Bayern Munich supervisory board member Uli Hoeneß simply cannot stay out of the news this week.
After an explosive appearance on SPORT1-Doppelpass, the relationship between Hoeneß and board member for sport Max Eberl appears to be more fragile than ever. While Hoeneß claims to be defending Eberl (in some sense he actually is), the club’s elder statesman also inferred that Eberl was being too sensitive about the internal battling that occurred this summer.
After a week of publicly airing grievances,
Hoeneß indicated that he does not feel any urge or have a reason to meet with Eberl to talk things through.
“I have absolutely no reason to discuss it with Max. I believe what I said was absolutely fine. That’s the truth. The truth will stay that way,” Hoeneß told Sky Germany (as captured by @iMiaSanMia).
At his press conference on Friday, Eberl tried to further diffuse the issue.
“Now it’s all about football. We’ve completed a transfer window in which we implemented many things within our guidelines. We did lots of things during the transfer window, reduced the squad, created space for young players, made a net profit and savings in wages. Now it’s about football,” Eberl said (as captured by @iMiaSanMia).
The power struggle sounds like something out of Game of Thrones (minus the gratuitous nudity — THANKFULLY) and is hopefully finally fading into the shadows. So, what better way to honor it than with a Bard’s Tale of sorts to sum up this week’s activities:
In Munich’s halls where the banners fly,
The kings of red hold court on high,
A new man came with a steady hand,
To shape the fate of the proud old land.Max Eberl came with a builder’s dream,
To carve the squad and forge the team,
Yet in the shadows, the elder’s word,
Still cut as sharp as a battle-sword.Uli’s fire, a crimson flame,
No rival dare to dim his name,
Yet progress knocks on the old oak door,
Whose voice shall echo forevermore?In Säbener’s rooms, the whispers rise,
Of power shared, or veiled goodbyes,
The club of stars, so rich, so wide,
Must choose its path, must choose its guide.Oh sing of Bayern, bold and grand,
With iron hearts and guiding hand,
But when two voices claim the throne,
The crown feels heavy, the seeds are sown.
Let’s hope for a quieter week.
Bavarian Podcast Works — Weekend Warm-up Show Season 5, Episode 7
Bayern Munich is in a very interesting part of its season, which is sandwiched between two international breaks. What should we expect? Will Vincent Kompany be able to manage it effectively? There is a lot to discuss.
Let’s jump into it all! Here is what we have on tap for this episode of the Bavarian Podcast Works — Weekend Warm-up Show:
- How equipped is Bayern Munich to deal with its next slate of matches? Rotation and youth integration are supposed to be keys for this season. Will Vincent Kompany be able to make it all work? How does this stretch compare to what lies ahead?
- A BPW Listener Q&A — Navigating through the nonsense on the internet and in social media; Who we would pick if we had to bring in another manager right now; Does Germany have any chance to win the World Cup — if not them, then who?
- The Entertainment Rundown is BACK! Let’s talk HBO’s new show, “Task”!
Bayern sounds confident on Upamecano
Bayern Munich sporting director Christoph Freund was recently asked about the status of center-back Dayot Upamecano, who called off talks with the club over the summer — allegedly over a low-ball offer.
“Upa is an outstanding player with a great personality. He knows what he has at FC Bayern. I think he feels very comfortable, is performing very well, has a strong personality on and off the pitch. Of course we hope he will stay with us in the long-term. There’s no deadline. But the transfer window is now over and now we’re moving on to other topics, and Upa plays a very important role in that,” Freund told Sky Germany (as captured by @iMiaSanMia).
With Real Madrid, Manchester United, Paris Saint-Germain, and Inter Milan all rumored to be interested in Upamecano, Bayern Munich might want to get more aggressive with its talks.
Song of the Week: “Slow Hands” by Interpol
Part of the indie rock movement of the early aughts, Interpol certainly has had a nice run.
The American band had a few mainstream hit and has maintains a pretty active following to this day. For me, “Slow Hands” was the song that really caught my attention during that period. Take a trip back to 2004 and enjoy:
Bavarian Podcast Works — Preview Show: Bayern Munich vs. Hamburger SV
Bayern Munich is back in Bundesliga action after an international break and just before the Champions League kicks off.
Could Bayern Munich get caught looking ahead? Maybe, but Vincent Kompany will surely have his boys focused on the task at hand — facing Hamburger SV at the Allianz Arena. Let’s get into it all — this is what we have on tap for this edition of the Bavarian Podcast Works — Preview Show:
- What to watch for with Hamburger SV.
- A look at Bayern Munich’s injury situation.
- A guess at Bayern Munich’s starting XI — will Kompany go with his regulars or will he look ahead to facing Chelsea in the Champions League next week?
