Bayern Munich will take that win!
Bayern Munich got off to a rip-roaring start and eventually just had to hold on against a very game — but still overmatched — Wolfsburg side. Let’s take a look at some quick hitters on the match:
- Given all of the injuries, the lineup was pretty standard:
- Wolfsburg had to have a sinking feeling when Kingsley Coman’s would-be cross curled into the net for an early 1-0 lead for the Bavarians. Thomas Müller did his best Bundesliga logo impression, but could not make contact with Coman’s cross, but it did not matter — the ball still found the net.
- It was a bit of a lucky start for Bayern Munich, who was shaky on the backline early. There was nothing lucky about Coman’s second goal, however. Joao Cancelo sent a beautiful cross over and Coman volleyed it expertly into the far corner. It was a total highlight goal.
- Müller got into the act off of a perfect set piece delivery from Joshua Kimmich. All of a sudden, it was the 19th minute and Wolfsburg was in a three-goal hole.
- Leon Goretzka probably should have put Bayern Munich up by four in the 23rd minute, but he could not get his head on the end of a nice ball in. On the day, Goretzka was not great.
- For as good as Bayern Munich’s attack was flowing, the backline was caught in scramble mode several times. That will be something to monitor in the coming weeks. The Benjamin Pavard-Matthijs de Ligt center-back pairing needs some time together.
- Honestly, Wolfsburg could have had 2-3 first half goals pretty easily.
- Jakub Kaminski’s first half goal for Wolfsburg was a good example of how Kovac’s squad was breaking down Bayern Munich’s backline with relative ease at times. Once Kaminski received the ball from Paulo Otavio, there were three really good options to score on the play. Kaminski ultimately took the shot himself.
- Remember when Maxence LaCroix was one of the most exciting young defenders in Europe? walking off after getting subbed early was a terrible look (though, you can understand his frustration).
- It was not a banner day for Leroy Sané. The talented winger had trouble getting involved in the flow of the game.
- I didn’t think Alphonso Davies was great again. 76% passing and lost possession 22 times.
- Kimmich’s first yellow card was completely unnecessary. Come on, man…
- Kimmich eventually picked a second yellow card, which he said was “soft.” Now, the midfielder will get the rest he never seems to want. I did not think Kimmich was really at that good on the day, either. Perhaps the extra rest will do him wonders.
- Uh, Jamal Musiala’s goal was pretty awesome, huh?
- Overall, the attack was impressive for stretches, but I was not feeling overly great with the backline on the day. Some players (like Sané, Kimmich, Davies, and Goretzka) really had ho-hum days as well. In the end, though, that was a win that was desperately needed…so take it and run!
If you missed our Initial Analysis, Match Awards, Observations, or Postgame Podcast (combined with our Flagship Show this week), give them a look or a listen:
Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag praised the work of Bayern Munich loanee Marcel Sabitzer during his team’s 2-1 win over Crystal Palace.
“[Sabitzer] understands football,” Ten Hag later told MUTV. “You see that straight from the start and in training as well. He did quite well, he’s really composed on the ball and he knows how to defend. We need such players who understand the game and who also bring the right spirit.”
It seems that Eintracht Frankfurt has no intention of selling Randal Kolo Muani during the summer transfer window:
Eintracht Frankfurt’s shooting star has long attracted the interest of numerous top clubs. Could he become a transfer candidate in the summer?
“I’m convinced that Randal will still play with us next season,” said Frankfurt’s sports director Markus Krösche on Bild-TV. He did not want to name a financial pain limit for the French vice world champion. “I don’t think it makes sense to award price tags (price tags, note) now,” said Krösche, but also sent an announcement to any interested parties afterwards: “If we hand it over, the club must have relatively full pockets. “I mean, it’s going to be really expensive.
In the recent past, Kolo Muani had been associated with FC Bayern, among other things. The 24-year-old has developed very well, explained Krösche. Nevertheless, he is optimistic and believes in staying. Because from his point of view this would also be the best option for the player.
“You can see that he still has to develop further in many areas. Especially when it comes to fixing balls, the decision-making behavior. He’s certainly gotten colder in front of goal than he was in the first half of the season. But there are so many areas it needs to work on, including robustness. I think it will do him good to stay with us for the next few years,” said the Eintracht boss. Kolo Muani is “an outstanding guy, a very good player – but he’s only just beginning. He still has a lot of areas where he can develop further and he can do that with us. We can help him reach that level. And it helps us to achieve our goals.”
Since the last edition of the Weekend Warm-up, Bayern Munich had another draw (this time against Eintracht Frankfurt), closed out its winter transfer in a scintillating fashion, and picked up a convincing win in the DFB-Pokal over Mainz 05.
In between all of that, there was a ton of news.
In other words, there was a hell of a lot to talk about before we even get to all of the normal drama (questions about Alphonso Davies, different questions about Julian Nagelsmann, etc). So…let’s get to it. This is what we have on tap for this weekend’s episode:
- A preview of Bayern Munich vs. Wolfsburg, including Niko Kovac’s dig at his old club.
- Grading the winter transfer window.
- What has been up with Alphonso Davies?
- The world of Julian Nagelsmann, his interactions with the squad, his use of a back three, and more!
Real Madrid might be plotting a move for Juventus striker Dusan Vlahovic:
Real Madrid have their eyes set on Juventus striker Dusan Vlahovic, who wants to be playing Champions League football next season.
Eintracht Frankfurt goalkeeper and Germany international Kevin Trapp took some time to defend Manuel Neuer’s recent comments where he expressed his displeasure with how Toni Tapalovic was handled at Bayern Munich.
“If Manu felt like he had to speak up, so be it. I know from experience that relationship between goalkeeping coach & goalkeeper is very close. It’s not just a work relationship, but also a private friendship. I can imagine it wasn’t nice for Manu,” said Trapp.
There is something to be said for how the whole situation played out — and the subsequent leaks that followed.
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