Die Folgen: Germany’s 2-0 win over Serbia (Bavarian Football Works)
Now, that is more like it.
Using a new crew and a crazy amount of energy, the German national team was thoroughly dominant in a 2-0 victory where the young stars shone the brightest (including a couple of Bayern Munich boys). Let’s dive into the details of this match, which left fans very, very happy.
Here are some quick hitters on the match:
- As always, let’s begin with a look at the starting XI:
- Aside from Lennart Karl, the next biggest omission was probably Said El Mala, who was projected by many to get the nod on the wing. Instead, SC Freiburg’s 23-year-old Derry Scherhant got the call. In central midfield, Bayern Munich stars Tom Bischof and Aleksandar Pavlović settled in. Bischof, of course, was fresh off duty with the U-21 squad. Otherwise, Philipp Treu started at right-back and Maximilian Mittelstädt was at left-back, which are the positions with the most hotly contested battles.
- Germany was pressing Serbia hard and playing with a ton of energy early on. Pavlović nearly capitalized on the sustained pressure, but his shot went just wide in the 8th minute.
- Waldemar Anton found himself all alone in the 16th minute as he lined up a volley, but his attempt went far wide of the net.
- It was refreshing to see such effort and passion on the pitch.
- In the 18th minute, Serge Gnabry made a brilliant run, but sent his attempt off-target. It is tough to say if it was a cross or a shot—had someone been running to the back post, it would have been an easy goal.
- Germany was aggressive and dangerous, but the final third was still proving to be a tough nut to crack for Die Mannschaft.
- Treu is a weapon at right-back. It is still amazing to think that he was not deemed worthy of a roster spot at the World Cup. Treu seems like the exact kind of right-back Kompany would love to have in his squad, for what it’s worth.
- You can knock Germany for not putting the ball into the net, but this lineup did everything else you would want in terms of style of play.
- In the 25th minute, Bischof fired just wide.
- Speaking of Bischof, he and Pavlović were awesome together. That was the kind of performance that will get Bayern Munich fans excited about the future: both players were dangerous, composed, and completely in control. What a showing from the two young midfielders!
- Nick Woltemade needs to be more physical and act more like a bully. He just does not have a killer instinct, which might explain some of his issues with finishing. Can you make someone more…mean?
- Gnabry had a close-range attempt turned away in the 30th minute after a decent look from Woltemade.
- Serbia had a golden opportunity in the 32nd minute when Anton was all the way up the pitch pressing and no one dropped in for him, leaving a massive amount of space in the back. Luckily for Germany, Filip Kostić’s cross barely evaded the foot of a sliding Serbian player.
- In the 35th minute, Florian Wirtz had a strong header that caught too much of the middle of the net and was saved for a corner.
- The first half was legit fun—but produced no goals. There was a lot of creativity with runs and a true attacking mentality.
- In the 36th minute, Gnabry let loose a left-footed shot that sputtered toward the net; the Bayern Munich attacker appeared to just mishit the attempt.
- Finally, the 39th minute allowed Germany to break through. After some sustained pressure, Wirtz’s shot clanged off the post, but Bischof was waiting to smash it home for a 1-0 lead. What an incredible moment for the Bayern Munich youngster!
- This was as confident and loose as Wirtz has played in a long time.
- Woltemade blew a great chance in the 59th minute when he skied a close-range shot. Admittedly, he fits in with the overall style of play, but his scoring touch needs some major work.
- In the 61st minute, Mittelstädt drove forward and slid a terrific pass to Wirtz, who used some footwork to free himself before scoring easily. It was the perfect end product for Wirtz, who was playing like Germany’s best player once again.
- This writer lamented Mittelstädt’s exclusion from the World Cup squad all summer, and maybe there was a point to it. Taking an injured David Raum and no right-backs was as asinine as it gets.
- The German crowd was having way too much fun doing “The Wave.”
- Said El Mala is talented, but he had trouble fitting into the flow of the game.
- Overall, this was a spectacular effort from Germany. The team was fun, aggressive, and creative. The group looked as if it understood the way Klopp wanted to play and was able to execute it far better than the first group that played against Switzerland and Greece. If German football is going to look like this, we could be in store for some fun. On to Greece!
