Bayern Munich stormed into the Winter break with a spectacular 5-1 victory over RB Leipzig in a match that meant a ton to both teams.
For Bayern Munich, the victory affirmed the club’s stronghold on the Bundesliga. For RB Leipzig, though, this result could be an agent of change for a team that has not fully lived up to the expectations it had entering the season.
Here are some quick hitters on the match:
- As always let’s begin with a look at the starting XI:
- It was very curious to see Leon Goretzka in the lineup over Aleksandar Pavlović. The young midfielder just has not looked the same since coming back from a broken collarbone and Goretzka had filled in for him really well, but it was still a little surprising. Otherwise, Konrad Laimer made it back to the team in time to start, which was a big help for the right-back position. Alphonso Davies and Harry Kane also made their respective returns to the starting XI, which was expected.
- As always, Bayern Munich fans tend to not hold their tongue when it comes to RB Leipzig (apologies to anyone offended, but this really was a sign on display in the stadium, which shows the disdain RB Leipzig received from Bayern Munich fans):
- The start to the match was wild. In the 1st minute (!?), a bad turnover by RB Leipzig led to Harry Kane back-heeling a pass to a streaking Michael Olise, who found Jamal Musiala on a run to the net. While the attacking midfielder was credited with the goal, it appeared to actually deflect off of RB Leipzig defender Nicolas Seiwald.
- It would not take The Red Bulls long to answer, though. Some absolutely shambolic positional gambling by Kim Min-jae led to Lois Openda blazing by the center-back and finding Benjamin Šeško, who cut in front of a stumbling Dayot Upamecano to knot the game at 1-1. Min-jae has to be better than that. As for Upamecano, it looked like he lost his footing more than made a bad play/decision.
- Where is the Facts of Life theme song when you need it? Oh, right here.
- Šeško and Openda can turnstile even the most solid and consistent defenders, though, so it is not as if it was time to unravel — just simply time to regroup. Min-jae and Upamecano did rebound to have a solid showing overall.
- Clearly, these two teams were well aware of just how important this match was and they went at each very hard until Bayern Munich just went into Terminator Mode.
- Olise has had a very nice first half of the season for Bayern Munich, though sometimes he gets impatient with his positioning when on the weak side and creeps in too far centrally. It would be awesome for him let the game come to him a little more. Still, it was a very good showing for the Frenchman, who finished with two assists.
- Davies appeared to be a little rusty with his game play early on, but did pick it up. Kane, though, looked a little more sharp from the outset. Davies would ultimately have a really nice game.
- Interestingly, after RB Leipzig scored that early goal, Goretzka seemed to play a little deeper and almost form a back-three in the build-up as the outside-backs pushed up the field.
- In the 25th minute, Laimer — what a story he has been this week — volleyed in a goal off of a pass from Olise for a sensational goal. The Austrian seemed to really enjoy that one. If you missed it, Laimer shook off a potential injury and became a dad before scoring this goal. Not a bad way to end the week, eh?
- Joshua Kimmich became the second former RB Leipzig player to come back to haunt his old team with a rocket of a shot from outside the box in the 36th minute. After receiving a short pass from Jamal Musiala, Kimmich took a couple of touches, then stepped into and fired a long distance strike past a prone Péter Gulácsi for a 3-1 lead.
- Goretzka had a golden opportunity for make it 4-1 in the 50th minute, but maybe just dribbled too long and had to pull it back out to set up Musiala for a shot. Goretzka will surely want that one back.
- Leroy Sané (75’) and Davies (78’) would each add goals to make it 5-1. For Sané, the game capped off a very strong effort and one that could help propel him to a an important second half of the season.
- That injury to Benjamin Henrichs looked pretty bad.
- Eric Dier looked good in his appearance as a sub.
- Overall, Bayern Munich was tremendous. Aside of one miscue early in the match, the Bavarians just dominated a very good team. That was exactly the kind of effort that everyone needed to see heading into the Winter break. With some time for the squad to get more healthy, this should be a very formidable team coming out of the break. Is the rest of Europe going to be ready for this Bayern Munich squad if it can keep at this level of play? We’ll find out in a few weeks, but until then, this was a near-perfect way to end the first half of the season.
