Die Folgen: Bayern’s 1-0 loss to Leverkusen (Bavarian Football Works)
Bayern Munich’s DFB-Pokal season is over.
After an untimely red card, Bayern Munich had to play more than 75% of the game down a man, which was less than ideal against a squad like Bayer Leverkusen (yes, even an injured and not-quite-as-good-as-last-season version of Die Werkself).
Here are some quick hitters on Bayern Munich’s 1-0 defeat:
- As always, let’s take a look at the starting XI:
- This was…interesting. Without Thomas Müller, Serge Gnabry, or Mathy Tel as part of the XI, there were no clear candidate for the No. 9 position as everyone was discussing the lineup. Immediately, it looked as if Kompany was going to use a 4-2-2-2. However, before the match started, Kompany indicated that Michael Olise would be the No. 9. Odd, right? Anyway, it sort of functioned like a 4-2-4 as Bild had so kindly captured in a photo of Bayern Munich’s training plans from a few weeks back.
- Aside of the attacking group, everything else was as expected. Konrad Laimer over Raphaël Guerreiro and Sacha Boey at right-back might have surprised some after Laimer got torched by Borussia Dortmund’s Jamie Gittens for a goal on Saturday, but Boey has barely played and Guerreiro did not look great during his appearance at right-back.
- Much like we saw in the first meeting between the two teams, Bayern Munich was the aggressor and Bayer Leverkusen looked apprehensive and reluctant to engage.
- In the 11th minute, a really shaky sequence from Dayot Upamecano and Kim Min-jae landed ultimately with the ball on the foot of Florian Wirtz in shooting range, but the phenom could not hook his shot attempt in between the sticks and it went wide.
- Then in the 13th minute, Edmond Tapsoba definitely put a forearm to the face of Olise after an initial foul was called on him for hauling down the Bayern Munich attacker. The Bayer Leverkusen defender’s extra shove caught the attention of Upamecano, who came over to defend his teammate. Both Upamecano and Tabsoba were issued yellow cards.
- There seems to be a bit of animosity between the squads, which did heighten the intensity.
- Then…it happened. Manuel Neuer, after a stretch of solid play, got way too aggressive with a challenge just outside the box and threw a shoulder into Jeremie Frimpong that would have made Cooper DeJean proud. Unfortunately for Bayern Munich, it resulted in a red card and Daniel Peretz got thrown directly into the fire!
- To compensate, Leroy Sané was taken off in favor of Peretz and all of a sudden, whoever was playing striker did not matter much anymore.
- I know that no one wants to criticize a legend, but that very reckless and careless from Neuer. There was no other outcome that was going to happen except a red card.
- Surprisingly, Bayern Munich did fairly well playing down a man, but it felt like Bayer Leverkusen was just treading water in preparation for an all-out attacking assault in the second half. Funny enough, that never really happened — at least not consistently. You could really argue that Bayern Munich was the better team.
- In the second minute of added time for the first half, Goretzka threaded a perfect ball to Laimer who was streaking down the middle, but Granit Xhaka made an outstanding tackle on the ball to snuff out the threat. Later, Kim sent a header wide that he would absolutely like to have back.
- Xabi Alonso brought in Patrik Schick for Robert Andrich to start the second half. In playing up a man, Alonso knew he needed to ditch his striker-less system.
- In the 51st minute, Frimpong sent in a nice cutback-cross to Wirtz, who — again —sent his attempt wide.
- There was an interesting dynamic to the game in the second half, where Bayern Munich was more organized, focused, and energetic than Bayer Leverkusen. This was especially evident in how each team was pressing.
- Notably, Bayer Leverkusen’s players were taking horrific angles while pressing.
- Die Werkself also got hit with some bad news as Schick had to leave the match with an injury. Schick was replaced by Nathan Tella.
- At this point, neither team was operating with an optimal lineup, but you could make a strong argument that Bayern Munich’s 10 was superior to Bayer Leverkusen’s 11.
- It will get lost in the shuffle of the result, but Bayern Munich really did well playing a man down.
- After finally sustaining some possession, Alejandro Grimaldo looped in a ball that found the head of Tella for a 1-0 lead. Tella found a nice space between Kim and Davies to put his head on it. This was not the first time we have seen that kind of gap between Kim and Davies. This time, though, it played a massive role in knocking Bayern Munich from the Pokal.