- A prediction on the match.
Entertainment Rundown
Task
Let’s get into it…bullet-style:
- Finally, an HBO show I can enjoy (and a reason to keep my subscription).
- Admittedly, I had been waiting for this one and not since its sister show, Mare of Easttown, has there really been an HBO show that I was looking this forward to (sorry House of the Dragon). Both Mare of Easttown and Task were written and developed Brad Ingelsby — a local to area where show is filmed (if you want more background, listen to the Weekend Warm-up podcast, where I break down exactly how I have a very loose connection to his family from years ago).
- Set in Delaware County, Pennsylvania, Task picks up in the same universe as Mare of Easttown (so, yes, get used to hearing more of the Delco accent than you already get on BPW), the story centers on a crew of “stick up boys” who are robbing drug dealers (most a motorcycle game named The Dark Hearts). An FBI task force, headed by Mark Ruffalo’s character is set up to examine the incidents. Ruffalo, as is expected in an Ingelsby production, has his own demons, even as the protagonist.
- Much of this was filmed within 45 minutes from where I sit…some was filmed less than five minutes — so, for me, this is an intense watch to look for landmarks and references to the wonderful world of Delco.
- What you should know is that a lot of this is steeped in things that have happened or could easily happen. The Pagans, a real motorcycle gang — one of the 1%’ers for those in the know — have a strong presence in the area, so there is a grit and realness to it that matches the actual area, which is rooted in its blue collar and industrial history. All that said, you have a balanced of heavily wooded areas and a strong sense of being, well, different. What does all that mean? It is the PERFECT setting for this kind of story.
- As for another personal connection, one of the main child actors (it is not a massive cast) is a former basketball player of mine, who I coached just a few years ago…which is WILD.
- Anyway, there were a couple decisions made by Tom Pelphrey’s character (the main antagonist) at the end of the episode, which are not only puzzling for a crew that looked to be so in sync, but which also likely set up a much deeper look at Pelphrey’s character and a bigger reason for Ruffalo’s task force to take more action.
- Overall, it was a very solid first episode that caught my attention, has subject matter and depth within its characters that should keep viewers on the edge of their seats for the run of the season. This is shaping up to be another hit for Ingelsby.
Episode Rating: 9.00/10.00
Bavarian Podcast Works — Preview Show: Bayern Munich vs. Hamburger SV
Bayern Munich is back in Bundesliga action after an international break and just before the Champions League kicks off.
Could Bayern Munich get caught looking ahead? Maybe, but Vincent Kompany will surely have his boys focused on the task at hand — facing Hamburger SV at the Allianz Arena. Let’s get into it all — this is what we have on tap for this edition of the Bavarian Podcast Works — Preview Show:
- What to watch for with Hamburger SV.
- A look at Bayern Munich’s injury situation.
- A guess at Bayern Munich’s starting XI — will Kompany go with his regulars or will he look ahead to facing Chelsea in the Champions League next week?
- A prediction on the match.
Predictions
Bayern Munich is at home, against an inferior opponent, who has not beat the Bavarians in Munich since 2008. Yes, there is some danger in Bayern looking ahead to next Wednesday vs. Chelsea, but this team is too strong for Hamburg at the moment.
Flashscore has assembled some reasons to think that Bayern Munich is a strong favorite here:
- Bayern Munich have posted a league-high 20 shots on target across the opening two rounds.
- Bayern Munich have scored 3+ goals in 13 of their last 16 home league games.
- Ten of the last 11 goals scored in Hamburg’s competitive away games came after half-time.
- Hamburg have failed to win 15 of their 16 Bundesliga games in the primetime Saturday evening televised spot (W1, D6, L9).
Prediction: Bayern Munich 4-0 Hamburger SV
Other Bundesliga predictions:
- Bayer Leverkusen 1-1 Eintracht Frankfurt
- VfL Wolfsburg 2-2 FC Köln
- Union Berlin 2-1 Hoffenheim
- Heidenheim 0-3 Borussia Dortmund
- SC Freiburg 2-1 VfB Stuttgart
- Mainz 05 1-3 RB Leipzig
- St. Pauli 0-2 FC Augsburg
- Borussia Mönchengladbach 2-1 Werder Bremen
Prediction Records
- Bundesliga Last Matchday: 5-4
- Bundesliga Overall: 8-10
- DFB-Pokal: 28-4
- World Cup Qualifiers/Friendlies: 34-14
- Champions League: 0-0
- Club World Cup: 39-23
- Friendlies: 3-0
- Franz Beckenbauer Supercup: 1-0
- Total: 113-51
- Perfect Picks: 6