If you missed our Initial Analysis, Match Awards, Observations, or Postgame Podcast, give them a look or a listen:
Also, be sure to stay tuned to Bavarian Podcast Works for all of your up to date coverage on Bayern Munich and Germany. Check us out on Patreon and follow us on Twitter @BavarianFBWorks, @BavarianPodcast @TheBarrelBlog, @BFWCyler, @2012nonexistent, @TommyAdams71 and more.
Paris Saint-Germain defender Milan Škriniar could be on his way to Galatasaray:
Concrete talks are now taking place between Galatasaray Istanbul and Paris Saint-Germain regarding a winter move for Milan #Skriniar. ✔️
The discussions are centered on a loan deal, and #PSG‘s central defender is open to the transfer.
Skriniar is one of #Galatasaray’s top targets for strengthening their defense. @SkySportDE
Bayern Munich is making a lot of noise on and off the pitch these days, so let’s try and cover it all right here. This is what we have on tap for this edition of the Bavarian Podcast Works — Weekend Warm-up Show:
- Assessing the latest news on Florian Wirtz and whether or not Xavi Simons would be a good contingency plan for Bayern Munich.
- Manuel Neuer is set to ink a contract extension…how are we feeling about that? What about those rumors linking Bayern Munich to FC Köln’s Jonas Urbig?
- Should we be worried about Manchester City’s interest in Jamal Musiala and Joshua Kimmich?
- A brief Entertainment Rundown.
Those rumors linking Bayern Munich to Manchester United’s Marcus Rashford are nonsense, per Christian Falk:
Christian Falk has assured United fans that Bayern Munich are not interested in bringing the 27-year-old (linked with a switch to Säbener Straße by Fichajes) to the Bundesliga.
The Bavarian giants are interested in a similar profile to what the forward offers, but their ongoing search for offensive reinforcements will likely take them to alternative avenues.
“Not True: That Bayern Munich are interested in Marcus Rashford,” the BILD reporter informed CaughtOffside in his exclusive Fact Files column.
“Of course, he’s a good player but it would be too expensive a move. Bayern don’t have a free role on the pitch to ensure he’d be a starter in the first-XI.
“It’s true that Bayern are searching for a player who could operate behind Harry Kane and as a backup to the England international. That’s why the profile of Marcus Rashford would fit at Bayern Munich, but no – it’s too expensive!
“And, ultimately, if it’s too expensive for Bayern, it’s too expensive for the whole league. It’s a pity, but we won’t see Rashford in the Bundesliga.”
Galatasaray might try to pull off an unthinkable move — landing Tottenham Hotspur star Son Heung-min:
Turkish side Galatasaray are ready to join the race to sign Tottenham Hotspur forward Son Heung-min when his contract expires in the summer.
This episode of the Bundesliga Rundown will be a special one!
We will review the teams occupying the first through eight position in the Bundesliga table! Marcus will grade each team based on their start to the 2024/25 season, while analyzing what has gone right and wrong for each of them.
Hence, this special edition will discuss:
- What has gone wrong at Borussia Dortmund?
- What has gone right at Mainz?
- Are VfB Stuttgart on a better path?
- The inspiring story of SC Freiburg.
- How Marco Rose has turned his fortunes around at RB Leipzig – and why Marcus thinks it might not last.
- Is Eintracht Frankfurt the most fun team to watch in the Bundesliga?
- Why Xabi Alonso deserves so much credit for his efforts this season.
- Why a loss this weekend shouldn’t discourage FC Bayern Munich fans… too much.
- …and much more (including rants about FIFA and UEFA’s match calendar).
Could Real Madrid land two Premier League megastars this summer? It seems very unlikely, but let’s check it out anyway:
Real Madrid are seriously considering pursuing both Liverpool forward Mohamed Salah and Tottenham Hotspur’s Son Heung-min when their contracts expire at the end of the season.
Former Bayern Munich midfielder Ryan Gravenberch has been getting a lot of attention at Liverpool FC, but he is not going anywhere, per Sky Sport journalist Florian Plettenberg:
Ryan #Gravenberch is currently not considering leaving Liverpool.
The 22y/o is a key performer and a leading player for the team. Currently, there are no plans or discussions regarding a transfer in winter or summer.
Been told that #LFC also have no intention of pursuing a swap deal involving Aurélien #Tchouaméni at this stage. @SkySportDE
