Bayern Munich is in fantastic shape as we hit the winter break.
The Bavarians have been a top-notch team in each of their competitions so far and have shown the great heart, fight, and resilience that fans covet. The team is fun, energetic, and seems to genuinely enjoy playing together and for its head coach, Vincent Kompany.
The griping, if any, has been all kept secret behind closed doors and the normal FC Hollywood tropes have been absent.
Simply put, this team has been a joy to watch and follow
as it has rampaged through the first part of its schedule.
Now, the players will rest and recuperate from what was a daunting schedule. While some (like me!) would prefer a little more rotation, the players have been warriors in battling to fight through fatigue and knocks during the Hinrunde. The attack has been frighteningly good as Harry Kane, Michael Olise, and Luis Díaz have been marvelous, Serge Gnabry has been resurgent, and Lennart Karl has burst on to the season like Jack-in-the-Box ready to shock and surprise any team willing to wind him up. Just think about it — Jamal Musiala has not even suited up yet!
Yeah, that group could be scary!
The midfield and defense have been delightfully good as well, in what has been an effort that has emphasized the team performance over individual play. This could very well be the makings of special group, but now the hard work begins.
Bayern Munich has the necessary tools to make a serious run at a treble, but it will not only have to deal with the myriad of opponents still in front it, but will also have to ward off the injury gods (the best that it can) and maintain the type of championship form that it has show so far.
It will not be easy, but the mentality is there, the effort has been unmatched, and the feeling that the team can overcome any obstacle is present.
If ever there was a time for optimism, it is now, but the Rückrunde can be a slippery slope. To start this second half journey, let’s begin by keeping the boys off the slopes, eh?
To paraphrase Alec Baldwin’s character Blake from Glengarry Glen Ross, “Put those ski boots down! Skiing is for closers!”
Anyway, enjoy the break, but gear up and get ready for what should be a wild ride in the second half of this season.
Entertainment Rundown
As previously noted, this author is working to finish up The Terminal List (season one) and eagerly anticipating Stranger Things (season five, volume two).
Once one of those is complete, we’ll be right back here to discuss!
Kompany offers holiday message
Bayern Munich boss Vincent Kompany issued a holiday message to fans via FCBayern.com:
Dear Bayern members, dear fans!
As what has been a special year for FC Bayern draws to a close, I would like to wish you, on behalf of our team and our coaching staff, a Merry Christmas, a relaxing festive season and a great start to the new year. FC Bayern celebrated its 125th anniversary in 2025. That is a long and incredibly successful history – and all of us here at Säbener Straße, as well as you, our fans around the world, can be proud and grateful to be part of this club, its unique history and the big FC Bayern family.
With 2026 in mind, we have laid a foundation on which we can achieve our goals step by step. Working with this team is an absolute joy – I feel their hunger for more every day, and even after defeats, our dressing room remains solid. A year ago, I said that Harry Kane and Eric Dier’s hunger for their first silverware would push us forward – in 2026, our returning players Jamal Musiala, Alphonso Davies and Hiroki Ito will also energise us.
We want to keep being creative and bringing you joy with our style: the players in our team didn’t start playing football because they want to be followers – they want to be active, and that’s how we’ll approach and perform in 2026.
Let’s now all enjoy the holidays together. For the first time, my family will be enjoying something this Christmas that I had the pleasure of discovering here: Kaiserschmarrn (sweet pancake). We really feel at home in Munich, thanks in part to your support – it’s just wonderful how we’ve been welcomed here. Merry Christmas and a happy 2026 to you all!
Yours,
Vincent ‘Vinny’ Kompany
The 12 Non-Traditional Christmas/Holiday Songs on My Playlist
Here is a little holiday tradition we have here at the Weekend/Midweek Warm-up: There are many, many great Christmas songs that would not be labelled as “traditional” and I could probably write 50,000 words on all of them, so I just decided to feature this list to 12 of those on my iTunes playlist (in no particular order):
1. Tom Petty: “Christmas All Over Again”
Did you expect anything else?
2. The Kinks: “Father Christmas”
Come on…The Kinks lambasting Christmas is terrific.
3. Big & Rich: “Drunk Christmas”
I am generally not a “country music” guy, but I am all about a drunk Christmas. I have plenty of country music-loving friends, but I just haven’t been able to catch that vibe. Still, these guys reference Rumple Minze (soooooo bad) and any song that can work that in automatically wins me over.
4. Run-DMC: “Christmas in Hollis”
Just a classic…
5. Wham: “Last Christmas”
Go ahead and roast me…I like the song.
6. Dropkick Murphys: “The Season’s Upon Us”
Just awesome…
7. Billy Squier: “Christmas is the Time to Say I Love You”
It’s definitely more “Christmas-y” than “The Stroke”, eh?
8. The Pogues: “Fairytale of New York”
This one has a little more meaning given the passing of Shane MacGowan in 2023.
9. The Whirling Dervishes: “You’re a Mean One Mr. Grinch”
A hard take on an old classic.
10. Blink-182: “I Won’t Be Home for Christmas”
Doing a Christmas song in the only way that Blink-182 could.
11. Chuck Berry: “Run Run Rudolph”
A rock-n-roll classic.
12. Pretenders: “2000 Miles”
Chrissie Hynde’s voice in this one is something, eh?
Let’s add some others for everyone’s enjoyment. Most of them were submitted by one of you over the years:
Weird Al Yankovic: “The Night Santa Went Crazy”
Adam Sandler: “Chanukah Song”
Joan Jett & The Blackhearts: “Little Drummer Boy”
Billy Idol: “Yellin At The Christmas Tree”
Dent May: “I’ll be Stoned for Christmas”
The Darkness: “Christmas Time”
Mistletoe Conspiracy: “Ugly Sweater”
Lou Monte: “Dominick the Donkey”
Bob & Doug: “12 Days of Christmas”
Cheech & Chong: “Santa Claus and his Old Lady”
The Waitresses: “Christmas Wrapping”
Gwen Stefani: “Under the Christmas Lights”
“Happy Xmas”: John Lennon
(Can we put AI to good use and remove Yoko from this track?)
Just like previous years, drop me your non-traditional songs in the comments. I had a blast checking them out last year.
Prediction Results
This is where we stand at the break…
- Total: 332-177
- Perfect Picks: 32
- Bundesliga Last Matchday: 4-5
- Bundesliga Overall: 80-55
- DFB-Pokal: 45-11
- World Cup Qualifiers/Friendlies: 99-45
- Champions League: 65-43
- Club World Cup: 39-23
- Club Friendlies: 3-0
- Franz Beckenbauer Supercup: 1-0
If you are looking for more Bayern Munich and German national team coverage, check out the latest episodes of Bavarian Podcast Works, which you can get on Acast, Spotify, Apple, or any leading podcast distributor…
