeared him to many on the squad and in the stands.

It seems inconceivable that things have gotten so bad between Victor Osimhen and Napoli that he has been banned from all activities, but that is where the situation seems to be. Moreover, head coach Antonio Conte is insisting that he will not be reintegrated into the squad: