Bayern Munich did not look like a squad just beginning to put things together early on, but did lose some focus during its 5-3 win over RB Leipzig in the DFL-Supercup. Here are some quick hitters on the match:

• The starting XI did shock me just a little bit. The inclusion of Jamal Musiala over Leroy Sané was surprising in a good way. With Kingsley Coman and Matthijs de Ligt not fully fit and Noussair Mazraoui not having fully proven himself yet, it was a chance for Musiala, Serge Gnabry, Benjamin Pavard, and Dayot Upamecano to put their respective talents on display:

• That said, it was a very choppy beginning to the match for both sides. Bayern Munich seemed to have trouble with players adjusting to being in different areas of the pitch than they might be used to. Spacing and running lanes were also an issue at times.
• In the 8th minute Marcel Sabitzer saved Manuel Neuer’s bacon after the captain had a pretty bad gaffe.
• Just following that, Dayot Upamecano made a boneheaded play that was luckily not ruled a penalty.
• Clearly, it was not exactly a great start for either team as the match, but things would quickly get better for Bayern Munich.
• In the 13th minute, Bayern Munich began to put some things together and Musiala capitalized one minute later with a goal. If only someone had been championing for Musiala to start for the better part of two seasons now?
• So, yeah, Musiala > Sané and it’s been this way since midway through last season.
• Bayern Munich’s formation was extremely variable. It was difficult to see what alignment was in play from possession-to-possession at times.
• Benjamin Henrichs is going to be trouble for Die Roten Bullen this season. It doesn’t seem like he makes the best decisions (which has been a problem for him in the past).
• Bayern Munich took a 2-0 lead when Thomas Müller, Musiala, and Gnabry strung together one-touch passes and set up Sadio Mané. It was a brilliant sequence for the Bavarians and one that seemed to decimate the hopes of RB Leipzig.
• I thought both Sabitzer and Pavard quietly were very solid in the first. The two players have been much maligned, but they were extremely steady. Pavard, however, did make a boneheaded decision of his own later.
• Musiala was totally disruptive. His turns when receiving the ball were off-the-charts good and RB Leipzig just couldn’t handle him.
• Lucas Hernández had a very strong performance as well.
• Musiala’s overall disruptiveness also setup Pavard’s goal, which made it 3-0 before halftime.
• André Silva’s second half header nearly put RB Leipzig on the scoreboard. The entry of Silva and Dani Olmo into the match helped turn the tide for Die Roten Bullen.
• Marcel Halstenberg’s header in the 59th minute, however, would not miss and RB Leipzig cut Bayern Munich’s lead to 3-1.
• Serge Gnabry put home the rebound of a shot from Müller in the 66th minute. Bayern Munich’s attack was relentless, but subbing off Musiala and Müller would prove to be detrimental.
• From here, Bayern Munich lost focus and got sloppy. Part of that had to do with Müller being subbed off the squad, subsequently running around like a chicken with its head lopped off.
• A risky and reckless challenge from Pavard gave RB Leipzig a penalty and Christopher Nkunku buried it to make it 4-2.
• Toward the end, the lack of focus became a big issue. Forwards and midfielders were borderline cherry-picking, defense got a little bit sloppy and Olmo made Bayern Munich pay with a goal to cut the lead to 4-3.
• In the throws of extra time, RB Leipzig went for it all, but left itself out of position and Leroy Sané found himself in a 1v1, which he won, and then deposited a shot into the net to clinch the victory.
• Overall, it was a fun and exciting match…and hey, it was a win! There is a lot of room for improvement and Julian Nagelsmann is certainly going to have his work cut out for him in terms of deciding who is in and who is out from match-to-match, but this team has a ton of potential.

If you missed our Initial Analysis, Match Awards, Observations, or Postgame Podcast, give them a look or a listen:

It appears very likely that Timo Werner will be leaving Chelsea FC in the coming days or weeks, but where will he go? Based on a trio of reports, Real Madrid, Juventus, and RB Leipzig could be the most likely destinations:

As SPORT1 recently revealed, RB Leipzig wants Timo Werner back , there are even talks between the cup winner and Chelsea – but is Real Madrid now struggling in between? (REPORT: Leipzig wants Werner back!)

Two years after his 64 million move to London, Werner’s time with the Blues seems to be coming to an end. And now Real have him on their radar, reports Mundo Deportivo.