If you missed our Initial Analysis, Recap, Match Awards, Observations, or Postgame Podcast,
give them a look or a listen:
Bayern a landing spot for Foden? (TeamTalk)
It remains to be seen if Manchester City’s roster will turn into a firesale, but if it does, this reports says that Bayern Munich would be in the mix for Phil Foden:
Manchester City’s potential relegation after a scathing and damning verdict from the Premier League over breaches of financial regulations has placed strong doubts over the future of several star names – with academy graduate Phil Foden among those whose future has suddenly been thrust into the spotlight.
Premier League rivals have previously shown interest. Before he committed his long-term future, Arsenal, Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur all explored the possibility of signing him while his previous deal ran down and managerial change loomed. Those approaches were rebuffed as City moved swiftly to secure his signature under new head coach Enzo Maresca. Across Europe, the list of admirers is shorter but significant.
Bayern Munich monitored the situation closely, with manager Vincent Kompany, a former City captain, keen on a reunion. We understand that the German giants would absolutely move for Foden should City’s situation mean he becomes available. AC Milan also evaluated a potential move, while Saudi clubs kept tabs during periods of uncertainty. Bigger names such as Real Madrid have been linked in the past, though no formal recent interest has been confirmed.
The Kompany-Foden relationship does add an interesting twist to the story, but it still seems like a longshot that Foden, who has scuffled the past two seasons, would want to leave England.
Bayern interested in Koundé again? (Get Spanish Football News)
Bayern Munich might have interest in FC Barcelona right-back Jules Koundé once again:
The board at German champions Bayern Munich have earmarked a member of the defensive ranks at La Liga giants Barcelona as a potential signing for the January transfer window.
That’s according to Diario Sport, who highlight Jules Koundé as the player in question.
The subject of potential transfer activity between Bayern and Barca this winter has emerged as a prominent talking in the media over the last week. This comes after word was forthcoming that the former are considering an offer for Blaugrana midfielder Dani Olmo.
But Olmo, it would appear, is not only the member of Hansi Flick’s squad to have piqued the interest of those behind the scenes at the Allianz Arena.
As per a report from Diario Sport, having made the call to sanction Kim Min-jae’s sale following the turn of the year:
‘Bayern’s dream would be to convince Koundé’ of the merits of taking his talents to Bavaria.
It remains to be seen how open the Frenchman would be to such a move, but fresh off a challenging start to the new campaign in Spain, Koundé could well be willing to listen to Bayern’s pitch.
Gunners expected to be in on Haaland bidding (Transfer Rumors)
If Erling Haaland does somehow become available, Arsenal would have big interest (so would everyone else by the way):
Manchester City striker Erling Haaland will become a transfer target for Arsenal “without a shadow of a doubt” if the Etihad side are relegated from the Premier League.
Although the club owners continue to believe that their innocence will be proven, others do not appear to be so confident, with Arsenal laying the groundwork for a potential move for Haaland, FootballTransfers has been informed.
Sources have revealed that Haaland will certainly become a target for the Gunners if City are relegated – a punishment that would instantly throw into doubt the future of the Norway international forward in Manchester.
FootballTransfers has been told: “Arsenal would, without any shadow of a doubt, make a serious play to bring Erling Haaland to the Emirates.”
The Gunners have already shown a willingness to put up an exceptional amount of money for a superstar player as they were willing to smash their transfer record in the summer to sign Vinicius Junior from Real Madrid.
Real eyeing Donnarumma (ESPN)
Real Madrid is evaluating Manchester City goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma:
Real Madrid are monitoring the situation of Manchester City goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma, TEAMtalk reports. Madrid are assessing the transfer market for a long-term option between the posts, and they see the 27-year-old as a strong candidate to succeed Thibaut Courtois due to his experience in the Champions League. Whether City part ways with Donnarumma could hinge on their punishment after they were found guilty on Tuesday of almost all 115 financial charges brought against them by the Premier League. City have until Friday to appeal.
Barca has Raum, Mitchell on radar for left-back (ESPN)
FC Barcelona has RB Leipzig star and Germany international David Raum on its list of potential left-backs:
Barcelona are eyeing RB Leipzig’s David Raum and Crystal Palace’s Tyrick Mitchell as potential left back options for next summer, reports Diario Sport. With Alejandro Balde struggling for game time and considering his future, the Catalan club continue to evaluate targets to reinforce the position and are looking to take advantage of the fact the pair will be free agents.
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…
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