Daily Schmankerl: Kroos avoided passing to Plattenhardt; Khedira thinks he was bad in Russia; and MORE!

It feels good to be back Schmankerl-ing (absolutely making up words upon my return from vacation).

Toni Kroos did not pass
Plattenhardt the ball
because he thinks
Marvin stinks
(The Times)
fin

There is not believing in a teammate, and then there is treating a teammate like Teen Wolf treated Chubby at the height of his conceited wolf-dom. Per a report behind a paywall by The Times, Toni Kroos was so disenchanted by Marvin Plattenhardt’s presence on the pitch against Mexico that he just opted not to pass him the ball. Like ever.

The Sun scaled the paywall to provide a little insight.

There were even suggestions that Kroos avoided passing to the inexperienced left back Marvin Plattenhardt because he did not trust him. Plattenhardt, who was winning his seventh cap, was substituted in the 79th minute and did not play again.

According to WhoScored.com, Plattenhardt finished the game with just 31 touches, which ranked second to last on the team behind the 29 touches that Timo Werner had (ouch!). To Kroos, Germany was essentially playing a man down. I’m pretty sure both Mats Hummels and Jerome Boateng would concur with that assessment as they spent most of that game in a track meet in an attempt to slow down Mexico’s counter-attack without the help of the absent outside back duo of Plattenhardt and Joshua Kimmich.

Khedira agrees he was terrible at the World Cup (Football Italia)

Sami Khedira took some time to look in the mirror and assess his own World Cup performance, while also dropping some hints that some teammates were not in tip-top shape for the tourney. The intrinsic thoughts were captured by Football Italia via Bild.

My performances were inexplicable. In Turin I had probably the best season of my life; then I came to Russia and played so badly against Mexico and Korea. It’s never happened to me before and I have to figure out why it did. It’s right to criticise me and my teammates. I tried to sleep but I couldn’t. I kept waking up over and over again. I feel a lot of pain and it still hasn’t sunk in, even now.

My favorite part of the piece by Football Italia is that Khedira criticized his teammates, while saying he didn’t want to criticize them. This is a Grade A passive-aggressive move.

Khedira played in both matches they lost, while he was dropped for their solitary win over Sweden. “None of us players reached the tournament in top condition, but I don’t want to criticise my teammates,” Khedira told Bild.

Our friends over at Black & White & Read All Over (BWRAO aka @JuventusNation) found Khedira’s assessment of his season at Juventus comical to say the least.

Live footage of the BWRAO staff when reading about Khedira’s “best season” for Juventus:

Open training sessions delayed for Bayern fans (FCBayern.com)

Bayern has a well-earned reputation as one of the most fan friendly organizations in all of sports. Some construction at Säbener Straße, however, will limit the fan accessibility until August 2nd.

Bongarts/Getty Images

Unfortunately, the building work at Säbener Straße does have one downside. Due to the extensive construction work, there will be no public training sessions before 1 August 2018 due to safety-related and organisational reasons. The spectator area around the number two training ground is currently being used as an access area for the numerous diggers, loaders and equipment required for the extension of the rear training pitches. Building work is also in full swing between the newly built office building and the number two training ground, which has led to bottlenecks in this area. All Bayern fans will be able to attend open sessions at the training ground from 2 August.

The Säbener Straße upgrades, along with the Allianz Arena enhancements, are designed to give both the players and fans an ultimate experience whether viewing a free training session or a Champions League tilt. While continuing to invest in the club’s facilities and amenities, Bayern is continuing to make itself a desirable destination for German players and international players alike.