- Kompany definitely hit desperation mode as he brought on Serge Gnabry, Sacha Boey, and….Aleksandar Pavlović (!?!).
- At no point, did I expect Pavlović to suit up for this match, let alone play, but here we are. Pavlović was very rusty.
- Wirtz, who did not have a banner game, should have put Bayer Leverkusen up 2-0 in the 88th minute, but Kimmich has a terrific 1v1 defensive play to thwart Wirtz.
- Kimmich was really, really good on the day and was Bayern Munich’s best player.
- Wirtz has a real nasty streak to him, by the way.
- For what it is worth, the Wirtz-Musiala duel really did not materialize. Neither player was especially good. Not bad by any means, but not as effective as anyone would have liked.
- Olise had a good look in the game’s waning moments, but his shot went wide. Alas, that was all she wrote for the Bavarians.
- Overall, the game was very odd given the circumstances. As a team, Bayern Munich played about as well as you could have hoped given what they were facing. Individually, though, Bayern Munich did not really have any standouts aside of Kimmich. Everyone else was …okay — and that was not good enough while playing down a man.
If you missed our Initial Analysis, Match Awards, Observations, or Postgame Podcast, give them a look or a listen:
Real Madrid might be getting a little sentimental as it is — allegedly — considering bringing back Casemiro:
Real Madrid have discussed the idea of re-signing Casemiro from Manchester United in January, but the Brazilian considers this chapter of his career closed.
Matchday 12 in the Bundesliga might have been the best one we’ve seen so far.
We witnessed Der Klassiker between Borussia Dortmund and Bayern Munich, RB Leipzig suffering a 5-1 loss at home to Wolfsburg, and Eintracht Frankfurt continuing their impressive form in style.
This episode will cover:
- Der Klassiker at the Westfalenstadion and why Bayern Munich might be missing Robert Lewandowski.
- What’s happening at Leipzig? Is Marco Rose’s dismissal inevitable?
- The Bundesliga legend that is Christian Streich.
- The funniest moment of the week: Miroslav Klose witnessing two missed penalties and a last-minute own goal from one of his players.
If you are craving some oats or porridge, boy does Bayern Munich star Harry Kane have a deal for you:
England star Harry Kane has become a shareholder in German-British oats company 3Bears.
The porridge-producing Munich-based company was founded in 2016, and they have announced a new deal with Kane where he becomes a shareholder and “new face of the brand,” according to a company spokesperson.
Kane will help with various projects, develop his own product line and is in regular contact with the company’s directors on everything from daily business matters through to marketing activations.
Adidas has a new “Elite Teams” list for next season, which includes Bayern Munich, AS Roma, Arsenal FC, Juventus, Real Madrid, Liverpool FC, Manchester United, Newcastle United, and Celtic:
Bayern Munich vs. Bayer Leverkusen in a knockout game this early in the season? Say it ain’t so!
The DFB-Pokal has brought these two clubs together and now one of them will be going home. We will discuss all of that and more on the Bavarian Podcast Works Show. This is what we have on tap:
- Can Bayern Munich get back on track after dropping points at Borussia Dortmund over the weekend?
- A look at the recent form of each team and the previous DFB-Pokal results.
- A look at the rosters and injuries for Bayer Leverkusen and Bayern Munich.
- A guess at Bayern Munich’s starting XI…how does Bayern Munich replace Harry Kane?
- A prediction on the match.
Bayern Munich stars Harry Kane and Jamal Musiala were named to WhoScored.com’s Bundesliga Team of the Month:
FC Barcelona could be eyeing Juventus striker Dušan Vlahović as a potential successor to former Bayern Munich great Robert Lewandowski:
Barcelona’s search for a Robert Lewandowski successor has also led to interest in Juventus’ Dušan Vlahović.
Bayern Munich travelled to Borussia Dortmund for Der Klassiker in a match that was very key for both squads.
Ultimately, the two teams battled to a hard-fought 1-1 draw.Let’s talk about how it all went down and more on the Bavarian Podcast Works — Postgame Show. This is what we have on tap:
- A look at the starting XI.
- A rundown of the scoring and substitutions, including some thoughts on a surprise start for Mathys Tel.
- What Harry Kane’s injury means and why Bayern Munich could be in for some trouble.
- What this result means for the Bundesliga.
- Some final thoughts and takeaways on the match.
Even with the news that Alphonso Davies might be looking closely at a contract extension with Bayern Munich, Manchester United is still going to keep tabs on the Canadian:
Manchester United are looking at Paris Saint-Germain’s Nuno Mendes, Bayern Munich’s Alphonso Davies and AFC Bournemouth’s Milos Kerkez as new boss Amorim looks to strengthen at left wing-back, reports the Daily Mail. This comes with injury concerns over Tyrell Malacia and Luke Shaw, although the latter may be utilised at left centre-back in Amorim’s preferred 3-4-3 system.
In addition to those aforementioned options, RB Leipzig’s David Raum is also on Manchester United’s radar:
Excl | David #Raum is another player Manchester United have on their radar and on the shortlist for the vacant left-back position ✔️
Already last summer, there were concrete discussions, including about figures, between #MUFC and Raum.
As a left wing-back, the 26 y/o is… pic.twitter.com/F2na0HqgAA
— Florian Plettenberg (@Plettigoal) December 3, 2024
Excl | David #Raum is another player Manchester United have on their radar and on the shortlist for the vacant left-back position ✔️
Already last summer, there were concrete discussions, including about figures, between #MUFC and Raum.
As a left wing-back, the 26 y/o is considered to be a very good fit for Ruben Amorim’s new system. His development is being closely monitored. His agency, ROOF, has excellent connections to the Premier League.
Contract with RB Leipzig valid until 2027. Currently injured (ankle).
Newcastle United’s price tag on Alexander Isak has both Arsenal FC and Chelsea FC putting the brakes on their respective pursuits:
Arsenal and Chelsea have both been put off by Newcastle United’s £115m asking price for Alexander Isak. The London sides would be willing to cough up £80m and are both considering RB Leipzig’s Benjamin Sesko as an alternative.
Bayern Munich is in the midst of the tough stretch before the Winterpause, but the squad is riding high and playing extremely well under Vincent Kompany.
That said, there are quite a few hit discussions topics surrounding the team at the moment, so we are going to tackle those and some other fun things on this edition of the Bavarian Podcast Works — Weekend Warm-up Show. This is what we have on tap:
- In the spirit of the holiday (at least for those of us in the United States), let’s talk about what we’re thankful for with Bayern Munich so far this season.
- Does the greater Bundesliga need Borussia Dortmund to win this weekend to save the league title race?
- Let’s talk about the latest Leroy Sané rumor and what that might mean for the team moving forward.
With RB Leipzig off to a very skittish start to the season and unable to really get the ship righted, rumors are swirling that Marco Rose could be on the hot seat. If so, some familiar names might be in line to replace him:
Erik ten Hag and Roger Schmidt are on the list to replace Marco Rose as manager at RB Leipzig if the club decide to sack him.
Could FC Barcelona be ready to sell off Frenkie De Jong at a discounted rate? Maybe:
Barcelona could accept a surprisingly low offer for midfielder Frenkie de Jong, whose turbulent 2024 has seen him go from crucial leader to surplus to requirements in a matter of months. De Jong’s status at Barcelona has seemingly been torpedoed by the ankle injury that saw him play only 45 minutes of football during a seven-month period between March and October. He had already missed almost two months earlier last season but seemed to have recovered.
The Dutchman would have been regularly captaining Barca this season had he been fit from the beginning. Instead, he finds now himself struggling to regain a starting role as Hansi Flick prioritises Pedri, Gavi, Fermin Lopez, Marc Casado and Dani Olmo in the midfield. Marc Bernal, who made a major, albeit brief, impact prior to a season-ending injury, will also return in 2025/26.
SPORT writes that Barcelona, having wanted to renew De Jong’s contract prior to his lengthy injury layoff, have now changed their intentions. They are thought not to want him to enter the final year of his current deal, which expires in 2026, and will make the player available for transfer. A reported contract offer that was on the table is said to have “expired” given the change in circumstances.
One local radio report even suggested Barcelona would go as low as €20m (£16.6m) in their valuation of the player and would consider such an offer to be satisfactory to move him on.
