Somehow, some way, former Bayern Munich coach Julian Nagelsmann is finding a way to win games no matter who suits up for his team.
Decimated by injuries, Germany still mustered up a good enough effort to take down the Netherlands 1-0 at the Allianz Arena. Nagelsmann is pushing all of the right buttons and the players are responding to him…which means great things could be ahead for the German national team.
Let’s dive in, here are some quick hitters on the match:
- As always, let’s begin with Julian Nagelsmann’s starting XI:
- Deniz Undav, who was scorching hot, was also dealing with muscular issues (yet ANOTHER injury for Germany), but everything else was pretty much on-point. Nico Schlotterbeck stepped in for Jonathan Tah, which was not a total shock. The only surprise was that Jamie Leweling was the selection to step in for Undav. Who saw this coming?
- Leweling nearly made a dramatic entrance in the first two minutes of the match with a goal, but it was waved off due to an offside call from VAR. The kid does look like he has some skill.
- Germany did look sharp, which really is a testament to the job that Nagelsmann and his staff are doing on a daily basis with the group during these international sessions. With so many injuries, the run of play should have been far more choppy. It was not perfect by any means, but this exact unit might have had one day of practice together.
- Oliver Baumann had a nice save, which proved to be extremely important.
- Frankly, Germany was fairly dominant in the first half despite ending at 0-0 after 45 minutes.
- After the break, Nagelsmann made an intriguing move — subbing out Florian Wirtz, inserting Robert Andrich, and moving Aleksandar Pavlović to the No. 10 position. As it turns out, Wirtz injured his knee, which is not what anyone wants for the kid.
- The Netherlands would eventually overtake Germany in the possession battle during the second half but the Dutch really scuffled to get much going offensively. It was a lot of empty possession, if that makes sense.
- Leweling would get his goal, though, after the ball deflected off of Nico Schlotterbeck in the 64th minute. It was quite a moment for the youngster. It was a corner scrum gone wrong for the Netherlands:
- From there, Germany did everything it could to keep the Netherlands off the scoreboard…and it did.
- Overall, this was a very solid showing for Germany, especially when considering that Julian Nagelsmann was using a makeshift lineup. Things are clicking for the German national team and the coach has successfully implemented a “next man up” mentality — no small feat when considering where this team was just a couple of years ago at the World Cup. Things are going well…now Nagelsmann has to continue to find ways to keep the momentum going and avoid peaking too early (something Hansi Flick could not do ahead of the 2022 World Cup).
If you missed our Initial Analysis, Match Awards, Observations, or Postgame Podcast, give them a look or a listen:
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If Real Madrid does succeed in landing Bayern Munich star Alphonso Davies, it could create a domino effect with other players on the roster:
Real Madrid are planning some major changes to their full-back positions, and it could put the futures of Lucas Vazquez and Fran Garcia in doubt.
According to a recent report from SPORT, the club is keen to bring in Alphonso Davies and Trent Alexander-Arnold next summer and if successful, this could mean significant changes for Vazquez and Garcia, both of whom might find themselves surplus to requirements.
It is no secret that Real Madrid’s objective for the next transfer window is to strengthen both the right and left full-back positions. The plan is to sign Alexander-Arnold and Davies.
Both players would arrive on free transfers once their contracts expire at the end of the season. Should these deals be completed, Real Madrid would have an abundance of full-backs, with three options available on each side by the 2025-26 season.
It feels like Davies is signed, sealed, and delivered to Real Madrid at this point. How he fits there and who is affected could cause some waves in Spain.
Even when Bayern Munich is on a break, there are ample subjects to talk about.
We will definitely tackle some hot topics brewing in Bavaria, but the German national team is also looking like things are clicking under Julian Nagelsmann, so let’s hop right into some chatter about why things are going so well at the moment:
- Julian Nagelsmann’s Germany is — gasp! — inspiring. The former Bayern Munich boss is really connecting with this group and something special could be brewing for 2026.
- Dissecting those Matthijs de Ligt rumors. Did Bayern Munich let him go because he was making too much money…or because he was spending too much time pumping iron in the gym? Or…are these stories just nonsense being floated out there?
- Details on a deal between Bayern Munich star Alphonso Davies and Real Madrid have leaked. Will the Bavarians be able to match what Real Madrid is offering the Canadian star? Do they even want to? Let’s discuss.
Theo Hernández is rumored to be back on Bayern Munich’s transfer radar, but the Frenchman is waiting until he gets another offer from AC Milan:
There are no negotiations in place for French defender Theo Hernandez to sign a contract extension with AC Milan, according to the player’s agent.