In principle, the royals are not looking for a striker, but they have lost Benzema backup Luka Jovic (Fiorentina). However, Borja Majoral (returned on loan from AS Roma) and Marco Asensio could still leave the Real team. Then Werner could become an issue, the Spaniards report. However, only on loan, not as a permanent commitment.

In Leipzig, too, a loan would probably be the only viable model – because Werner still has a contract with Chelsea until 2025 and, with a gross weekly salary of 295,000 euros, is one of the five best-paid players in the star ensemble from Stamford Bridge. According to SPORT1 information, Werner would forego part of his salary.

SPORT1 also knows that Juventus Turin is still interested in Werner after signing Ángel Di María. In turn, Bild reports that the 53-time national striker is also under discussion at Newcastle United and could thus remain in the Premier League.

A loan to RB Leipzig is also still on the table for Werner as well:

Sky’s Florian Plettenberg also chimed in with more Werner-to-Leipzig noise:

Could FC Barcelona star midfielder Frenkie de Jong join Bayern Munich on a loan assignment? It appears that De Jong’s salary is one of the primary issues with Barca’s ability to register its new players and the club might have to find an inventive way to get rid of — and/or pay the Dutchman — for this season:

Frenkie de Jong has been mooted as the ideal candidate to leave the club as he is currently sitting on a lucrative wage packet. Widely considered one of the best midfielders in Spain, the Dutchman can also generate significant revenue that will go a long way in helping Barça register the new players.

However, the midfielder has so far resisted all attempts to lure him away from Camp Nou, with the player already rejecting Manchester United several times this season.

It appears de Jong does not fancy a move to Old Trafford as the Premier League giants are not in a position to offer him Champions League football. But according to Diario AS, a new alternative has emerged in the form of Bayern Munich.

The report suggests de Jong would prefer a move to a top European giant that can offer him UCL football next season. A loan to Bayern, to that end, is increasingly becoming a possibility, though it remains to be seen whether the Bavarians are open to such a deal.

The German giants did reinforce their options earlier in the summer by bringing in Ryan Gravenberch from Ajax. But with Leon Goretzka picking up an injury, it will be interesting to see if Julian Nagelsmann entertains the possibility of signing someone like de Jong on a loan deal.

Sport Bild’s Christian Falk, however, continues to report that Bayern Munich is not interested in De Jong this summer, but guess who is? Chelsea FC:

Hey, hey! I’m back and ready to chat all things Bayern Munich!

Apparently, I missed A LOT last week, but big thanks to Samrin for filling in. That said, I am ready to get yapping. Let’s take a quick look at the explosive talking points for this week’s show:

• Recapping all of the craziness that happened on the one freaking week I was on vacation and unavailable.
• Assessing what moves could happen.
• Winners and losers from the U.S. tour.
• Potential red flags for this season.
• Reasons to be optimistic for this season.

Help support BFW’s quest to be the best, by checking out this link and giving us a vote: World Soccer Talk Awards — Best Club Podcast

He might he insinuating otherwise, Cristiano Ronaldo reportedly is still looking for a way out of Manchester United:

There has been no movement in the negotiations between Bayern Munich and RB Leipzig on midfielder Konrad Laimer:

Zlatan Ibrahimović appears to have no love for Manchester City coach Pep Guardiola:

It’s our pleasure to announce that Bavarian Podcast Works has been nominated for the “Best Club Podcast” by World Soccer Talk.

That’s right your (hopefully) favorite Bayern Munich podcast network is up for an award. While we are humbled and honored that we have not chased everyone away, we could use your help in securing the trophy. That’s right…you can vote! Help support BFW’s quest to be the best, by checking out this link and giving us a vote (or INNN will hunt you down): World Soccer Talk Awards — Best Club Podcast

Bear in mind, we didn’t nominate ourselves or anything like that for this award…somebody likes us!

We’ve put a lot of hard work into helping the podcast network grow and evolve over the years. We’d love to bring home the gold here and frankly we have not been this fired up over a competition since the Bunducksliga was at its peak. Voting closes at midnight EST tonight. (Direct link: https://worldsoccertalk.com/best-club-podcast-2022-world-soccer-talk-awards)

TODAY IS THE LAST DAY!

Well, you don’t see this every day: