Weekend Warm-up: All dressed up and nowhere to go…except maybe on loan for Bayern Munich’s Mathys Tel; Bundesliga predictions; Throwing it back to Paul Westerberg; and MORE!

Competition is fierce on Bayern Munich’s deep and talented and roster.

The attacking group is particularly stacked with Harry Kane, Leroy Sané, Jamal Musiala, Thomas Müller, Michael Olise, Kingsley Coman, Arijon Ibrahimović, and…Mathys Tel.

At this point, Kane, Musiala, Gnabry, Olise, and Sané seem like the five players, who will garner the most playing time. For youngsters like Ibrahimović, who has been injured thus far, and Tel, who had a breakout season in 2023/24, it could prove to be tough sledding to get on the pitch consistently.

Rumors are already starting to emerge that — if unhappy with his playing time — Tel could be open to a loan as soon as January. At his press conference earlier today, Bayern Munich sporting director Christoph Freund touched on the topic and wanted to let everyone know that the club has no plan on letting Tel go.

“Mathys has impressed in preseason. He’s still very young, but has been with us for a long time. He’s always self-critical and works hard on himself every day. I’m not worried about him. A loan move is also not a topic. He will score goals again and regain his confidence,” Freund said (as captured by @iMiaSanMia).

Head coach Vincent Kompany also tossed some support over to Tel.

“I was once a young player too. It’s completely normal to have ups and downs. He just has to keep going. We believe in him,” Kompany stated (as captured by @iMiaSanMia).

The backing from club higher-ups is surely something that Tel appreciates, but playing time is what he really wants. After a terrific preseason showing, Tel has cooled down. Surely, it is a normal ebb-and-flow situation for any young player, but the pressure to perform — when surrounded by such a deep and talented roster — could be weighing heavily on Tel.

Where does the playing time come from for Tel? That’s a big question.

Musiala and Sané are both involved in contract talks, which will likely keep Kompany inclined to use them a lot. Gnabry is fighting to prove he should be a part of the club moving forward and has been great so far this season. Coman would love to showcase himself for a move of his own in January (and Bayern Munich needs him to perform to help facilitate a sale). Kane is rarely going to sit out, Olise is the prized new signing, who everyone is eager to see, and Müller has —perhaps — been one of the two or three most effective and efficient players in the attack despite not playing all that much.

Field time will be hard for Tel and Ibrahimović to get. What is more important for the youngsters? To stay with Bayern Munich and get better via training every day in a top-tier environment — or to go experience playing games with another team?

Bayern Munich will have to decide in the coming months.

Bavarian Podcast Works — Weekend Warm-up Show Season 4, Episode 10

Bayern Munich has had a busy week — and so have we!

Let’s get right down to it and lay out what we have in store for this edition of the Bavarian Podcast Works — Weekend Warm-up Show:

• Introducing a new show to our lineup: “Bavarian Podcast Works — LoneStar Locks” — which will focus on sports betting and gambling. If you are not a fan of betting, you can still get some unique insights on games across the Bundesliga and Champions League. The new show debuted early on Thursday, so check it out!
• Chuck details (as much as he can) some stories back when he used to partake in “the action.”
• Dinamo Zagreb sacked its coach after Bayern Munich smashed them…which is completely ludicrous
• Vincent Kompany is going to do things his way.
• The Thomas Muller situation has become a talking point for fans.
• Can we just get rid of the “Performance Principle” for good?
• A look at Mathys Tel’s situation, how things are going to be tough for him, and why a loan in January would not be surprising.
• A quick update on where I am with my Game of Thrones re-watch

Song of the Week: “Waiting for Somebody” by Paul Westerberg

This track appeared on the heralded soundtrack for the movie Singles and was a major part of the alt-rock scene at the time.

Released in 1992, Westerberg was coming off of his run with The Replacements (a band that is revered by many from the period). A mercuricial figure, Westerberg is definitely one of those performers who had a very late 80s, early 90s attitude.

Funny enough, this released just before grunge really started to take over — which was, funny enough, given some exposure from the Singles soundtrack. Enjoy:

Bavarian Podcast Works — Preview Show: Werder Bremen vs. Bayern Munich

Bayern Munich will hook up with Werder Bremen in a Bundesliga showdown this weekend, which will showcase the league leaders (Bayern) vs. a squad that has still not taken a loss this season (Werder Bremen).

Let’s take a look at the breakdown for this edition of the Bavarian Podcast Works — Preview Show:

• A look at where each team is in the table and the recent form of each squad.
• What to look for with Werder Bremen, what Bayern Munich connections are there, and why this team is just good enough to maybe be a pain the butt. Oh. and after we talked about how great it was to see Marco Friedl achieving some success, he promptly got served a two-game red card suspension. As they say, timing is everything.
• A guess at Bayern Munich’s starting XI.
• A prediction on the match.

Predictions

Bayern Munich is coming off of two straight curb jobs on their opponents (Holstein Kiel, Dinamo Zagreb) and looks poised to keep the train chugging right along against a game, but likely overmatched Werder Bremen side.

The Bavarians will have the edge in ever department, but focus and fatigue could play a role if Bayern Munich is not careful. We don’t those things becoming too much of an issue in what should be a convincing victory.

Prediction: Werder Bremen 0-3 Bayern Munich

You know who this is for:

Other Bundesliga Predictions:

• FC Augsburg 1-1 Mainz 05
• VfL Bochum 2-2 Holstein Kiel
• Heidenheim 2-2 SC Freiburg
• Union Berlin 1-2 Hoffenheim
• Eintracht Frankfurt 2-1 Borussia Mönchengladbach
• Bayer Leverkusen 3-1 VfL Wolfsburg
• VfB Stuttgart 1-2 Borussia Dortmund
• St. Pauli 0-4 RB Leipzig

Prediction Records

• Last Week Bundesliga: 5-4
• Overall Bundesliga: 14-13
• UEFA Nations League: 23-20
• Champions League: 12-6
• DFB-Pokal: 26-6
• Total: 75-45
• Perfect Picks: 11 (when the score and winner is predicted exactly)