Reports in Italy claimed that Hernandez, 27, is negotiating a new deal with Milan, with his current agreement expiring in June 2026.
“Renewal? There are no negotiations,” said Manuel Garcia Quilon, Hernandez’s agent. “We haven’t talked about anything for four months.
“The club contacted me, they asked us if the player wanted to stay and if he was happy in Milan. I told them yes, he is very attached to the city and very well settled in Italian football. He is happy here with his family and his son.
“Theo has been at Milan for six years and actions speak louder than words. But we don’t have any proposals on the table, we don’t have any offers from the club.”
Real Madrid and Bayern Munich are keeping close tabs on the contract situation, reports Calciomercato.
With Alphonso Davies already (allegedly) in tow for next season, Real Madrid could also be contemplating a blockbuster move for Bayer Leverkusen ace Florian Wirtz:
Real Madrid hope to replace veteran midfielder Luka Modric with Bayer Leverkusen sensation Florian Wirtz next summer, a report has claimed.
Modric, who turned 39 in September, is expected to depart Madrid next summer after 13 trophy-laden years, and the Spanish side have long been preparing for life without the Croatian superstar.
According to AS, club officials have been following Leverkusen’s Wirtz for a number of years now, and they are ready to act on their interest in the summer of 2025.
CEO Jose Angel Sanchez and recruitment chief Juni Calafat are said to have been working behind the scenes to try kick-start the process of a switch to the Santiago Bernabeu for Wirtz, who is valued at a whopping €150m (£125.5m).
However, the fact his contract expires in 2027 is expected to see Leverkusen soften their stance on a sale by the time next summer arrives.
Perhaps complicating matters for Madrid is a recent report which claims that Wirtz, while interested in a move overseas, is currently favouring taking his talents to Bayern Munich, before venturing into another league later in his career.
Madrid and Bayern are by no means the only sides interested in Wirtz. Liverpool have been touted as potential suitors, while Manchester City are in a similar boat to Madrid in that they see Wirtz as a possible long-term heir to Kevin De Bruyne.
There has also been an ambitious enquiry from Barcelona, whose continued financial situation renders a move for Wirtz almost impossible.
Well, that was easy. While it wasn’t a 5-0 drubbing like the Hungary game during the last international break, Julian Nagelsmann’s Germany side demonstrated their superiority while barely allowing Bosnia and Herzegovina an inch.
In this episode, we discuss the following:
- The lineup that Julian Nagelsmann picked, and the absence of a certain Bayern Munich player.
- Deniz Undav may be the striker that Germany are looking for.
- How a terrible pitch kept Germany from playing their game.
- Why you can say “a win’s a win” after this one.
- Alexander Nübel didn’t exactly cover himself in glory, but that’s not the point.
- Why games like these clog up the calendar and are simply ridiculous.
Arsenal FC could be getting very serious about a pursuit of RB Leipzig attacker Benjamin Šeško:
Arsenal are lining up a move for RB Leipzig striker Benjamin Šeško, according to TeamTalk. The Gunners are reported to be “very keen” on the 21-year-old, who is also attracting interest from Manchester United. He would want to be guaranteed regular first-team minutes if he were to leave the Red Bull Arena.
As expected, when a “big” transfer signing does not get the playing time he desires, he will become unhappy — which is exactly what is going on with Manuel Ugarte at Manchester United:
Manchester United summer signing Manuel Ugarte is ‘unhappy’ with his lack of minutes at Old Trafford and ‘appears to be reconsidering his decision’ to join from Paris Saint-Germain.
Well, Bayern Munich is on break, so that means that the German national team takes center stage for the time being.
What better way to dive into what is going on with the squad and its preparation for the upcoming games than with the Bavarian Podcast Works — Preview Show?
Germany has a litany of injuries to deal with as the following players will miss this set of games: Bayern Munich’s Jamal Musiala, RB Leipzig’s David Raum and Benjamin Henrichs, FC Barcelona’s Marc-André ter Stegen, Arsenal FC’s Kai Havertz, and Eintracht Frankfurt’s Robin Koch.
Meanwhile Jamie Leweling, Tim Kleindienst and Jonathan Burkardt all received their first call-up. Robin Gosens and Kevin Schade are back as well…and Bernd Leno actually turned down a chance to join the team.
Clearly, this will look a lot different than it did last month. Let’s take a look at what we have for this combo Preview Show:
- Assessing where the roster stands with all of the injuries and absences.
- Why Julian Nagelsmann is going to get tested during this set of games.
- A look at the position groups and who could get a chance to stand out.
- Predictions on each match.
