It has been a wild week for Bayern Munich star Jamal Musiala.
Last Friday, the Germany international turned in one of his best all-time performances for club or country during the German national team’s 5-0 victory over Hungary. On Tuesday, Musiala scuffled his way through a 2-2 draw with the Netherlands, making some of the same mistakes in the final third that have plagued at times during his young career.
By the middle of the week, the talk had completely shifted toward what it might take for Bayern Munich to extend Musiala’s contract, before pundit Didi Hamann took a torch to the 21-year-old on Thursday for some of the flaws in his game.
For Bayern Munich, it has been all-Musiala, all the time for the last seven days.
Following the criticism from Hamann, Bayern Munich sporting director Christoph Freund touched on the topic this morning at the team’s pregame press conference.
“We are extremely happy to have such a player in the squad. Jamal is a player that people go to the stadium to see. He can decide games and is also an absolute team player. He can become one of the best in the world and both FC Bayern and Germany can count themselves lucky to have him in their ranks. In other countries, such a young player would actually be praised. He will shape the next decade for Germany and hopefully also for FC Bayern,” said Freund (as captured by @iMiaSanMia). “There are always talks. We want to extend the contract. Both the president and Max Eberl have already said so. It’s our goal for him to stay with us long-term and help shape an era. Hopefully the talks will have a positive end. But there’s no time pressure.”
Head coach Vincent Kompany echoed Freund’s sentiments.
“I’ve seen one or two players and Jamal should just carry on as he is and not change anything. We are happy to have him. He can become one of the three or four best players in the world,” Kompany said (as captured by @FCBayern).
It is evident, Musiala has the support of the club, so let’s rattle off what Musiala has going for him in Bavaria:
- The full backing of the club coaches and executives ✅
- The ability to play the position he prefers (attacking midfield) on an ongoing basis ✅
- The (likely) assurance that he will not be beholden to the rumored €14 million salary ceiling Bayern Munich allegedly has in place ✅
- A club where he will compete for trophies domestically and abroad each season ✅
- A club committed to surrounding him with some of the best players in the world on a yearly basis. ✅
- A club wholly devoted to ensuring every move it makes is done with his best interests in mind. ✅
What’s not to love?
Well, for Musiala there might be one thing lacking — the platform and stage that would allow him win the individual awards he so covets, like the Ballon d’Or.
It is not to say that winning the Ballon d’Or is impossible at Bayern Munich, but Musiala certainly would have a better chance to do that if playing for one of the power clubs in the Premier League or La Liga.
Will that be a determining factor for the youngster? It remains to be seen, but we know such a thing is extremely important to him.
Clearly, there are plenty of viable reasons for Musiala to extend his deal and help Bayern Munich attempt to dominate world football for the next decade. Will those be enough?
We will soon find out.
Bavarian Podcast Works — Weekend Warm-up Show Season 4, Episode 9
Bayern Munich is back in action this weekend after the international break — and man, it is good to have the Bundesliga back in tow.
We’ll talk about the excitement for more BuLi ball and whole lot more on this episode. This is what we have on tap:
- Chuck talks about the choppiness of this opening schedule and the return of the Bundesliga after the international break, before jumping directly into the latest controversy surrounding Didi Hamann’s comments regarding Jamal Musiala. Is Hamann correct in saying that Musiala is “Individualistic”?
- Can Bayern Munich weather the storm and get a deal with Musiala done? If so, how does a potential pursuit of Bayer Leverkusen’s Florian Wirtz and the eventual return of Paul Wanner work?
- Is Hansi Flick eyeing a unique double-dip into Bayern Munich’s roster for the summer of 2025 transfer window?
Song of the Week: “Friend of the Devil” by Grateful Dead
I cannot profess to being any kind of Deadhead (it’s just not my scene), but I always had a fondness for this particular tune.
Released way back in 1970, it is almost hard to hear this song on the radio these days, but
The traveling roadshow, Deadhead lifestyle is something that has always fascinated me, though. Following a band around from town to town would be a hell of a way to live — I would probably unravel by day three, but I’m admittedly just not built for that life (I mean I could be, but the not showering thing would kill me! I kid, I kid).
Seriously, though, the Dead has some awesome songs and while jam bands are not normally my cup of tea, I can appreciate greatness when I hear it:
You might have missed this a few years ago, but I also profiled this song from the 1990s from a local band (Love Seed Mama Jump), who had a pretty funny view of the Deadheads:
Bavarian Podcast Works — Preview Show: Holstein Kiel vs. Bayern Munich
Bayern Munich will be back in action this weekend and will be facing Holstein Kiel.
As you might recall, Bayern Munich was unceremoniously bounced by Holstein Kiel in the DFB-Pokal during Hansi Flick’s final season with the club (FCBayern.com):
Bayern have a score to settle with Kiel from the only previous competitive encounter. That came in the second round of the 2020/21 DFB Cup when a 6-5 defeat on penalties saw the holders knocked out by the then Bundesliga 2 side in wintery January conditions at the Holstein-Stadion.
Even with Holstein Kiel struggling with its promotion, this should be a fun match for fans to soak in after the international break. Let’s take a look at what we have on tap for this episode:
- A look at where each team is in the table and the recent form of each squad.
- What to watch for with Holstein Kiel.
- A remembrance of the #ArpTrain movement (RIP).
- A look at Bayern Munich’s injury situation.
- A guess at Bayern Munich’s starting XI.
- A prediction on the match.
Predictions
Bundesliga
Bayern Munich is the better, deeper side. This is not a must win game, but it is a can’t lose match (meaning they cannot afford to lose it for a variety of reasons).
Prediction: Holstein Kiel 0-4 Bayern Munich
Other Bundesliga Predictions:
- Borussia Dortmund 2-1 Heidenheim
- Hoffenheim 1-3 Bayer Leverkusen
- SC Freiburg 2-1 VfL Bochum
- Borussia Mönchengladbach 1-2 VfB Stuttgart
- RB Leipzig 3-0 Union Berlin
- VfL Wolfsburg 1-1 Eintracht Frankfurt
- FC Augsburg 2-2 St. Pauli
- Mainz 05 1-1 Werder Bremen
Champions League
The Champions League is always dicey, but the Bavarians should be prohibitive favorites in this match. It will be very interesting to see how Vincent Kompany approaches this match. His rotation will be key and surely be a focus for the media — and the players. The squad is getting healthy and difficult selections will have to be made.
Prediction: Bayern Munich 4-0 Dinamo Zagreb
Other Champions League Predictions:
Prediction Records
Last Week Bundesliga: 3-6
Overall Bundesliga: 9-9
UEFA Nations League: 23-20 (did not make picks on the first nine games last Thursday)
Champions League: 0-0
DFB-Pokal: 26-6
Total: 58-35
Perfect Picks: 7 (when the score and winner is predicted exactly)
