As fans seek to move on from Wednesday’s 4-1 Champions League loss to FC Barcelona, Bayern Munich executives might be having a harder time reconciling what happened.
According to a report, there is internal strife at Bayern Munich, as “debate” is heating up among the “higher-ups” over Vincent Kompany’s high-line. Some folks do not think the team should continue this way, while Max Eberl is not ready to hammer the coach. This is how @iMiaSanMia captured the report from Sport Bild’s Christian Falk:
There was debate within the club’s higher-ups over Vincent Kompany’s risky style of play, particularly in the big international games. They’re saying that things cannot continue like this. Max Eberl, meanwhile, is defending Kompany as he was the one that brought him in.
While it is fair to ask if the coach has the right personnel to run this style of play — and also if the coach should change his ways to accommodate the talent that he does have — it is far too early for anyone to start sounding the “Uh-oh Alarm” on Kompany’s coaching career in Munich.
While he did have an impressive start to the season (albeit against inferior teams), this job was always going to be a learning experience for Kompany. Realistically, should anyone have expected a manager who just guided Burnley back into relegation to step right into Bayern Munich — arguably a top six or seven job in the world — and take the world by storm? It was always going to be unrealistic to think immediate success was a given. Kompany needs to figure out the complexities of the job at this level and how to best navigate through the treacherous terrain of his new gig.
And yes, part of the reason things are probably a little heated right now is because Hansi Flick — who Eberl (if you believe reports) made the final decision to pass on — was the brains behind FC Barcelona’s battering of the Bavarians.
Curiously, stories came out this week where Karl-Heinz Rummenigge said that he and Uli Hoeneß did not have a hand in hiring Kompany.
“Uli Hoeneß and I never actively interfered in the search for a coach. Max is on the board and Christoph Freund is the sporting director — we did not want to take on a dominant or even operational role,” said Rummenigge (as captured by @iMiaSanMia).
Later, a report from Spain emerged indicating that Flick had doubt about taking the Bayern Munich job and that is why he passed on it — but it was wrong. This is what Barca Universal put out based on a story it misunderstood from Bild:
Bayern Münich tried to bring Hansi Flick back this summer, but the manager had doubts. He asked for a short term contract, but the German club wanted a long term deal. They went for Kompany instead.
However, Abendzeitung journalist Victor Catalina leapt into the fray to explain the real story from Bild:
That’s not what the report says. According to @altobelli13, Flick would’ve been very happy to return to Bayern on a short-term deal after positive talks with Hoeneß and Rummenigge and even started to plan the squad and preseason. It was Eberl who wanted a fresh start with Kompany.
In retrospect — and if true — that sure seems to back up Rummenigge’s assertion that Kompany was an “Eberl/Freund Production” and that the “old guard” let the “new world order” make this call on its own.
What does it all mean? Well, board-level bickering aside, fans will need to be patient. Kompany is not going to be a conquering hero in year one. Heck, he might never be a coach, who leads the club to Champions League glory.
There is only one way to find out, though, and that is to let it all play out — until Kompany either proves himself or the powers that be once again decide new leadership is needed.
For fans, the waiting for all of that to play out will truly be the hardest part.
Bavarian Podcast Works — Weekend Warm-up Show Season 4, Episode 15
Bayern Munich ran the gamut of emotions from “We’re back!” during a 4-0 victory over VfB Stuttgart to “Oh, no!” after getting dismantled 4-1 by FC Barcelona in the Champions League.
So, we are here to address all of it and why waste any more time in bantering. Let’s get to it. This is what we have on tap for this edition of the Bavarian Podcast Works — Weekend Warm-up Show:
- Where can Bayern Munich go from here? What should fans feel good about.
- Yes, Bayern Munich can run the table in the Champions League — League Phase.
- In an odd way, FC Barcelona taught us all how important Aleksandar Pavlović is to this team.
- Despite some recent poor performances, Vincent Kompany is shielding his players from the heat.
- What should fans be concerned about?
- Reality is hitting about the career shelf-life for Manuel Neuer and Thomas Müller.
- João Palhinha might not be as good as advertised, but give him time.
- Tough decisions are going to need to be made soon on the wing and center-back positions.
