The recent international break for Germany did not give fans a lot of hope — there is no two ways about it.
How frustrating was it? Very…and maybe no one else was as aggravated as Germany boss Julian Nagelsmann. After the 2-0 defeat to Slovakia, DFB director Rudi Völler says that head coach Julian Nagelsmann needed some time to let his emotions get the better of him for a few minutes (via Sport Bild
):The defeat in Bratislava was particularly frustrating. The national coach was visibly angry after
the game. Völler reported: “You have to give him the freedom to explode sometimes. That’s what he did in the dressing room after the game. He needs five minutes to let off steam.”
Despite the mixed interim results, the DFB remains united behind its national coach. There’s no coaching discussion going on. Völler backed Nagelsmann: “At the moment, it’s ‘far away, Julian knows that too.’ But I’m confident in the team. I think most people don’t like playing against us. We can always play a good role.”
Völler once again emphasized how much the DFB values Nagelsmann’s work: “The DFB is incredibly happy to have Julian. He is very strong rhetorically, does good training work, and has a demanding manner. He is a top coach.”
At the same time, Völler called for patience, especially during the current qualifying phase: “You have to give the coach the freedom to try a few things, even if they are qualifying matches.”
The Slovakia loss would spur a multitude of changes in the lineup and more could be on the way per Sport Bild. The following players are part of Nagelsmann’s “shadow team.”
Some of these players will be shoo-ins for the World Cup roster, while a few others are complete surprises. As for Bayern Munich’s captain being on this list, we have to assume he is not lying when he says there is no chance he returns to play international ball. Anyway, this is the alleged “shadow team”:
- Bayern Munich’s Manuel Neuer, goalkeeper
- SC Frieburg’s Noah Atubolu, goalkeeper
- RB Leipzig’s Benjamin Henrichs, defender
- Borussia Dortmund’s Nico Schlotterbeck, center-back
- Inter Milan’s Yann Aurel Bisseck, center-back
- Bayern Munich’s Aleksandar Pavlović, midfielder
- Leed United’s Anton Stach, midfielder
- Bayern Munich’s Jamal Musiala, attacker
- Borussia Mönchengladbach’s Tim Kleindienst, striker
- Arsenal’s Kai Havertz, attacker
- Eintracht Frankfurt’s Jonathan Burkardt, striker
- SC Freiburg’s Max Rosenfelder, center-back
- Como’s Nicolas-Gerrit Kühn, winger
- Eintracht Frankfurt’s Nathaniel Brown, left-back
Surely, Nagelsmann will not take them all…but even if he takes half, that would represent significant change.
So what do you think? Does Germany have any shot at winning the World Cup? Tell us in the comments below!
Bavarian Podcast Works — Preview Show: Hoffenheim vs. Bayern Munich
Bayern Munich will travel to Hoffenheim with a quick turnaround d after the Bavarians took down Chelsea FC in the Champions League on Tuesday.
Bayern Munich will be looking to build off of its strong performances, but could face a stiff challenge from a suddenly formidable Hoffenheim team looking to protect its home turf and make some major headway in the Bundesliga.
Let’s get into it! This is what we have on tap for this edition of the Bavarian Podcast Works — Preview Show:
- What to watch for with Hoffenheim — a team on the rise?
- A look at Bayern Munich’s injury situation.
- A guess at Bayern Munich’s starting XI. How much rotation will Vincent Kompany indulge in?
- A prediction on the match. Can Hoffenheim stay hot or will Bayern Munich overpower the home side.
Song of the Week: “Spoonman” by Soundgarden
I am fairly certain “Spoonman” was the second Soundgarden song I had ever heard (“Black Hole Sun” was likely the first), but man…I was all in on this.
Released in 1994, Soundgarden was part of the grunge movement and, damn, “Spoonman” it was soooooo good. I still distinctly remember hooking up my portable CD player into my car radio, rolling down the windows (no automatic windows in my 1985 Buick Century!) and blaring this (while it would skip every time I hit a bump…you had to be there).
Anyway, enjoy this one…I know I will:
Entertainment Rundown
Task
Another solid episode of HBO’s latest series…let’s get into it:
- We learned a lot about the characters and the complicated history of each — particularly the deceased characters on the show.
- Billy, the deceased brother of Robbie (Tom Pelphrey) and father of Maeve (Emilia Jones) was a member of the Dark Hearts motorcycle gang and met an untimely end (likely at the hands of Jayson or Perry). The background on the motive of why Robbie has specific targets in mind for his crimes really came to light. The next shoe to drop will be finding out who is source is within the club (which might have already been foreshadowed).
- One of the great parts of the show so far is that the pacing is perfect. Sure, it slows down at times, but it ramps up at the perfect times to keep the viewer on the edge of their seat.
- Maeve putting the pieces together of who Sam was great and gave her at least part of what Robbie was doing with his capers now. She also realizes how this puts her in a very vulnerable spot and attempted to rectify the situation with no avail. The whole scene with Maeve trying to intentionally lose Sam was great (and filmed less than five minutes from where I’m typing this).
- I loved getting the background on the inner-workings and the dynamics of the Dark Hearts. That kind of writing always makes a show that much deeper and more rich. The relationship between Jayson (Sam Keeley) and Perry (Jamie McShane) will be one to watch as the tension heightens.
- Fabien Frankel’s portrayal of Anthony Grosso is just fantastic. What an underrated actor to slide from Ser Criston Cole to a true Delco man.
- The whole storyline involving Tom (Mark Ruffalo) and his family is the vintage “misery porn” that adds further complexity and pain into the storyline — very similar to how it was weaved into Mare of Easttown.
- The inclusion of fentanyl into the storyline is ripped straight from the headlines. It is an epidemic here.
- If you are not watching this…you should.
- Overall, it was another awesome episode. I could go on on and on with my favorite parts from the episode, but I decided to cut it a little short, so it did not branch off into thousands of words. The brilliant thing about Brad Ingelsby’s writing is the authenticity, blended with the expert pacing and the built in ebbing-and-flowing that just piques your interest. The Mare of Easttown creator has not skipped a beat with his latest show.
Rating: 9.25/10.00
Predictions
Bayern Munich is coming off of a short week and is a little banged up. Sometimes, that can mean trouble — especially because the Bavarians are going to be traveling to Sinsheim.
Not this time.
Bayern Munich’s attack is just too strong and while the backline is not exactly in optimal shape, this should be a game where Hoffenheim just wears down from having to play the entire game on its heels.
Prediction: Hoffenheim 0-3 Bayern Munich
Other Bundesliga predictions:
- VfB Stuttgart 2-0 St. Pauli
- FC Augsburg 2-1 Mainz 05
- Hamburger SV 0-1 Heidenheim
- Werder Bremen 1-2 SC Freiburg
- RB Leipzig 3-2 FC Köln
- Eintracht Frankfurt 2-1 Union Berlin
- Bayer Leverkusen 2-1 Borussia Mönchengladbach
- Borussia Dortmund 2-1 VfL Wolfsburg
Prediction Records
- Bundesliga Last Matchday: 5-4
- Bundesliga Overall: 13-14
- DFB-Pokal: 28-4
- World Cup Qualifiers/Friendlies: 34-14
- Champions League: 11-7
- Club World Cup: 39-23
- Friendlies: 3-0
- Franz Beckenbauer Supercup: 1-0
- Total: 129-62
- Perfect Picks: 6
