Daily Schmankerl: “The result is what it is” — Bayern Munich’s Lucas Hernandez; FC Barcelona locking up Gavi; Germany to be featured in Amazon doc; Kylian Mbappe to Real Madrid?; Konrad Laimer hurt; & MORE!

Hernandez admits Barcelona deserved penalty, doesn’t feel guilty on it not being called (Sport)

Bayern Munich defender Lucas Hernandez turned in a solid shift against FC Barcelona, but did suffer through an adductor injury that will keep him sidelined for five-to-six weeks.

When discussing the match with the Spanish media, the subject of Alphonso Davies’ contact with Ousmane Dembélé in the first half came up. Some folks felt that Davies could have been assessed a penalty on the play — including Hernández:

Speaking to Cadena SER, he said it was a ‘penaltito’ — a light penalty — when Dembele was tripped by the Canadian. Former referee Iturralde Gonzálz explained to Lucas that it was a clear penalty, with the Bayern defender admitting “it was a light penalty, Itu,” on the air.

Speaking on COPE, he added: “You can talk all you want, but the result is what it is.”

Assuredly, Hernández was not going to apologize for the non-call, but Bayern Munich was a tad lucky in that instance, as that might have turned the tide of game.

Germany to be featured in Amazon Prime documentary (@ESPNFC)

Thomas Müller, Joshua Kimmich, Manuel Neuer, and the rest of the German national team will be featured in an Amazon Prime documentary at the World Cup:

Gavi could be off-the-market for Bayern (@FabrizioRomano)

Bayern Munich might have been “desperate” for Gavi, but the Spanish midfielder seems settled on FC Barcelona for his future:

Bavarian Podcast Works: Postgame Show — Bayern Munich 2-0 FC Barcelona (Bavarian Football Works)

After a massive amount of build-up, Bayern Munich and FC Barcelona finally hooked up in the Champions League.

The match held a lot of intrigue given the return of Robert Lewandowski to his old stomping grounds, the recent uneven form of Bayern Munich, and the pregame controversy with some players not being happy about their respective roles in Bavaria.

None of that mattered once the teams hit the pitch and Bayern Munich exited with a 2-0 victory over FC Barcelona.

Let’s break it all down podcast style. Here is what we have on tap:

• A rundown of the match.
• A look at how Bayern Munich’s form went from “not so great” to “damn good” after halftime.
• Why the pregame controversies matter and how Nagelsmann can attempt to mitigate things moving forward.
• Why Bayern Munich passed its first big test of the season.
• Looking forward to the return leg.

Mbappé to Madrid back on? (Football Transfers)

Despite the great lengths that Paris Saint-Germain has gone to in hopes of keeping Kylian Mbappé happy,

Kylian Mbappé signed a new contract with Paris Saint-Germain earlier this summer after a long transfer saga with involving Real Madrid, amid plenty of belief he would be moving to the Spanish capital. There was an understanding that Mbappé had signed a three-year deal with PSG, tying him to the club until 2025, but according to new reports, that is not the case. According to L’Equipe, Mbappé has actually signed a two-year deal – lasting until 2024 – and the deal has an option to add a further year to it, which can only be triggered by the player himself. That means Mbappé could leave the club at the end of the 2023-24 season, and possibly even get his move to Real Madrid, which by his own admission, is his dream destination.

Real Madrid haven’t closed the door on signing Mbappé in the future as well, and have kept relations mostly positive in case there is a possibility they could sign him at some point in the future. Mbappé’s total package is worth about €450 million, including his wages and a signing-on fee, making him the most well-paid footballer on the planet.

Laimer injured (@RaeComm)

Bayern Munich transfer target Konrad Laimer will miss several weeks for RB Leipzig with an injury:

Lewy-Müller share brief embrace (@FCBayern)

Bayern Munich’s Thomas Müller and FC Barcelona’s Robert Lewandowski were maybe the best combination in the history of the Rekordmeister and the duo got a chance for a brief embrace after the Champions League match:

For Lewandowski, the match was not one to remember:

Baumgart reigns supreme (@dw_sports)

FC Köln manager Steffen Baumgart is one of a kind:

James encounters Three Little Bears strategy (@FabrizioRomano)

Hmmm...Everton was too cold, Al-Rayyan was too hot, will Olympiacos be just right?

Bavarian Podcast Works Season 5, Episode 11: What’s wrong with Bayern Munich lately? + FC Barcelona preview (Bavarian Football Works)

We’re more than a month into the season and Bayern Munich have drawn three games in a row. Granted those games were only in the Bundesliga, and were punctuated by wins against Viktoria Koln in the Pokal and Inter Milan in the Champions League, but it’s still a poor return for a team searching for its eleventh consecutive title. Now, Bayern face the prospect of reuniting with Robert Lewandowski in midweek, when FC Barcelona come to visit. Plenty to talk about.

In this episode, INNN, Samrin, and Marcus discuss:

• What’s behind Bayern’s awful recent form?
• The problem with the offense at the moment — finishing, chance creation, or the lack of an actual striker?
• How do we solve the frontline problem before facing FC Barcelona?
• Moving onto the preview for the Barca game — what kind of coach is Xavi?
• How Barcelona could line up and our impressions on their team.
• Aside from Robert Lewandowski, who is the danger-man on their side? Dembele, Pedri, Gavi, and more.
• How Xavi might set up his midfield to neutralize Thomas Muller.
• Will the fact that Barcelona set up offensively help Bayern Munich attack?
• How will Bayern stop the Barca attack? Should Matthijs de Ligt or Dayot Upamecano start?
• Should Nagelsmann give Goretzka another chance, or stick with Marcel Sabitzer?
• Marcus makes a futile attempt to argue that Gnabry should start ahead of Jamal Musiala in attack. Is he successful?
• Can we still trust in Julian Nagelsmann if he loses to Barca in midweek?