- Oh…and about that report from Christian Falk on internal “debate” over Kompany’s tactics. Let’s discuss that…
Song of the Week: “Moving in Stereo” by The Cars
If you were around in the 80s, you are awesome) and you could not have turned on the radio without hearing a tune from The Cars.
While the greatest hits release offered a lot of recognizable radio songs, there were some other gems from the band — including the one below, which gained most of its notoriety for being used in Fast Times at Ridgemont High for the infamous Phoebe Kates pool scene.
Take a trip back to the 80s and enjoy:
Entertainment Rundown
The Penguin — Season 1, Episode 5
We were treated to another very solid episode of the series from HBO/Max. Of course, this was all about the big reveal that Oz Cobb was playing both sides of the fence with the Falcones and the Maronis.
As the Penguin is on the run, Sophia Falcone (Cristin Milioti)’s Arkham Asylum shrink, Dr. Julian Rush (played by Theo Rossi aka Juice from Sons of Anarchy) joins her forces. That storyline makes little sense at the moment, but you can sweep it under the rug for now.
However, that is not the only odd linkup that happened. Sophia also made an alliance with Salvatore Maroni, who is played by Clancy Brown — a legend — in an effort to hunt down Cobb for all of the nefarious deeds he has done. Maroni, of course, has escaped from jail and is living on the run.
Can we also give some love to Brown? That guy always kills whatever role he is playing. From Mr. Krabs (!?) in SpongeBob Squarepants to Brother Justin Crowe in Carnivale (such a good show) to Major/Colonel Schoonover in The Punisher and Daredevil to Captain Hadley in Shawshank Redemption — Brown kills them all (and way more if you check his IMDB page).
We also saw some odd (disturbing?) interactions between Cobb and his mother (suffering from some sort of dementia), but the episode was really well done (once again) and Colin Farrell is absolutely stealing the show.
So far, so good with this series, which seems like a real rarity for HBO these days.
Rating: 9.00/10.00
Bavarian Podcast Works — Preview Show: Bayern Munich vs. VfL Bochum
Bayern Munich will look to bounce back from its Champions League defeat at the hands of FC Barcelona with a Bundesliga game against a VfL Bochum squad that is in complete turmoil.
Will Bayern Munich play angry and show resilience or will they sulk and meander through an unmotivated effort against an inferior team? The feeling here is that the Bavarians are going to want to show…something. Heart? Energy? Whatever…Bayern Munich should be playing with a purpose and that will create issues for VfL Bochum.
This is what we have on tap for this edition of the Bavarian Podcast Works — Preview Show:
- Why VfL Bochum is the perfect “get right” game for Bayern Munich.
- A look at where each team is in the table and the recent form of each squad.
- A look at the rosters and injuries for VfL Bochum and the Bayern Munich.
- A guess at Bayern Munich’s starting XI.
- A prediction on the match.
Predictions
Bundesliga
Bayern Munich was really bad against FC Barcelona in the Champions League, however, VfL Bochum is offering the Bavarians a chance to turn things around.
VfL Bochum is reeling and overmatched, so this is not a time to pussyfoot around the opposition. Bayern Munich needs to bring the energy and urgency from the opening kickoff — and just let the talent take over.
The feeling here is that there is too much pride to just mope around and feel sorry for themselves.
Prediction: VfL Bochum 0-5 Bayern Munich
Other Bundesliga Predictions:
- Mainz 05 1-0 Borussia Mönchengladbach
- FC Augsburg 1-3 Borussia Dortmund
- RB Leipzig 2-1 SC Freiburg
- St. Pauli 1-2 VfL Wolfsburg
- VfB Stuttgart 2-0 Holstein Kiel
- Werder Bremen 2-4 Bayer Leverkusen
- Union Berlin 1-2 Eintracht Frankfurt
- Heidenheim 2-1 Hoffenheim
Prediction Records
- Last Week Bundesliga: 7-2 (Matchday 7)
- Overall Bundesliga: 31-32
- UEFA Nations League: 57-38
- Champions League: 31-23
- DFB-Pokal: 26-6
- Total: 145-99
- Perfect Picks: 24 (when the score and winner is predicted exactly)
