Daily Schmankerl: The aftermath of Bayern Munich vs. Dinamo Zagreb; Arsenal eyeing Real Madrid star; Ivan Perišić headed to PSV?; Real Madrid wants FC Barcelona defender; Harry Kane gets European acclaim; and MORE!

Well…that was never close.

Bayern Munich thrashed Dinamo Zagreb in a match that the Bavarians dominated from start-to-finish. Dinamo Zagreb did not offer much resistance and really just wanted to try and limit damage.

That would prove to be a tall task against a sturdy Bayern Munich side. Here are some quick hitters on Bayern Munich’s 9-2 victory over the Croatian power.

• As always, let’s take a look at Vincent Kompany’s starting lineup:

• The only real questions coming into the match regarding the lineup were at wing and left-back, but an unconventional set-up threw all of the positions out of whack. Kompany went with Alphonso Davies, Michael Olise and Serge Gnabry, Raphaël Guerreiro, and Aleksandar Pavlović as the coach got funky with his lineup.
• The formation functioned like a back-three in the build-up with Davies getting higher up the pitch, so the traditional set-up and positions went out the window.
• Dinamo Zagreb played very conservatively (and for good reason). The deep-sitting block shut down many shooting lanes for the Bavarians.
• Bayern Munich controlled possession and — after a VAR review — was awarded a penalty on a foul on Pavlović. Oddly, it was a double-VAR review where an offside call nullified a goal from Serge Gnabry, but did rewind even further to the Pavlović foul. Harry Kane eventually deposited the penalty kick into the net for a 1-0 Bayern Munich lead in the 19th minute.
• Later in the first half, a good, lofted ball in from Davies found Musiala, who chested it over to Guerreiro. The Portuguese international unleashed a rocket of a volley into the net for a 2-0 lead.
• Bayern Munich was thoroughly dominant, which made the game lack any real energy. Dinamo Zagreb looked resigned to its fate and was only hoping to keep the tally count to a somewhat non-embarrassing total.
• In the 38th minute, a short corner from Musiala to Kimmich resulted in a nice, lofted cross, which Olise put into the net for a 3-0 lead. At that point, Dinamo Zagreb could have started the busses.
• The second half started out with a bit of a shocker as Dinamo Zagreb took advantage of some lax defending from Dayot Upamecano and Guerreiro. Bruno Petković, who said he did not care about scoring against Bayern, did the deed.
• Bayern Munich, which had subbed in Sven Ulreich, was clearly playing flat in front of Ulreich.
• Seconds later, Zagreb made it 3-2 after taking advantage of Upamecano and Guerreiro again. This time it was Takuya Ogiwara who got the goal.
• Kane banged home a rebound from a shot by Kimmich to make it 4-2 in the 57th minute, while Olise added another in the 61st minute to make it 5-2.
• It was not a great showing for Kim Min-jae and Upamecano. Dier came on for Min-jae in the 69th minute. I cannot shake the feeling that Min-jae and Upamecano are going to be a shaky pairing against better teams.
• Kane added another PK in the 73rd minute for the hat-trick, which made for about as ho-hum a three-goal performance as you will ever see…but you know what? That’s okay, we’ll take it! Why stop there, though?
• In what can only be described as insanity, Bayern Munich was awarded another PK in the 77th minute when Davies had his foot stomped on in the box. Kane stepped up and hit his third penalty of the night and his fourth goal of the game.
• Hey…Leon Goretzka subbed in! Max Eberl probably texted Christoph Freund immediately with “Wer hat ihn auf das Spielfeld gelassen?”
• Leroy Sané added yet another goal in the 85th minute to make it 8-2 (maybe a final familiar to FC Barcelona).
• Goretzka, though, scored an absolutely stunning, running header to make it 9-2 and kill off the match. It was a terrific effort from Goretzka and a perfect delivery from Kimmich. Somewhere, Eberl punched a wall.
• Overall, Bayern Munich put a shellacking on Dinamo Zagreb. If not for some weak defending in a five minute stretch of the second half, the Bavarians would have waltzed home with a clean sheet. Also, I am pretty sure BFW staff writer Tom Adams got some second half run for Dinamo Zagreb and immediately flew back to Connecticut to play 7v7 beer league.

If you missed our Initial Analysis, Match Awards, Observations, or Postgame Podcast, give them a look and/or a list:

Arsenal FC boss Mikel Arteta wants to bring in Real Madrid midfielder Aurelien Tchouameni:

Mikel Arteta has been ‘dazzled’ by Real Madrid’s Aurelien Tchouameni and has promised to make him a key player in an attempt to lure him to Arsenal.

Bayern Munich won 1-6 against Holstein Kiel; Cyler and Samrin break down the performance, wonder what Max Eberl is thinking when it comes to Leon Goretzka, discuss whether Uli Hoeness should still have a voice in sporting matters at Bayern and more:

• Cyler explains why Bayern did not actually use a 4-2-3-1 formation and why Aleksandar Pavlović’s exclusion surprised him.
• Did Jamal Musiala play as a second forward or as an #8?
• Was Kingsley Coman’s performance impacted by Raphaël Guerreiro?
• Cyler praises Sacha Boey’s performance.
• What will Bayern do if Musiala decides to leave?
• Max Eberl’s statement about Leon Goretzka inspires an Eberl vs. Hoeness debate with Cyler and Samrin on opposite sides.
• Is Thomas Müller not starting because of Musiala?
• Cyler shows off his knowledge about Dinamo Zagreb!
• Which Champions League fixture is both Cyler and Samrin looking forward to?

Former Bayern Munich winger Ivan Perišić is a free agent and looks like he will end up at PSV Eindhoven:

Manchester City will be seeking out another attacker in January to compliment its roster:

Manchester City will attempt to bring in a striker during the January window as a belated replacement to Julián Alvarez.

From the outset, Holstein Kiel had absolutely no chance against a motivated and energetic Bayern Munich side.

The Bavarians stormed out an early lead, completely dominated play, and overwhelmed the home team in a blowout of a Bundesliga match. Here is what we have on tap for this edition of the Bavarian Podcast Works — Postgame Show:

• The intense punch in the face felt when realizing the game was at 12:30PM EDT instead of 9:30AM EDT.
• A look at Vincent Kompany starting XI selections.
• A rundown of the scoring and substitutions.
• What fans can take out of such a match?
• How ready is Bayern Munich for the Champions League?

After bagging a hat trick against Holstein Kiel over the weekend, Bayern Munich star Harry Kane earned a spot in WhoScred.com’s European Top 5 Leagues Team of the Week:

Could Real Madrid look to take advantage of Ronald Araújo’s ongoing contract drama at FC Barcelona? One report says as much:

In a surprising twist, Real Madrid are also among the sides who could take advantage of Ronald Araujo’s uncertain Barcelona future.

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 a 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?