Midweek Warm-up: It’s okay to get wrapped in the success of Bayern Munich’s Lennart Karl; DFB-Pokal predictions; Throwing it back to AC/DC; and MOR...

Hop on the bandwagon…

Summarized by AI ⓘ

What is the story about?

Everyone wants a piece of Bayern Munich phenom Lennart Karl.

The 17-year-old ball of electricity has wowed fans and the club alike and is now even drawing scouts from Arsenal, Chelsea, and Manchester City (as reported here).

The kid just has…“it.”

However, if you look or listen close enough, there are some fans and pundits urging everyone to proceed with caution — and maybe rightfully so.

Why? Because Bayern Munich’s track record of actually developing star-level players has been, well, questionable

in recent seasons. Just look at the respective careers of PSV Eindhoven’s Paul Wanner and Everton’s Adam Aznou — two players who were labeled as “can’t miss” have really, well, struck out.

Wanner, who had Germany and Austria ready to create border hostility over him just a few years ago is no longer safely ensconced in the plans for either country. Most saw Wanner’s move to the Netherlands as a chance to revive his sputtering career, but things have not worked out.

While never outwardly a distraction, rumors persisted that Wanner might have been given some poor advice and might have thought a bit more of himself than others did. Now, with a chance to prove his mettle, he is flailing.

Wanner has played in six games across all competitions, tallying no goals or assists, and only playing 116 total minutes.

The move has not gone as planned.

As for Aznou, his immature antics at the Club World Cup greased his pathway right out of the club, which was really his end goal for the behavior. A funny thing happened on the way to becoming an instant star, though…it didn’t happen. In fact, Aznou could not even buy minutes in England if he wanted to and could be on his way to being loaned out.

Anzou has only made two appearances for Everton and totaled 170 minutes, without registering a goal or an assist. Per transfer expert Ekrem Konur, Everton is already thinking about a loan for Aznou:

🚨🆕 #Everton
Everton are open to loaning out young left-back Adam Aznou in January to help him gain more playing time.

🔄The club believes regular minutes will accelerate his development and is willing to consider offers from teams that can provide a suitable environment for growth.

Both Wanner and Aznou now represent cautionary tales of chasing greatness before actually being good. Don’t get us wrong here, it would be awesome to see both players turn things around and “make it” — we aren’t here to be hate merchants. We want these kids to achieve success.

Sadly, though, they could be quickly heading down the same road as other failed Bayern Munich prospects and it is for a number of reasons. Opportunity, poor management/advice, bad loan destinations, iffy decision-making, and — seemingly — a lack of willingness to do whatever it takes to make it at a club like Bayern Munich.

With Karl, his patience, willingness to battle for minutes, and ability to shake off failure (something that both Wanner and Aznou have not managed to do) have powered him into being the darling of the Bayern Munich fanbase…as a kid born in 2008.

Karl still probably cannot grow a full beard, but has found a way to fill up the stat sheet in one of the best leagues in the world.

So, it’s okay to celebrate Karl and it is more than okay to hope that Wanner and Aznou can find a way get their respective careers back on track. Not everyone takes the same path, but it sure is fun to watch the one that Karl is on — and there is nothing wrong with jumping on the bandwagon and relishing the ride.

Bavarian Podcast Works — Preview Show: FC Köln vs. Bayern Munich

Bayern Munich has a renewed emphasis on winning the DFB-Pokal and will look to take the next step on the road at RheinEnergieSTADION.

Bayern Munich head coach Vincent Kompany could have some tough decisions with his lineup. Should he rest key players or is this game too important against a dangerous enough opponent to take a risk?

We will talk about all of that and more on the latest edition of the Bavarian Podcast Works — Preview Show. This is what we have on tap:

What to watch for with FC Köln in the DFB-Pokal.
A look at Bayern Munich’s injury situation.
A guess at Bayern Munich’s starting XI.
A prediction on the match.

Song of the Midweek: “Highway to Hell” by AC/DC

We have featured AC/DC a few times here (and rightfully so), but today, as I was waking up to put the finishing touches on this post, I heard “Highway to Hell” and knew I needed to use it.

I must have heard this song 5,000 times in my life, but some tunes just never get old. “Highway to Hell” is one of them…enjoy:

The Bundesliga Rundown with Marcus Iredahl: Matchday 8

It was another wild weekend in the Bundesliga and one that saw the rich get richer (on points), while the teams struggling could only wish things were headed in a different direction.

We have a lot to talk about, so let’s get do it. This edition of the Bundesliga Rundown will include:

A look at the scores from the weekend.
The Bundesliga’s Lost Boys: A look into some players around the league who’s wayward careers have left them…irrelevant? Misunderstood? Let’s discuss.
A look at the Bundesliga table ahead of Matchday 9.

Predictions

FC Köln is not a pushover.

While not exactly a star-studded roster, this group has found a way to be a pest to the opposition in the Bundesliga, while also showing a sheer “do whatever it takes to win” mentality — as we saw in their Pokal opener against SSV Jahn Regensburg.

That said, Bayern Munich is on the kind of run we do no often see. Utterly dominant in every phase of the match, Bayern Munich is just systematically bashing everyone in their path at the moment.

If — and this is a big if — FC Köln can find away to score an early goal, it could cause issues for Bayern Munich, but we just do not think that will happen. Nothing stops this train (at least for now)…

Prediction: FC Köln 0-4 Bayern Munich

Other DFB-Pokal predictions:

Tuesday, October 28, 2025